American Pride Painting

Susanne grew up in a coastal little town at the Baltic Sea in Timmendorfer Strand, Germany. Since the age of three, she has been around horses, which became her passion and has always owned horses until today. Her current Horse is named Sam, a black and white Pinto from Lake Tahoe in Nevada. Sam and Susanne have been inseparable for the last few years and have traveled to five different States together. The relationship between the two has taught Susanne how unique and precious a relationship can be between a human and an animal. But not only have these impressive animals fascinated her, also the characteristics and expressions of her dogs made Susanne start drawing and trying to capture their unique aura. Her dog Elly, who she grew up with, is a 10 year old Dalmatian: “The sweetest dog on earth”, she says, “nobody has a cuter smile than those Dalms!” During college, Susanne became more interested in oil painting and took art classes at the Scottsdale Artist School with Ned Jacobs. Today she paints mostly in oil colors, but also enjoys using oil pastels. In honor to her family in Europe, who always supported her artist career, Susanne signs her oil paintings in her maiden name S."Haala". She has sold and displayed her artwork in Europe, South America and all over the United States. Susanne’s goal is only achieved if the owner unwraps the portrait and finds exactly their beloved friend in their painting. “This happiness in the owner's eyes, when they open their first pet portrait is my biggest reward and quite an addicting feeling,” she says. Today Susanne lives with her beloved husband and Sam on the beautiful Hawaiian Island of Oahu.