Sue Kreitzman: Artist Who Found Her Calling at 58 Transforms Home Into Living Artwork

LONDON: Sue Kreitzman never imagined she would become an artist. After building successful careers as a teacher, cookbook author and television chef, she discovered her passion for art at the age of 58, a decision that completely transformed her life.

The 85-year-old New York-born artist recalled struggling with art throughout her school years, saying she failed every art class she attended from elementary school through high school.

Her artistic journey began unexpectedly while reviewing proofs for a new cookbook. She picked up a marker, drew a mermaid and never looked back.

“I looked at the mermaid and the mermaid looked at me, and I gave her a fish for a hat,” Kreitzman said. “She was in charge, not me. The mermaid took over my life.”

From that moment, she abandoned cookbook writing and devoted herself entirely to drawing and sculpture.

Today, Kreitzman’s home in Mile End, London, has evolved into a colourful, immersive art installation filled with paintings, sculptures, handmade objects and personal collections that occupy nearly every room.

Benny Blanco: Producer Crosses Atlantic by Ship to Reunite With Selena Gomez

She describes the house as more than a gallery. Every piece holds personal meaning and contributes to an environment where she feels safe, inspired and creatively free.

Art curator Jaime Freestone, who first contacted Kreitzman for advice before becoming one of her closest friends, said the house has become a welcoming space for artists, young creatives and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Freestone admitted that the collection initially felt overwhelming but said it now feels like a second home where people find encouragement, mentorship and acceptance.

One of Kreitzman’s signature creations is the “neck shrine,” a wearable sculpture that combines meaningful objects into highly personal works of art. She has created hundreds of them over the years and encourages others to design their own using items that reflect their lives and memories.

Her workshop contains drawers filled with unusual materials, including real human teeth alongside artificial eyeballs, which she uses in many of her imaginative creations.

Kreitzman describes herself as “obsessive, bonkers and extremely colourful.” She says she never received formal artistic training and instead developed her own creative style by trusting instinct rather than traditional techniques.

Although collectors admire her work, Kreitzman rarely sells her creations. She prefers exchanging artwork with friends and fellow artists, filling her home with pieces that tell stories and celebrate personal connections.

She believes many of the sculptures around her possess their own personalities and says the collection inspires her daily creative process.

The artist also welcomes emerging creatives into her home, where she offers mentorship and encouragement. French artist Anne-Sophie Cochevelou credits Kreitzman with giving her the confidence to embrace her identity as an artist, while crochet artist Elizabeth Joseph says their friendship grew from a chance meeting at London’s Spitalfields Market.

Looking back on a lifetime spent embracing colour, Kreitzman recalled painting the walls of her first rented apartment exactly as she wanted. Her mother famously predicted she would eventually “grow out of it.”

More than six decades later, Kreitzman still laughs at that memory.

“Well Ma,” she said with a smile, “I’m 85, and I still haven’t grown out of it.”