She left school at 16 and, after a year of study, found a job working for a graphic designer who also enjoyed painting. It was through seeing him paint that the course of her life shifted entirely.

By the age of 18 she’d exhibited in her first solo show in Sydney’s premier art district. She went on to study in New York and Sydney and has been painting for over 35 years. She has exhibited in over a dozen solo shows, many more group shows and has been shortlisted in art prizes on over 20 occasions.

Primarily working in landscape en plein air, Baird’s works reflect the beauty peculiar to this country with colour used expertly through years of experience – using brushes, palette knives and even squeegees to transport us into the dreamlike world she portrays.

Her solo show ‘All Around Me’, which opens at Flinders Lane Gallery in Melbourne on 15 October 2019, centres around a place she’s been visiting for over 10 years and where she now owns a home: the historic NSW town of Hill End.

In this podcast episode we talk about creativity in childhood, the allure of Hill End, painting techniques, motherhood and much more.

To hear the podcast episode click on ‘play’ beneath the above feature photo.

To see the Talking with Painters YouTube video of Susan at her home and studio at Hill End click here 

Above feature photo by photographer Sheridan Nilsson.