Susan Pope

The daughter of a career military father and civil servant, Susan has lived in many places.  She spent some of her school years in Germany and Hungary where she traveled with her family visiting Vienna, the Tulip Festival and castles filled with beautiful art and sculpture.  The otherworldly experience left a lasting impression on her. 

Susan graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama and, while attending Judson College in Marion Alabama, met and married a military man.  Together, they lived and traveled in Europe for a time taking advantage of the opportunity to see some of the greatest art in the world from the masters such as Rembrandt, Monet and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.  It was the indescribable “Sunflowers” by Van Gogh that Susan found so stunning, it took her breath away. 

Her first painting was done in 1969 under the guidance of an Austrian teacher while her then husband was stationed in Germany.  Working from postcards, she learned that she really liked painting.  On returning to the United States, Susan returned to school and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Design and began her career in office interiors and design sales. 

Painting was a distant memory until 1993 when she was helping a friend paint a nursery mural and recalled how much she enjoyed it. Then, Susan met Billie Elmore, a SBPC member, and came to a meeting to find Helga Peiler presenting a program on Van Gogh.  Susan says that joining the club has been an art education in itself. The club and its members have inspired, taught and shared their experience and knowledge with her. 

Today Susan resides in a rural community with Steve, her husband of 32 years and 2 dogs, Boss and Bella, who are occasional models for drawing.  Still busy with rental property and an ornamental iron business, Susan finds time to paint for herself and for pleasure.  She also does frequent commissions.  Her hope is to never let herself miss an opportunity to do something that may change her life for the better, learn from there and have fun along the way.