About Susan Doster

Susan Doster is a classically trained, representational, figurative artist whose work spans painting, drawing, and sculpture. Her primary focus is the figure and portraiture—of both people and animals—alongside evocative landscapes. When painting, Doster works most often in oil or egg tempera, though she is also adept in watercolor. In sculpture, she prefers water clay for its immediacy and responsiveness to the human form.

Doster’s formal training was shaped by a full scholarship to the New York Academy of Art (NYAA) in 1987. She graduated in 1990 as part of the Academy’s very first Master of Fine Arts class, majoring in both painting and sculpture. Following graduation, she remained in New York City for 15 years, working as a professional artist across a wide spectrum of creative projects—ranging from mural painting and life-size equestrian sculpture, to decorative arts, portrait and landscape commissions, and teaching sculpture at the Sculpture Center.

During the 1990s, she deepened her training by studying directly from the masters. Standing in front of works by Velázquez, van Dyck, Rubens, Hals, Sir Thomas Lawrence, and Rembrandt, she created careful painted copies in museums across the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), the Legion of Honor (San Francisco), the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC).

Today, Doster resides in Ohio, where she continues to paint, sculpt, and teach. She offers private studio lessons, workshops, and classes at the community college level. Passionate about passing on time-tested traditions, she guides students through classical methods and materials, encouraging each to develop their own artistic voice. With more than 35 years of professional experience, she continues to refine her own skills while generously mentoring others.

Her commissioned work includes portraits of individuals, families, animals, and landscapes. She also creates imaginative works that weave together family histories, as well as live wedding portraits painted on-site during receptions.

Doster’s work has been widely exhibited and awarded across the U.S. and internationally, including recognition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Indiana State Museum.

Selected Awards & Exhibitions

· 1st Prize, Portrait – 101st Hoosier Art Salon, Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN (2025)

· Semi-Finalist – Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK (2025)

· Semi-Finalist – Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (2021)

· Semi-Finalist – BP Portrait Competition, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK (2020)

· Multiple awards across Indiana State Fair Professional Competitions (painting, sculpture, drawing, pastel) 2013–2017

· Numerous regional and national juried exhibitions, plein air festivals, and society shows (2006–2025)