Raised in Ingersoll, Ontario, Susan attended Fanshawe College for Advertising Art and Fine Art. She filled her spare time with independent art courses throughout London.

Moving from Oakville, Hamilton and finally Burlington, she took classes at the Dundas Valley School of Art and became a member of the Burlington Art Centre Fine Art Guild for a brief time. She is currently a member of ArtWorks Oakville.

During her career she had difficulty balancing parenthood with painting, finding her art consuming her time. Taking a hiatus from painting, she spent what free time she had in producing crafts for area shops. Losing inspiration during the illness of her parents and later due to a car accident, another hiatus ensued for several years.

Eventually inspiration returned again through the lens of her camera, and then later transferring back to the canvas.