When Sue Thompson moved to Laguna Beach in 1996 it was all she could do to make ends meet working two food server jobs. Years of turmoil and disappointment found Sue struggling to restart her life at the age of 45. Motivated by a lifelong desire to create art she enrolled in a local painting class sponsored by the city's recreation department in 1998. She had never painted before and it was a decision that would change her life.

Drawing on her experiences as a food server, bartender and catering specialist, Sue began painting what she knew best, restaurant life in front and behind the scenes. These earlier paintings laid the groundwork to refine her skills and develop her unique sense of color and light.

Having established her place in the Laguna Beach art community, Sue's work is evolving towards singular figurative outside her familiar eatery scenes. Bold colors, playful humor and body language are the three elements in Sue's painting that define her self taught style.

Since 2001, Sue has been an annual exhibitor in the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach, California. 2008 marks her first year as a juried exhibitor in the world renowned Laguna Beach Festival of Arts. Her work is collected throughout the southland and has been exhibited in various shows including the Robert Mondavi Food and Wine Center of Southern California. Permanent collections of her work can be viewed at Houston's Restaurants in New York City, New York and Corona Del Mar, California. Awards include the Sawdust Festival apparel design award for 2001 and the Laguna Beach Brush and Palette Award for 2003. In 2006, sponsored by the Montage Resort of Laguna Beach, Sue was one of 8 artists chosen to represent the city of Laguna Beach's official holiday greeting card.

In 2004 Sue was contracted by Canadian Art prints LTD to reproduce her wine and culinary imagery and is now published worldwide.

"When I gave myself permission to become an artist, I realized my sense of self. It makes me feel very connected to who I am. That alone, has been the most magnificent of gifts."

 —  Sue Thompson