Susan R. Kirshenbaum

art and life - both the cherries and the pits

2025 TAKES OFF

Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

SPRING STRIKES IN THE BAY

SFBG has a vast, varied, old, important collection of #magnificentmagnolias.

It’s my favorite time of year in Golden Gate Park, and in particular in the San Francisco Botanical Garden (SFBG) where #magnificentmagnolias are in bloom for months. Every Friday I take a walk in the park with two friends, a ritual we’ve kept up for 10+ years, since we all worked together.

HERE/NOW – MY THIRD GROUP FIGURE SHOW

The year began with a bang – so crazy busy from the start. January was densely filled with our second annual figure exhibition, Here/Now: The Bay Area Figurative Movement Grows, which I co-curated with Catherine Merrill at Sausalito Center for the Arts (SCA). It was a powerful show, with great turn out for our numerous events. And we’ve been invited back in 2026! 

We created a third iteration of this carefully curated group show of Bay Area figure artists, each with five pieces or so. Events included an opening reception, a closing party, a Chinese painting workshop, a roving life model to draw, a book talk by artist and author Peter Steinhart, The Undressed Art, several curators’ talks, art tours, and artists’ talks. We had the first show of this scale at SCA in 2024. We originated the show at SFWA Gallery in 2023.

CURATORIAL STATEMENT

Today’s narrative, expressive phase of the Bay Area figurative movement is about reflecting on the world we live in. We are telling stories that reach beyond academic achievement and accuracy. We are truth seeking. Sometimes we embrace the unbeautiful. Or create beauty for its own sake. Our work might reflect on our personal struggles or reflect the tensions that surround our lives. We are presenting a range of select artists who focus on the figure and are living and working in The Bay Area. Each is grounded in the figurative movement yet continues to explore and express their humanity through portrayals of the form in context.

CURATORS: Susan R. Kirshenbaum and Catherine Merrill

EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Joseph Abbati, Doug Andelin, Isidoro Angeles, Adam Caldwell, Sandy Frank, Tebby George, Mary Graham, Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Calvin Lai, Kim Larson, Catherine Merrill, Stephen Namara, Diane Olivier, May Shei, Sandra Speidel

AND

The Drawing Group was invited as a single entity within the show. Each of member of The Drawing Group showed one piece originating from our group sessions. They were displayed in an area set aside just for us.

Life drawing is such an important part of the lives of figurative artists. Each of us considers life drawing to be a critical component of our art practice.

THE DRAWING GROUP: Dwight Been, Henry Bridges, Daisy Eneix, John Goodman, Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Pamela Mooney, Alex Rosmarin, Peter Steinhart, Barbara Tonnesen, Dieter Tremp

The show provided me with some much-needed positive action to help take my mind off of the unfolding political situation.

One of Stephen Namara’s signature pieces for this show.

HERE/NOW PHOTO GALLERY

CDMX ARTWEEK

In front of the hotel with Barbie, aka Babs.

Immediately after Here/Now wrapped up, I took off for CDMX (Mexico City) ArtWeek. Our second year in a row, we visited multiple Art Fairs and met up with artist friends (Lisa Lightman, Jean and Mark Brodie, Jillian Chin, Jillian Knox, and Stephen Wagner) from The Bay. Stephen just started an art gallery/food tour business in CDMX! I also enjoyed a dinner with my Mexican cousins, Daniel and Iris. Iris Epstein is a fine art photographer and writer.

Jillian (Jean and Mark’s cousin who lives full-time in CDMX), Jack (my husband), Mark and Jean Brodie (SF artist-friends) at an Artweek gallery event featuring furniture-shaped cakes and pink Paloma cocktails.

A Gallerist, Stephen Wagner, Jean and Mark Brodie at our first stop in Zona Maco

Petaluma artist Lisa Lightman holding Barbie, with Jean, Jack, and Mark at Zona Maco.

The fairs at CDMX are spread around this giant city for almost a week. You can’t miss seeing the upscale, arty visitors, and there’s more than the usual amount of English spoken, while reservations and admissions can be difficult to acquire.

Just a four hour flight from SFO, and what a different world. It’s vast yet manageable, with so many neighborhoods to explore. This is a gorgeous time of year, dry, with ideal high elevation temperatures.

