“Who am I?”

Registered Interior Designer – Artist – Volunteer – Wife – Mother – Grandmother!

Involved in the Gardiner Museum’s 12 Trees of Christmas for the past 21 years, Susan, along with her fellow Designer, the late Katherine Burke, have created stunningly beautiful trees which are auctioned off for acquisitions and education services for the Museum. “This is one of the few times where Designers have carte blanche to create a tree that will bring joy and thrills to both adults and children alike. It is one of the highlights of my year!”

Susan was honoured to make the wedding cake, and the bridal boquets for her son’s wedding. “While my husband takes most of the credit for the baking of the cake itself, the assembly and decoration was my job! Shipping 85lbs of fruitcake to England and then transporting it, along with 25lbs each of Marzipan and Fondant to France was no easy feat! Assembling a cake of this size and weight is like designing a building – you need to understand structural support in order for it to stay upright especially in less than stable environments (a marquis tent).”

Susan has also given lectures on outdoor garden arrangements and has been instrumental in the design and development of her seaside garden in the Bahamas. “We faced the challenge of an open lawn, facing the beach which was exposed to salt spray and high winds. Yet, in the face of these challenges, we were able to turn it into a lush garden oasis which birds and butterflies now inhabit. It is an ongoing challenge!”

With a love of animals and a family background, spanning generations, in Dog Breeding and Showing, Susan puts this experience to use as a volunteer with The Humane Society of Grand Bahamas – assisting in Spay & Neuter Clinics, Grooming and Socializing, Judging and Fundraising. As a creative outlet, and to help raise funds for the Society, Susan produces sculptures from locally found materials and papier mache.

“On an island in particular, you can’t just go to the hardware store to find what you want – one has to be creative and reuse/recycle items that would otherwise find their way into the landfill. This is a principle that we should all adopt, no matter where we live.”