Susan Brabeau put herself through college by singing with “Big Bands” in Detroit and winning beauty contest scholarships. She graduated from Michigan State University, winning the Miss MSU title. Her musical and acting abilities took precedence over her graduate school microbiology program, and they led her to Broadway and a starring role in the musical “Shenandoah”. She did the national tour for the show for two years with leading men Ed Ames, John Cullum and John Raitt before returning to Los Angeles, where she continued her musical comedy career and acted on TV and in commercials. There, she also recorded a movie soundtrack, which was nominated for an Academy Award.
Susan was a self-taught artist, painting for fun and relaxation while working in the theater. When she decided to have a family she eased out of show business and painting became her creative outlet. She began by painting miniatures, and then was offered a huge (20 ft. x 80 ft.) mural project at a well known restaurant in L. A. Her mural won her critical acclaim, being used regularly as a background to TV and movie sets and was published in the book “Wall Art”. Susan has also worked with Disney Studios, Orion Pictures, ABC, NBC and Warner Brothers on various projects. Disney's Epcot Center also features Susan's work at the “Haunted House” sound effects show.
In the past few years, Susan's portraiture has become an important part of her career. She was chosen as a finalist in one of “Artist Magazine's” prestigious portrait competitions and she stays busy photographing and painting family portraits in unique settings and situations. She also paints government officials for the state capital of Raleigh, N. C. Her main body of work, however, still remains to be scenes from everyday life with a comic twist and impish faces. She uses friends, family and pets as models and is always on the lookout for fresh, new faces.
Susan lives in the Raleigh, N. C. area with her husband, Paul and daughter, Katelyn. They have a farm with llamas, miniature donkeys and lots of cats and dogs. |
