Susan J. Cowan has been painting professionally since the late 1970s, establishing herself as a respected artist working primarily in aqueous media. Her award-winning paintings are collected throughout the Pacific Northwest and internationally, celebrated for their luminous color, imaginative storytelling, and evocative sense of place.

Drawing inspiration from her deep connection to the Puget Sound, her extensive travels, and the rich tapestry of personal experience and imagination, Cowan creates magical imagery that invites viewers into dreamlike worlds where memory and landscape intertwine.

A dedicated educator, she taught watercolor and water media as an adjunct instructor at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, from 1986 until her retirement in 2019. She also led regional and international painting tours alongside fellow artist Lee Bopman from 1995 to 2002, helping countless artists develop their creative voices through travel and observation.

Rooted in Washington State and inspired by the beauty of the Puget Sound, Cowan maintains a studio in Day Island WA, in addition to Portland, Oregon. Alongside her husband, Dan Parker, she photographed industrial landscapes and shipyard operations for Vigor Industries, producing an annual calendar of shipyard imagery from 2010 through 2016.

Cowan is a Signature Member of the Northwest Watercolor Society and a charter founding member of the Southwest Washington Watercolor Society. Her work is exhibited throughout the region and is represented by the Rental Sales Gallery at the Portland Art Museum and by House of Orange Gallery in Cannon Beach, Oregon.