Born and raised in Brooklyn, Susan Cagen has lived in Manhattan for 18 years. In high school, Susan was enrolled in an art department that challenged her notions of art and gave her a thorough grounding in art history and a variety of other school of thought.
She experimented in many styles including surrealism and cubism as well as realism.
After graduation, Susan was accepted in New York’s reknown schools, Fashion Institute of Technology. While at FIT, she learned to channel and focus her artistic energy to create wearable art - combining her creativity with form and function - designing women & children’s wear. With the encouragement of her father, Susan went into the family real estate business. In the years since, she has become a successful businesswoman as well as a patron of the arts and many charitable institutions.
Now, with years of business success behind her, Susan is again embarking on an artistic journey, a return to the artistic life she has always loved. Susan continues to expand her study of art. She has studies at The Art Student League of New York and Urban Glass in Brooklyn. In the studio, drawing her life experiences and passionate interests, she paints bold and colorful animals, seascapes, landscapes and abstract works filled with energy.
When she’s not working on her own paintings or collaborating with fellow artist and friend Ali DePrisco, Susan is busy supporting the arts. As a student of life, she practices consciousness work and is a trained life coach. Susan aspires to be a philanthropist of the arts and she is a stand for improving the quality of life for those in need. She contributes generously to American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer, The Hunger Project,Young Adult Institute: national institute for people with disabilities, Children of Chernobyl, Endowment for brides, Tsunami relief fund, and the riverside symphony. She is benefactor to several emerging artists as well as many other charitable causes.
Susan is married, currently lives and works in Manhattan.