Barbara J. Sussman was born in 1955 in Hackensack, New Jersey.  She is a fourth generation artist.  Her great-grandfather was Henry Hobart Nichols, a wood engraver during the Civil War. His two sons held prestigious positions in the art community and her mother still enjoys a career as a fine arts painter.

Sussman studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, Art Students League, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, George Washington University, and Skidmore College.  She has had numerous solo exhibitions in Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Switzerland.  Sussman was also chosen for the 175^th National Academy of Design Juried Exhibition in New York City, and has been a part of many group exhibitions throughout the United States.  She has been awarded several fellowships and honors, is a member of many professional art associations and can be found in Who's Who Among Professional American Women, Who's Who of American Artists and in the 2002 edition of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers in the US.