About Me

"When I was young, two of my most favorite things to do were to curl up in a big chair with a book, and to spend hours drawing and painting. I have been so fortunate to be able to combine my favorite pastimes into a dual career as a book illustrator and as a painter. Doing both satisfies my desire to be a visual storyteller and to explore and interpret the visual world around me. Working most days in the studio in illustration, I manage to get out one or two days a week to join my fellow “Plein Air” (In the open air) painters as we travel around setting up our easels, and painting the beautiful scenery around New England. My studio is in Newburyport, MA."

Fine art

Susan has participated in many group and solo shows, has won numerous awards in drawing and painting, and is a member of the “Newburyport Ten Plein Air Painters”, The North Shore Artists Association in Gloucester MA, the Newburyport Art Association, and the greater Haverhill Arts Association. She has been an art instructor specializing in drawing , watercolor, and Plein Air painting and drawing, and a visiting artist to schools and organizations throughout New England.

Illustration

After earning a BA from Marymount College with a major in art, Susan started her career working for a company specializing in educational filmstrips, Educational Directions Inc. She illustrated entire filmstrips of fairy tales and folklore and learned the process of visual storytelling. For the last 40 years, she has illustrated over 40 books, and has created illustrations for children's magazines, puzzles, and a variety of educational publications. Recently three of the books she has illustrated have won four national and regional awards.

A list of books she has illustrated and a partial client list are included below.

PARTIAL CLIENT LIST
 

Boyd’s Mill Press
Cricket Magazine
Concordia Publishing House
D.C. Heath
Harcourt-Brace & Jovanovich
Highlights for Children Magazine
Houghton Mifflin
Little, Brown & Co.
McGraw-Hill
Oxford University Press
Parker Brothers
Prentice Hall
The Psychological Corp.
Publication International Inc.
Scholastic
Scott Foresman/ Addison-Wesley
Silver Burdett, & Ginn
Warner Press

BOOKS

The Magic Hat, by Donna Marie Seim

The Troll Forest, by Donna Marie Seim

Wrigley at the White House, by Karna Bodman, Elk Lake Publishing Inc.

Cheeky and Charlemagne, by Donna Marie Seim

Cheeky and Charlemagne & the Great Sabotage, by Donna Marie Seim

Tippy Makes a Move, by Mary Beth Stevens

Tippy Learns a Lesson, by Mary Beth Stevens

Tippy Finds His Purpose, by Mary Beth Stevens

Tippy Finds a Home, by Mary Beth Stevens

Lucky, Little Guy, Big Mission 2, by Eileen Doyon

Lucky, Little Guy, Big Mission, by Eileen Doyon

Bella and Jingles, by Donna Marie Seim

In the Valley of the Dragons, by Nancy Donovan

Wild Dolphin Rider, by Nancy Donovan
Every Turtle Counts, by Sarah Hoagland Hunter
Charley, by Donna Seim, Peter E Randall Publishing
Satchi and Little Star, by Donna Marie Seim, Peter E Randall Publishing,
Hurricane Mia, A Caribbean Adventure, by Donna Seim
Oscar the Herring Gull, by Nancy M. Donovan, Peter E Randall Publishing
Mabel Takes a Paddle, by Emily Chetkowski, Publishing Works, Inc.
Where is Simon, Sandy?, by Donna Seim, Publishing Works, Inc.
How Timbo and Trevor Got Together, by Barbara E. Towle, Publishing Works, Inc.
Pinky & Bubs' Stinky Night Out, by Frankie Spellman, Publishing Works, Inc.
Treasury of Christmas Tales, Publications International
Treasury of Bedtime Stories, Publications International
Mother Goose, Keepsake Edition, Publications International
Way to Go, Sport Poems, by Lillian Morrison, Boyds Mills Press
A Small Treasury of Easter Poems and Prayers, Boyds Mills Press
A Small Treasury of Christmas Poems and Prayers, Boyds Mills Press
Strange but True Civil War Stories by Nancy Clayton, Lowell House Publishers
Draw History, the Civil War, by Nancy Clayton, Lowell House Publishers
The Healing Power of Qi, by Roger Jahnke, Contemporary Books
My Heart is Sad, Warner Press inc.
Bright Easter Day, Concordia Publishing House
Trumpet Dreams, Zaner-Bloser
I’m Boo That’s Who, Addison Wesley
Scared, by Miriam Frost, the Wright Group
My Body Works, the wright Group
Tasha’s Dreams, McGraw-Hill
What are Friends For, Scott Foresman
The Horseback Almanac, Lowell House Publishers
365 Baby Care Tips, Meadowbrook Press
Quality Time, Anytime, Meadowbrook Press
Look Who’s Talking, Meadowbrook Press
Toilet Training, Tears or Trauma, Meadowbrook Press
Simple Guide to Pregnancy, Meadowbrook Press