Susan McDonnell is a realist painter based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her paintings are narratives inspired by her observations of wild animals in their natural habitats. Albrecht Dürer and Otto Marseus van Schrieck are influences on her exacting technique while Beatrix Potter and Lewis Carroll inform the angle of her imagination. A native of Minnesota, McDonnell’s connection to nature was formed by annual family trips to Lake Kabetogama in the North Woods. A quiet place, relatively untouched, it has continued to inspire the nuanced content and tone of her paintings. McDonnell received her B.A and M.F.A from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She lived in Southern California for 30 years where the local flora and fauna continue to find its way into her artwork. Statement: Wild animals exist all around us, live amongst us and yet inhabit another reality. The animals in my paintings reside in this alternate reality, seemingly close but hidden from view. They live out their own stories, stories I don’t quite understand. This is what I paint and draw.