Sue West worked for many years as a medical paralegal in a large law firm in Rochester, New York. In 1997, she moved with her family to Chicago, Illinois, and began her artistic journey.

In Illinois, she enrolled in classes at The Art Institute of Chicago, and attended workshops with Robert Burridge, Arroyo Grande, California; Jeannie McGuire, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; George Shipperly, Aurora, Illinois, and other nationally known artists. Sue became a watercolor instructor at The Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles, Illinois, and also taught for Young Rembrandts, a children’s drawing program, in the Chicago area.

In 2013, Sue and her husband retired to Anderson, South Carolina. Upon arriving, she found an energetic, welcoming artistic community and quickly joined the Anderson Artists Guild. She then became a partner in the Bay 3 Artisan Gallery. In the fall of 2014, she taught a mixed media class at Clemson University’s OLLI Center. Most recently, she was invited to display her art at Blooms and Bristles in Anderson. Sue’s work has been juried into shows and won top awards both in Illinois and South Carolina.

Working in various mediums, her work is constantly changing, but two elements remain the same, color and risk-taking. Sue’s use of vibrant color is evident in her work. The most influential person in her artistic career was Alice Van Acker, an 83 year old art instructor from the Order of Saint Francis in Chicago, who encouraged her to stand at the edge of the cliff and jump! Sue has been “jumping off cliffs” ever since, and hopes that her art inspires others to take a risk in their artistic endeavors.