‘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. Her practice is grounded in the belief of one universal energy that runs through everything, from bacteria to human, daffodil to wave. It is a spiritual, expansive and experimental practice founded on curiosity. She paints to reveal hidden truths and connect with a deeper knowing.

Susan is largely self-taught and works with unconventional methods: overdiluting paint until pigment precipitates, ripping canvas, growing symbiotic cultures and playing with the results. She takes inspiration from her experiences living across the US, Japan, Southeast Asia and the UK, as well as her unusual career trajectory which continues to inform the evolving directions of her work.  

After earning a BSc and an MBA, her eclectic career path saw her 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. Susan has also studied at Central Saint Martins and Chelsea College of Art.

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 Put ‘Em Up! at Tristan Hoare, London (2026), 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.