In her early years Susan Jillette (Sooz), a native of Nova Scotia, studied drawing at Mount St. Vincent University later graduating with honours from the Illustration and Deign program at Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec. She has won numerous awards for her artwork since she started painting in the year 2000 and since 2003, she has done numerous solo and group exhibitions in Quebbec and Ontario and was selected to show her work in Italy. During her painting career, Sooz has been honoured by being elected in the Society of Canadian Artists (where she served on the Board of Directors and as a Juror), the International Guild of Realism, and the Autour de Nous group of professional artists. Her works can be found in private collections across Canada, the United States, Holland, England, Russia, Poland, China and her works hang in a permanent collection in the Chateau Reaux in France.