Susan Dunker was raised on a farm in the wheat country of Washington State. Her love of nature followed her from Washington State University, where she was an art student, to UCLA, where she received a degree in Art History. After a 20 year career working as an illustrator/graphic designer for the Naval Air Welfare Center at China Lake, California, Sue retired to set out on her path of artistic exploration. In 1994 she took her first workshop with her mentor William Herring, who introduced her to the concept of open color thus giving birth to her artistic vision.

The technique Sue employs, called open color, allows her to abandon the natural colors of her subjects and to react emotionally to them, using whatever colors she feels best express their beauty and form. Pastel and brilliant acrylic paints allow her the color choices she loves.

Dunker has had her work selected for national juries shows throughout the nation. Her artwork, "Fire on the Mountain" was selected in the top 100 at the 2000 Arts for the Parks national competition and toured in the nation the following year. In 2002 she participated in a three month show at the Mill Atelier Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

She is a member of numerous national pastel societies in addition to the California Art Club and the Wildlife Artist Association. She is currently represented by Studio Eight Gallery, Ridgecrest, CA (760-446-7977); Maestri Gallery, Bakersfield, CA (661-335-0278); and Medici Company, Logan, Utah (435-713-0561).