Artist Spotlight: Painter Susan E. Libby and Photographer Kelley Wolfe
Susan E. Libby and Kelley Wolfe—two Tucson-based artists inspired by wildlife, landscapes, and our national parks—are coming to The National Parks Store in Tucson, Arizona. Susan’s vibrant paintings evoke the beauty and spontaneity of the outdoors, and Kelley’s photographs capture the essence of her plant and animal subjects. You can view and purchase Susan and Kelley’s art at their show, Flora and fauna: nature-inspired art, on March 7 and 8, 2026.
We had the opportunity to interview these two talented women about their work, processes, and deep love of the natural world.
Susan E. Libby: A painter who loves wildlife, color, and our national parks
Susan E. Libby, born and raised in Tucson, began her artistic journey as a child who loved to sketch. After earning a degree in Commercial Art and Speech Communications from Northern Arizona University, she began her career as an illustrator in commercial art. After several years in the field, she taught herself how to paint.
“I am entirely self-taught,” she said. “I started out working with watercolors and eventually began working in acrylics. Acrylics changed everything. They can be used as a light, soft paint, or you use them to create very thick and strong colors.”
At this point in her career, Susan had been living outside of Arizona. When she and her husband returned to Tucson in 1998, she transitioned from working in commercial art to starting her own business as a painter. She became a member of a local gallery and exhibited her work at a variety of shows and festivals.
Today, Susan’s art includes traditional watercolors as well as bright acrylic works on wrap canvases. Her love of color shines through each painting. When asked how her artistic process may change in the future, Susan passionately described how she continues to innovate her techniques, her subject matter, and how she works hard to come up with new ideas.
Painting in full color
“Art is so subjective,” Susan said. “People either like your work or they don’t, but you don’t need to be worried about whether or not someone likes something. I paint what I love to paint, which is wildlife and nature. I want people to look at my work and smile. I want them to experience joy and see things with a new twist. I’m always coming up with new ways to paint things, including desert landscapes or wild animals.”
Susan loves painting animals, including coastal birds, African animals, and the coyotes, bobcats, and birds that frequent the outdoor fountain near her studio. Her deep love of color is evident in all of her paintings, and she often applies many layers of paint to get just the right hue. One of her paintings of a spotted owl has 11 layers of different blue paint!
A deep connection to parks
Susan also draws inspiration from her home state of Arizona, famous for the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and stunning sunsets. Recently, she has been painting desert scenes with a variety of oranges and deep purples. She is deeply connected to our national and state parks, and finds regular inspiration there.
“When I was in elementary school, we lived out in the country,” she said. “I was bored one summer and my mother took to me to the library, where I looked up all of the addresses of the national parks in the United States at the time. I wrote to each of the parks to ask them for information about these incredible places, and all summer long I received packets and letters from National Park Service employees about their parks. I became absolutely hooked.”
During college, Susan worked for a summer in Zion National Park and a summer in Yellowstone National Park as a waitress. On her off days, she traveled all over the parks to raft, hike, and backpack.
“Living in the environment of a national park is such a different world, and I continue to try to visit parks wherever I go,” she said. “The national and state parks are so important to me. Every time I leave a park I feel completely inspired and all I want to do is paint.”
Kelley Wolfe: Sharing nature's serenity through a camera lens
Like Susan, Kelley Wolfe’s interest in art began at a young age. The love of her chosen medium, photography, was intertwined with how much she enjoyed being out in nature, especially on the trips she took with her family. “I simply fell in love with the beauty and the peace that I felt when I was outside walking in the woods,” she said.
Kelley attended the University of Arizona as an undergraduate in forestry/watershed management and worked for the Forest Service in Wyoming, as well as working in the forestry industry in Portland, Oregon. She also has an MBA from Northwestern University. No matter where she’s lived, Arizona, and Tucson, always felt like home in her heart. After moving back and working in the corporate world, she pursued her dream of being a professional photographer. Today, her photography focuses on nature, especially wildlife. Many of her fans on social media often comment on how the faces of the animals she photographs are deeply expressive and seem to convey the essence of their soul.
Finding the perfect angle
“I would consider many of my wildlife photography images portraits, and I often call them ‘Up Close and Personal’ in my social media posts,” Kelley said. “The feeling of deep connection that you get when viewing my work—I consider that one of my signatures. It’s an honor to spend time with wildlife in their natural environments, and I am grateful they know they are safe with me.”
Through her photography, Kelley hopes to increase the awareness of what is right outside our door and share the incredible beauty of the natural world. It’s a skill she’s perfected over the years.
“People don’t realize what goes into taking a single image,” she says. “I have to hike for miles to find some of the animals that I want to photograph, such as wild horses. I carry a lot of equipment out into the country in order to take my shots, including a backpack, a monopod, bear spray, and a big lens. And there are a lot of risks—I’ve unknowingly been next to a hornet’s nest and been stung multiple times, come across snakes, and dealt with extremes in temperature and weather.”
But Kelley doesn’t mind spending hours outside. It calms her nervous system and gives her the much-needed clarity and ability to reflect on what is most important in life.
She feels especially connected to the Salt River horses in East Mesa, which she considers an iconic and important species. She is also connected to herds of horses in Wyoming, where her family is from. Wyoming has a special place in her heart, especially the Grand Teton mountain range and Yellowstone National Park. And she fell in love with Arches National Park in the 1970s—”Before most people had discovered it!” Utah’s other national parks, and Arizona’s Grand Canyon, have also inspired her. She finds beauty in everyday moments in Arizona, especially the state’s vibrant sunrises and sunsets.
When asked what goals she had for her photography business, Kelley highlighted how much she wanted to travel to Africa. “Taking a photograph of a lion and her cubs is a lifelong dream of mine,” she said, before speaking enthusiastically about the leopards, giraffes, and other savannah species that she hopes to see on an eventual trip to the continent.
Another goal of hers is to share the beauty of nature with a million people globally. She is well on her way to this dream, as she has a large social media following. “People message me to let me know how inspired they are by my posts,” she said. “That really makes my day.”
Don’t miss Susan and Kelley’s show Celebrate Flora and Fauna at The National Parks Store on March 7 and 8. You can also connect with both artists on Facebook at Susan E. Libby Art and Kelley Wolfe Photography.
By Nikki Stavile
