About Me
The story behind Monet Café.
I’m Susan Jenkins—a self-taught artist, teacher, and lifelong believer that art can bring beauty, encouragement, and hope into our everyday lives.
Monet Café began with a simple dream: to create a welcoming gathering place where artists could learn, paint, grow, and experience art together.
A self-taught beginning
You don’t need a perfect space or years of experience. You simply need a willingness to begin.
Humble beginnings
Where it all began.
My first studio was a small corner of our home. I converted a cabinet to hold my art supplies, pulled out my pastels whenever I could, and learned by painting, experimenting, and trying again.
I had no formal art training—only curiosity and a growing love for soft pastels. That humble beginning is why I care so deeply about helping other artists feel that learning is possible for them, too.
The journey continued
Life has a way of bringing challenges we never expected, and during some of my hardest seasons, painting became a quiet place of healing. I walked through a battle with cancer, and later my husband and I were flooded out of our home in 2017. During those difficult seasons, art became more than a creative pursuit—it gave me a place to process, heal, and hold on to hope. Looking back, I can see God’s faithfulness through it all. What felt like an ending became part of a beautiful new beginning.
Learning in color
Soft pastels opened a whole new world.
Discovering soft pastels opened up a whole new world for me. There was something almost magical about holding pure, earthen sticks of color in my hands and creating without brushes, solvents, or complicated preparations. Pastels never dry out or hurry you along—they simply sit patiently, waiting for you to return and begin again.
But what I discovered went far beyond the beauty of the medium itself. Painting became a creative refuge—a place where I could slow down, notice the beauty around me, and find hope, healing, and peace through the simple act of creating. Soft pastels brought color into my life in more ways than one, and sharing that joy with others has become one of the most meaningful parts of my journey as an artist.
A dream brought to life
From a kitchen corner to Monet Café Studio.
My husband built the studio I use today—a beautiful place where I can paint, film lessons, and welcome artists from around the world into the creative process.
The studio is a dream come true, but its heart is still the same: approachable instruction, honest encouragement, and the joy of discovering what your own hands can do.
A place to grow
There is a place for you here.
Today, Monet Café reaches more than 170,000 YouTube subscribers and approximately 8,000 Patreon subscribers. I’m grateful for every artist who pulls up a chair and paints alongside me.
Whether you are opening your first box of pastels or reaching toward your next artistic aspiration, I hope Monet Café Studio reminds you that your creative journey can begin right where you are.
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