Susan Rook Lundell was raised in Beardsley, a small western Minnesota city near the South Dakota border. When she was 10, the family moved to the farm homesteaded by her ancestors and located along Big Stone Lake. Her interest in Native American culture was piqued by the numerous arrowheads found along the lake shore. The Sisseton/Wahpeton tribe is located in neighboring South Dakota and Susan marveled at their talents as athletes and artists. She tries to depict in her art the regal nature of the Native American Indian. She also has an interest in painting old buildings, landscapes and trees. Her inspiration for her art comes from her rural upbringing.