The fairs are Zona Maco, Bada, Material, and there are more…plus so many fantastic galleries, museums, markets, and sites to see. We also attended an art talk/show, dinner party hosted by SF’s Incline Gallery and the chef/stylist Jillian Knox. It was a fun mix of SF and CDMX folks. We took public transportation to get to this party, which is a must to experience, especially during rush hour. There’s some really terrible traffic in CDMX, but there’s also crazy crowding on buses. Ubers are cheap and easy for us. The overall prices have gone up a bit, as happens when there’s an expat invasion (there is). Mexico City feels quite safe (people always ask me!). My only complaint is the broken up sidewalks which are treacherous and too easy to trip over when looking around at all the sites. The food, as always, was simply delicious. And we brought mole paste home from the market again.

CDMX SLIDE SHOW

ART AROUND TOWN

I attended FOG with a posse of friends and swung by a few opening receptions (just to see some folks and be seen). We experienced some of the resurgence of SF’s Mid-Market neighborhood at JCM’s Gallery plus a new video gallery nearby.

I saw the SECA recipients show and the Amy Sherold show (again) at SFMOMA, to hang with with friends and celebrate a birthday. I visited the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) for what might be a last visit. I have many fond memories of CJM – such a wonderful museum and a part of my life and our city, but for now they are closed indefinitely. So many museums are in trouble, so we must do all we can do to support them.

I’m super excited about Tony Wessling’s new gallery! After years in SOMA as Radian Gallery, (where I’ve shown several times), Tony has moved downtown to a lovely new storefront at 39 Grant, called Wessling Contemporary. There was a grand opening, and Mayor Lurie attended and gave the gallery an award.

We hit another Grand Opening, for the new location of ICA SF, now in the old financial district of SF. It’s a big, gorgeous space. Mayor Lurie was there too.

In the meantime, I was invited into several group art shows: two shows at SFWA: Facing Forward and Heart Beats; plus a show curated by Joseph Abbati at SF City Hall, in the President of the Board of Supervisors office, Rafael Mandelman. Mayor Lurie came to the opening night. I was asked to jury a figure show for April for SFWA Gallery. This is a first for me.

And I continue to study photopolymer printmaking at GAW with Mark Brodie.

The reception for Tony’s new gallery, Wessling Contemporary, which just moved to downtown SF.

At FOG with Tony Wessling and Usha Shukla.

SFMOMA fieldtrip with Usha and Tachina in front of one of the best known works by Amy Sherald.

Video art at a new gallery, TnT Art Lab, just around the corner from JCM.

At an opening at Jonathan Carver Moore’s gallery.

ART IN CITY HALL

I have three pieces in this City Hall conference room. You can make an appointment to visit the through April 2025. It’s thrilling walking around City Hall at night, and having my figurative work hung there, in our President of the Board of Supervisors conference room!

Group photo of artists with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman (center) and Joseph Abbati, Curator.

Here I am in Mandelman’s conference room with my three pieces.

Me, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Artist Debra Reabock, Mayor Daniel Lurie (and a photo bomber in the rear).

FACING FORWARD & HEART BEATS

At the SFWA reception for Facing Forward.

Heart Beats: Ignited (Lael) at SFWA Gallery, in February 2025.

Heart Beats: Miranda’s Heart at SFWA Gallery, February 2025.

PRINTMAKING AT GAW

I just made another photopolymer print at GRAPHIC ARTS WORKSHOP (GAW), working with Mark Brodie. The piece shown here includes Chine collé – an added sheet of pink Japanese rice paper from a box of my father’s paper samples I’ve held onto for decades. Join me for a class?

Christina in her Studio, is a photopolymer print made with chin colle rice paper, rolled black ink, and hand-painted pink ink applied to the plate. Edition 1/1, sold.

Work in progress, laying in the papers for another Chine collé print.

BAY AREA ART FAIRS

SUPERFINE ART FAIR 3/7-9

Fort Mason, SF, CA

ART EXPLOSION SPRING OPEN STUDIOS 4/11-13

744 Alabama Street, SF, CA

Opening Reception - Friday, 7-10pm

Open Studios - Sat & Sun, 12-5pm.

As usual, I will be offering seasonal refreshments and special art merchandise.

SFART FAIR 4/17-20

Fort Mason, SF, CA

STARTUP ART FAIR 4/18-20

I am participating in StartUp! It’s at Hotel del Sol, 3100 Webster St, SF, CA

Socks and coasters are the best gifts!

Acrylic blocks are a cool art motif, available in 2 sizes.

