Born 1960, Sydney, Australia, Sue Cooke emigrated to New Zealand in 1973. Cooke graduated from Canterbury University, Ilam School of Fine Arts, with a Diploma in Fine Arts, Honours, in 1985. She has been a practising artist ever since. Printmaking is still a large part of her artistic practise but she has also incorporated oils, acrylics and watercolours into her work. Her formative years were spent living and working in the South Island where she established a reputation as an artist working with black and white landscapes. A study tour of Europe and America in 1989 opened her eyes to the possibilities of colour and on her return she began to explore. In mid 1990 she was granted the one year Tylee Cottage Artist in Residence run by the Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui. This was a timely opportunity for Cooke to further develop integrating colour and paint into her work. When the residency ended Cooke made Wanganui her home and currently lives there with her husband and two children. Cooke has been an active member of the art community in Wanganui. Co-ordintaing the Whanganui Artists Open Studio event in it’s early years and establishing the Whanganui Arts Marketing and Development Trust in addition to exhibiting, judging, teaching and participating on advisory panels for the Sarjeant Gallery. In December 2006 Cooke realised a 20 year dream and finally travelled to Antarctica to draw and gather material for artworks to be made back home in Wanganui. Since the trip to Antarctica Cooke has made and exhibited two series ‘Blizzard in a Dark Lanscape’ and ‘Ice’. In addition to exhibiting extensively throughout New Zealand Cooke has also exhibited in Singapore and has work in the New Zealand High Commisions in Singapore, Khular Lumpar and Rome. In addition her work is in public collections within New Zealand and private collections in New Zealand and overseas