Susan MacLean was born in 1880 in Manitoba. She came to Saskatchewan in 1902, settling in Regina. Her studies in china painting took her to Boston, Massachusetts and Chicago, Illinois, as well as the Banff School of Fine Arts, where she studied with A.C. Leighton. In Saskatchewan, MacLean took part in the summer school at Emma Lake in 1936, studying with Augustus Kenderdine. She also studied sketching with James Henderson in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan.
MacLean was a member of the Regina Sketch Club and an associate of the Royal Society of Artists in England. Her paintings were exhibited through the MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina), which also includes her work in its collection.
MacLean moved to California in 1942 and later, to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Information about Susan MacLean's later years is unavailable.
