After graduating from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a degree in Visual Arts and a certification in education in 1978, Susan began her teaching career in 1989 at Beaver Creek High School in Ashe County, NC. Her experiences allowed her to continually learn about art and creativity, as well as giving students aesthetic skills they could use in the future.
Although painting in oils and acrylics has been her main artistic focus, after retiring in 2012, Susan has produced a varied style of art in paintings as well as mixed media genres. Her most important goals are to learn from others, learn from experience, and to continue the creative process.
Susan has shown her work at the Ashe County Arts Center and other regional galleries. Although painting remainsan dominant focus for her work, she is also influenced by a recent discovery of the world of mixed media and alteredbooks. The personal aspect of this journey, which rarely makes it into a gallery show, gives inspiration for her other work.