Meet The Daystar Studio



Susan Burden
Susan is the founder of The Daystar Studio. For her lifetime as an artist, her inspiration comes from the interconnectedness of life. She interprets those feelings through her pastels. She recently invited Kris to join her fine arts creations adding cabochons (semi-precious gemstones) and sterling silver jewelry to the mix of imagination. They’ve been a team for 22 years living in the Midwest, then a big move to the West, another cross-country move to the East, back to the Midwest and now finally settling in the Southwest. We call it “lucky by design”. We are truly grateful. New Mexico and its culture inspires us with visions that represent the Earth and Sky. Our interpretations are using mediums of pastel, pencil, rock and silver.
Susan is also a very popular pet portrait artist. She has painted dozens of pet portraits to include dogs and cats, including horses and llamas! With your pet photos, you may commission her to create a portrait of your much loved four legged family member. Please reach out to her through our inquiry form.
Kristine Crowell
Kris practices lapidary and jewelry silversmithing. What is lapidary? The art of shaping stone or minerals into semi-precious gemstones in the form of a cabochon. A lapidary uses techniques of cutting, grinding and polishing the stone. What is a cabochon? It is a gemstone which has been shaped and polished (as opposed to faceted) by a lapidarist. One side is a polished rounded surface and the other side is flat. The finished semi-precious gemstone is used most frequently in sterling silver settings to make pendants, bracelets, rings, earrings, belt buckles, bolos or brooches. Kris loves having her client choose their favorite semi-precious raw stone. She then creates their desired cabochon in addition to designing and finishing the sterling silver jewelry.
Their cocker spaniel Smudge, seems to equally split her time up between their studios. Unless the slab saw is running…


Kristine Crowell
Kris practices lapidary and jewelry silversmithing. What is lapidary? The art of shaping stone or minerals into semi-precious gemstones in the form of a cabochon. A lapidary uses techniques of cutting, grinding and polishing the stone. What is a cabochon? It is a gemstone which has been shaped and polished (as opposed to faceted) by a lapidarist. One side is a polished rounded surface and the other side is flat. The finished semi-precious gemstone is used most frequently in sterling silver settings to make pendants, bracelets, rings, earrings, belt buckles, bolos or brooches. Kris loves having her client choose their favorite semi-precious raw stone. She then creates their desired cabochon in addition to designing and finishing the sterling silver jewelry.
Their cocker spaniel Smudge, seems to equally split her time up between their studios. Unless the slab saw is running…