Susan Bogle Finnegan was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She received her B.A. from Smith College and her MFA in Painting from Hartford Art School, University of Hartford where she was awarded the Regent’s Award. Finnegan’s work has been exhibited throughout New England, in Louisville, Kentucky and included in an international exhibition, Mainz, Germany. She has been represented by LaMotta Fine Art, Hartford CT, Zephyr Gallery, Louisville KY, and Barrett Fine Art, Fairfield CT. Reviews of Finnegan’s work can be found in Art New England, The Valley Press and The Country and Abroad. She was awarded a residency at the Vermont Studio Center and has been a visiting artist and professor at the University of Louisville, Kentucky and Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut. Finnegan has been an Adjunct Professor at the Hartford Art School since 2001, retiring in 2023, and Visiting Professor at Trinity College since 2006, retiring in 2022.

In addition to being a painter, Finnegan has been writing poetry and participating in poetry workshops for twenty-five years.  She was the recipient of a Lila Wallace Voice Award while living in Kentucky. Also, Finnegan founded and directed the RI Poetry Conference in Little Compton, RI. Poems of hers are included in an anthology published by Open Field Press, MA.