Susan Mazer, also known as Maia Mazer, was born on 27 July 1958 in Syracuse, New York where she grew up. She attended Bryn Mawr for two years, then the Art Students League from 1978 to about 1981, and the National Academy of Design from 1981 to 1984. In 1989, she entered a two-year MFA program at SUNY Purchase, but dropped out a month or so before completing it. Until she stopped painting in 1990, she produced a vast number of works and participated in numerous shows. In 1991 she moved to Los Angeles where she began working in animation. She died of a brain tumor on 5 May 2001 shortly before her 42nd birthday.
