Susan Schwake grew up in a creative family. Her mother supported her interest in art from a very young age and made sure that she followed her dream. Doing just that, Susan studied fine art at Plymouth State University with a concentration in painting and printmaking in the 70's. For the past 17 years she has run an independent art school. She developed, wrote the curriculum for and continues to work with people of all ages and abilities. For the past nine years the art school has been part of artstream, llc which is a gallery and design studio. She has curated over 70 shows both in her own gallery and as a guest curator in others. She has been blogging since 2005 at artesprit.blogspot.com about her life as an artist, gallery owner and instructor.
 
Susan has worked with hundreds of people making art through residencies, community organizations and private schools over the past 13 years. During 2011 she wrote a book called Art Lab for Kids 52 projects in drawing,painting, printmaking, paper and mixed media. It is a smattering of lessons pulled  from her experiences in teaching art to children and adults. 
 
What is most near and dear to her heart is her own creative expression through fine art. Her work has been in exhibitions throughout the United States, New Zealand, Germany, Romania and Mexico. She has been featured online at The Working Proof with two of her gelatin prints, at Juxtapoz with an illustration and she has written for WhipUp and Illustration Friday Blog about artists, DIY and teaching art.  She tries to follow the rule to make a line every day and finds that through that process she learns the most. She does this in her studios alongside her husband Rainer who makes each day a little more wonderful than the one before.