‘My artistic practice is rooted in gesture and substance, deliberation and chance.

I find immense pleasure in the act of creation itself - from the tactile experience of mixing materials and colours to the rhythmic dance of building, layering, revealing and concealing.

Through my art, I envision a better way of living - a vision of expansion, freedom, and connection.’

Susan McDonald is an American - born British painter. After earning a BSc and an MBA in the 1980s, she followed an eclectic career path, working as a pipeline welder in Oklahoma, a research scientist in Arizona, a film critic in Japan and an entrepreneur in London. Whilst living in Tokyo, she studied calligraphy which continues to shape her artistic approach, guided by an interest in gesture, writing systems and simplicity of form.

Her work explores themes of decay, transformation and rebirth. She reinterprets origin myths, parables and religious narratives through a feminist and humanist lens. Memory, particularly as embedded in clothing and textiles, and its role in reconciliation with the past is a recurring motif. Deeply personal and embodied, her work includes wearing fragments of her own painted canvases, reinforcing her physical connection to her art. Largely self-taught, Susan has also studied at Central Saint Martins and Chelsea College of Art. Her multifaceted life continues to inform the evolving directions of her practice.

McDonald has held solo exhibitions, most recently at No. 9 Cork Street (London 2025), Urbanek (London 2021), and Ninoska Huerta Gallery (Miami 2015). Her work has appeared in group exhibitions including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (2020-2021) and shows in London and Bath. Her art is held in private and corporate collections worldwide. She is an active member of the Tate Latin American Acquisitions Committee since 2017, acquiring works for the Tate annually.