MORE ART MERCH

Socks, bags, and coasters are some of my most popular art merch - look for a wide selection at my Open Studio. Or, order yours directly from: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Srkirshenbaum/shop?asc=u

This acrylic block (in 2 sizes) is a new product I’m adding to my RedBubble art merch.

It’s an image from my nature photo series, Easter Sunday. https://www.redbubble.com/i/acrylic-block/Kaleidoscope-series-Easter-Sunday-by-Srkirshenbaum/149015597.P5BX3?asc=uMARK YOUR CALENDAR

DON’T MISS!

Showcase

A curated group show at City Hall through April 2025. See the diversity, creativity, and cultural heritage of Bay Area artists in a show hosted by Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman in City Hall, Room 268. Artists: Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Nick Maltagliati, Luke Andahazy, E Dyer, Richard Turtletaub, Bill Samios, Aphien Aquino, Tanya Wischerath, Debra Reabock, Laura Mitsu, Don Hershman, Megan Broughton, Joseph Abbati, Uel Renteria, and Paul Morin. Curated by Joseph Abbati. 

BE SURE TO VISIT

Heart Beats

A juried group show at SFWA Gallery. Through February 2025, 647 Irving St, SF, CA

SUBMIT YOUR ART

Go Figurative!

I’m the Juror for the upcoming SFWA Gallery show. This is an all Bay Area Open Call Show for April 2025. Ooops, it just closed…

MARCH

Happy Women’s History Month! Let’s make some noise. And stay in touch!

Cheers,

Susan

xox

Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Artist & Curator

415.425.3632 (text to visit my studio)

Art Explosion, 744 Alabama St, #209, SF, CA

www.cherrypits.net

https://theinvisibilitycollective.com

https://linktr.ee/SusanRKirshenbaum

Here’s a new piece I made recently originating from a life drawing of art model, Luke, at The Academy’s monthly drawing group.

WHAT, NYC - AGAIN?

Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

NYC - SF - Europe - SF - NYC - HOME

Since September I’ve been on the move. Now settling in again in time for the holidays, when staying home feels like a luxury.

Here I am in front of the Met after a short visit to the Mexican print show and the shop.

Our moulting roommate takes good care of stray protein roaming our friend’s NYC apartment. Watch your step!

NOVEMBER IN NEW YORK

Starting from the last fall trip to the first trip of the season, our most recent short trip was to NYC again. And it was shortly after our last visit which I wrote about in my latest blog about NYC ArtWeek.

This time we celebrated our ex-Bay Area friend’s wedding for several days. We stayed with old East Coast friends where we hung out in our pjs drinking coffee or cocktails into the day and late into the night (where the gecko lives). We celebrated with our Bay Area friends at their multi-day wedding events and snuck in a tad of museum-going, including the Met and the Guggenheim, and the gorgeous Viennese cafe at Neue Gallery. We enjoyed a lovely cool, crisp, fall. I love people watching in NYC more than anywhere else in the world.

Home in SF now (where it has been a lovely, crisp, clear fall with some much needed rain) and sticking around until Feb 2025. It’s all about recuperating, getting back to work, and moving ahead despite post-election trauma.

NYC AT A GLANCE

BACK IN THE BAY

The air smells fresh and the streets feel uncrowded. I’ve returned to weekly walks in the park, our black cat Nigel, the art studio, our book group, lunches and dinners with friends, the ongoing Invisibility Collective, much re-capping and redirecting from the election, and checking out the latest art shows.

We’ve been museum-going here too, and attended the SFMOMA member’s party – which was a crowded bash - but we had a chance to take in a packed viewing of the Amy Sherald painting exhibition. The next day we visited the surprising and important Mary Cassatt exhibition at the Legion of Honor, which is always a gorgeous destination for photo shoots and views. We saw the Tamara de Lempicka exhibition at the DeYoung. Much of her work is graphic, strong, and sensual. Admittedly my knowledge of art history is not what it should be, so when I see exciting exhibitions they’re educational as well as inspirational. These last two women artists, different as they were in style they both painted figures and portraits – and are quite powerful and innovative. These independent feminists invented and re-invented themselves. All three of these SF art museum shows will be open into 2025, so don’t miss this wonderful assortment of women figurative painters.

Autumn light through the Legion of Honor Museum columns. A favorite SF photo site.

SEEN IN SF

EUROPEAN TRAVELS

In October we visited Spain and England and reconnected with old friends and favorite museums, while also investigating new cities and regions. Our old pal Tina, an American we know from Napa and our time in Spain together has resettled on the beautiful Balearic Island of Mallorca. We’d never there been and were surprised at how much we loved it. It’s the perfect landing place for our friend. Next we explored Valencia, the third largest city in Spain and new to us. This was before the storms and floods hit. We ended our time in Spain with a road trip from Valencia to Girona before we headed to visit our friends in London.

Sexy architecture in Valencia, filled with wonders.

ROMANTIC GIRONA

Visiting Girona, Spain (Catalonia) where we lived in 2004-2006 is bittersweet. We miss our old chums in this beautiful medieval city, but we don’t spend much time there anymore. We had a long leisurely outing to a country restaurant, which is a typical Sunday activity, and it was spectacular. We also visited our very favorite beach town, Sant Marti d’Empuries, where we enjoyed a fantastic feast of tapas while sitting across from the ancient church. Hanging out with friends in their homes and favorite restaurants and wandering the narrow stone streets is what I enjoy the most there.

IN AND AROUND GIRONA

MAGNIFICENT MALLORCA

In Mallorca we toured around the island sites, ate and cooked delicious dishes, swam in the sea, took in the vistas, checked out the markets, and visited an outdoor sculpture garden and indoor collection. It is considered the capital of cycling in Spain.

This is “Tina’s beach” on a seaweedy day, but the water was warm enough to swim and the color – turquoise!

INVIGORATING VALENCIA

Mallorca and Valencia are two new areas of Spain for us, and I definitely recommend them both. Somehow we managed to miss the devastating storms that hit the region right after we left. Staying in the historic quarter with its elegant architecture, we took on Valencia by foot, bus, taxi, and Uber from neighborhood to neighborhood. Valencia sports a busy harbor and a beach that resembles Miami with its wide white sand for miles. It boasts a bustling boardwalk lined with seafood and paella restaurants, for which the city is famous. We went to multiple sites and museums, but were floored by the impressive Arts and Sciences area with its ultra contemporary museums and water-filled grounds. We watched a mind-blowing immersive underwater film in the Hemisferic. We lunched in the Science Museum where we were served by a robot. On the opposite end of the spectrum of museums we toured the intimate Silk Museum which became a new favorite for me. We watched a live silk-making demo and learned about Valencia’s critical role in the history of the silk trade. There is some leftover anti-tourism in Spain from their overly busy summer, but I think that overall these places are happy to have the trade continue into their off season. Late fall is a great time to visit.

A SLIVER OF VALENCIA

LIFE IN LONDON

I could live in London for awhile – in order to spend many more hours in the museums and indulging in delicious spicy South Asian food (balanced out by cream teas). Fall is a perfect time of year – with colorful foliage but still green and blooming. We stayed at our friend’s newly renovated home, took short neighborhood walks to breakfast and cocktails, long walks to exotic restaurants (pubs serving great Thai food!) and saw a not very good play called Barcelona (which was where we all met in 2005). By odd chance we encountered a disturbing right wing rally while we were looking for the entrance to the Tube, just in front of Parliament, and jolted me out of my revery.

There are foxes roaming around London, and we saw them! I was reading a novel called Mr. Fox, an unusual book which I had just borrowed, and which followed my reading of a new novel titled Bear, another haunting story.

In SF we’re all about coyotes…and while writing this I heard a chorus of coyotes outside of our house.

Art museums are a huge part of being in London. We saw the annual Turner Prize recipients’ show at the Tate Modern (what a lovely museum, which I’d rarely visited); The Barbie Show at The Design Museum (with an extensive permanent design collection and a Tim Burton exhibition simultaneous with Barbie - what fun!); and we spent a whole day wandering though the collections of my all-time favorite London destination, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

LOOKING AT LONDON

ART EXPLOSION HOLIDAY SHOW AND SALE

What? Did you just miss my very last Open Studio/Holiday Art Sale of the year at Art Explosion on Sunday, December 8? We toasted to the end of 2024, kind of a rough year.

My pal and fellow artist May Shei visited, posted, and bought a drawing.

My studio neighbor, a wonderful bi-coastal painter, Cat Butler bought my Art Socks.

Art Coasters and Socks are in stock now and make the best gifts ever!

Such loyal art supporters, patrons, and this time Claire bought an Art Scarf.

Art Scarves! Have you seen me wear these? They’re huge and wrap all around you. I have 1 for each outfit.

WHAT’S UP NEXT YEAR?

First off - our second group show at SCA (and third figure show in our series). Now even bigger and better. The photos just below are from Jan 2024. And here’s a sneak peek of the art for the show in Jan 2025.

Our first figure show at SCA - here with my co-curator, Catherine Merrill (sculpture in foreground by Charles Stinson).

At SCA with participating artist, May Shei, in front of her wall of work.

ABOUT HERE/NOW

Here/Now: The Bay Area Figurative Movement Grows is my latest and largest curatorial project, with an expanded group of artists, it’s my third iteration of a group figurative show co-curated with ceramic sculptor Catherine Merrill. There will be an Opening Reception and several more events throughout January at Sausalito Center for the Arts (SCA).

CURATORIAL STATEMENT

Today’s narrative, expressive phase of the Bay Area figurative movement is about reflecting on the world we live in. We are telling stories that reach beyond academic achievement and accuracy. We are truth seeking. Sometimes we embrace the unbeautiful. Or create beauty for its own sake. Our work might reflect on our personal struggles or reflect the tensions that surround our lives. We are presenting a range of select artists who focus on the figure and are living and working in The Bay Area. Each is grounded in the figurative movement yet continues to explore and express their humanity through portrayals of the form in context.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

Joseph Abbati | Doug Andelin | Isidoro Angeles | Adam Caldwell | Sandy Frank | Tebby George | Mary Graham | Susan R. Kirshenbaum | Calvin Lai | Kim Larson | Catherine Merrill | Stephen Namara | Diane Olivier | May Shei | Sandra Speidel

The Drawing Group: Dwight Been | Henry Bridges | Daisy Eneix | John Goodman | Susan R. Kirshenbaum | Pamela Mooney | Alex Rosmarin | Peter Steinhart | Barbara Tonnesen | Dieter Tremp

SHOW EVENTS

OPENING RECEPTION - Sat, January 11, 3-6pm - Curator Talks, Live Music, and Refreshments

CLOSING PARTY - Sat, Feb 1, 3-6pm - Artist/Author Peter Steinhart’s Book Talk, Roving Art Model “Petarious” (Free Life Drawing), Curators’ Closing Remarks, and Refreshments

NCWCA Member’s Tour - Fri, Jan 24, 11-12, Curator’s Remarks

May Shei Painting Demo - Sat, Jan 25, 2-4pm

Show runs from Jan 8th to Feb 2nd | Open Wednesday - Sunday, 11:00am - 5:00pm | Sausalito Center for the Arts (SCA), 750 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965 (easy parking and ferry access)

SNEAK PEEK HERE/NOW

 

HAPPY YEAR END & CHEERS TO ALL HOLIDAYS!

It’s a wrap! Lots to ponder from 2024, and much to look forward to in 2025.

See you next year!

Warmest Regards,

Susan

xox

CONTACT: Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Artist & Curator | 415.425.3632 | www.cherrypits.net |  https://theinvisibilitycollective.com/ | ALL: https://linktr.ee/SusanRKirshenbaum (links to Instagram, RedBubble, Patreon, Facebook, and more) | My studio practice is at: Art Explosion, 744 Alabama St, #209, SF, CA  - Visit me (but no mail or packages please)!

CUSTOM GIFTS: Order directly my print-on-demand custom art merchandise (I have samples):  Srkirshenbaum.redbubble.com

CURRENT INTERVIEW:  https://canvasrebel.com/meet-susan-r-kirshenbaum

READ MORE: My last NYC-Centric Sept Art/Travel Blog: https://www.cherrypits.net/blog

AND DON’T MISS SF ARTWEEK Jan 18-26, 2025

NYC in September

Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

Alisha, Erica, Rhiannon, Rell, and me

FALL ART SEASON

Tis the season…swinging from sleepy, hot summertime into an exuberant autumn, NYC wakes up and shows off. Back in NYC! What a feast! Full of fairs and friends…with tons of walking and snacking – bagels, smoked fish, pizza, diner food, deli, and a couple of truly elegant restaurants. So much people watching and seeing art. So much, too much, running up and down stairs to catch trains or catch a performer on the move at a show (Life and Trust).

We made it back to The City after canceling our June trip due to kitty health issues. That’s another story. Speaking of stories, I am writing today, on my birthday, very low key, because I feel like I’ve celebrated a ton already, and I will continue to celebrate during my upcoming adventures in Spain and London next month.

Tonight I am doing something I can’t quite imagine, so I have to try it. I’m attending “Draw and Guffaw” at Gallery-O-Rama, where 5 pieces of my work are currently featured in their figure show.

WALKING AROUND THE CITY

We visited Art on Paper, The Armory, CLIO, and Spring Break. We looked around MOMA (and dined there), Neue Gallery, and Fotografiska.

We walked The Highline and attended the launch of a brand new art space, The Williamsburg Biannual. We tramped around the Lower East Side galleries, and shopped in the West Village and SOHO.

As usual, I tried to gauge what is trending at these galleries and art fairs. Happily, there was a surprising amount of figurative work. There’s still plenty of: fabric, stitchery, sparkles, gold leaf, plus cut, collaged, and constructed paper. I was looking for and found many beautiful boxed sets of prints and altered book art. Participatory video and photography (selfies encouraged) were there in abundance. My favorite is still the Art on Paper fair, but the other shows surprised me with lots of wonderful work. I keep an eye out for art that I simply like, would consider buying, or would curate into a show…we played the game of “if you had a budget of xx, what would you buy/collect?”

We hung out with cousins, old friends from NYC in the 80s, were hosted by more old friends from our travels, and newer friends who joined us for the fairs – from SF and Pittsburgh, including The Invisibility Collective.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: FOTOGRAFISKA

FOR CONSIDERATION: FIGURATIVE WORKS

THINGS I LIKED THE LOOK OF

CATCH A BREATH BETWEEN

We returned last Thursday night, in time for my Art Explosion Open Studios, which started on Friday night, allowing a very short time to be with both of our cats, who have been unwell. On Saturday night, after the vet explained the situation, we had to put down our older cat (just 16), Reginald, due to sudden-seeming ravaging cancer.

Meanwhile, it was my Open Studios, and I spent time there as planned. But it all just felt pointless.

This week my artworld is gearing up (again) for Artspan Open Studios and last night was ArtLaunch. We’ll get through this, including our younger cat Nigel, who is sorely missing his lifelong buddy.

Maybe that’s why I am home writing my blog, surrounded by so many flowers, instead of out and about on my birthday.

That said, this morning I went to the annual Flower Piano event held in the SF Botanical Garden, followed by breakfast at Art’s, an old school Korean joint in the Inner Sunset.

Yesterday I popped out briefly to watch the ceremony at SFPL in the Civic Center, a dedication of a piece of public art by Lava Thomas, a large sculpture of Maya Angelou. Our friend and Invisibility Collective colleague Mary Graham also worked on this important project. There’s a photo below.

Now I have to gear up for our next trip, which is soon. No complaints! We’ll visit friends in Mallorca, Girona, and London, with a side trip to Valencia.

I’ll be back in time for SF’s Day of the Dead Altar Celebration, where I’ll build an altar with Rhiannon. Last year we honored our fathers who’d passed. Maybe this year, at least for me, I’ll pay a tribute to my cats. After all, it’s the year for childless cat people.

REMINDER TO PLEASE VOTE!

DON’T MISS THESE UPCOMING EVENTS

Show Stopper, 2358 MKT Gallery (Castro) | Closing 9/29 - I have a piece, The Birds, in this curated group show. It’s my first time showing at this gallery.

Unbound Figures: Human Vessels, Gallery-O-Rama | Closing Reception: Oct 6, 4-6pm | 1920 Polk St, SF - I have 4 large pieces hanging from the ceiling from my Banderas series, and one piece, Bed of Roses, on the wall, which is the same work used in the gallery's promo piece! This is an exciting new gallery.

SFOS Open Studios, Sept 28-29, 11-5pm | Art Explosion, 744 Alabama St, #209, SF | Artspan Exhibition at SOMARTS - During SFOS my studio will be open both Saturday and Sunday. It's packed with luscious art and a fresh batch of small items including my RedBubble merchandise. Don’t miss more of my art installed on the hall walls. I'll be giving Procreate demos, and serving up sweets and bubbly. 

Root Division Benefit Auction & Exhibition | Auction: October 24, 2024 | Root Division, 1131 Mission St, San Francisco, CA - I have a piece, Stone Fruit, in Root Division's Annual Benefit Auction Exhibition! