Sutherland has always had a profound interest in hand crafted work, from her Father’s furniture making, and forays into oil painting, to the gifts of tin work her Grandmother brought back from her twice yearly trips to Mexico. Her Grandfather was a photographer and although he died just after her birth, he influenced Sutherland's decision to pursue a degree in photography. After receiving a BFA in Photography from Wayne State University in Detroit in the early ‘80s Sutherland did a year of post graduate work in the genre of Cliche-Verre, a photo-printmaking process. Nine years later she moved to the woods of West Michigan where She currently lives. According to Sutherland: "In 2002 I jumped at the opportunity to take a 1 week intensive in Tin smithing with Marion Moore in Taos, NM. I packed the truck and headed west for what would turn out to be a life-changing experience. I fell in love with tin work and felt that I had traveled full circle, from Grandfather to Grandmother, from photography to tin. Currently I am working with pewter sheet, embossing it and incorporating torch fired enamel on copper pieces to create pieces for the wall. My work is inspired by all that surrounds me and my subject matter consists of the forest leaves and blossoms, roots and seeds. My work is my love song to the natural world. As I endeavor to explore this world even more intensely through my art I keep in mind the vision expounded by the artisans of the Arts and Crafts Movement--that moral and spiritual uplift will come with the creation of Art by Hand." Process: I use a hand cranked printer’s etching press, laying leaves, stems, petals, roots, seeds etc. upon the bed. The very first layer I consists of dried hydrangea blossoms. I lay a piece of pewter upon them and roll them through. This is always the first layer as it forms a textured background for all that follows. I continue laying down plant matter and pewter, cranking the bed through the press until I achieve the outcome I was seeking. There might be just several layers or there might be many. I gather almost all of my material on walks, something my father and I did when I was young. All pieces are lightly coated with black paint which is painstakingly rubbed off, and the piece is then waxed with a museum quality wax. Enameled copper pieces are added at the end.