Susan’s introduction to calligraphy was through Derick Pao in Hong Kong in the early 1980s. Derick had just returned from the US with his enthusiasm fired by Donald Jackson at the calligraphy convention in Minnesota in 1980. So life has come full circle.

Born and brought up in Glasgow, Susan studied French at the University of St Andrews and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Whilst working as an editor of books on Chinese art and archaeology, she developed her calligraphy through attending workshops and completing the Advanced Training Scheme run by the Society of Scribes & Illuminators (SSI).

In her calligraphic work Susan is greatly influenced by the arts of China, books in particular, and she enjoys making Chinese-style books. Working on The Saint John’s Bible fittingly combines her joint interests in calligraphy and books.

Susan lives in Edinburgh with her husband and four children, and still makes frequent trips to Hong Kong and mainland China.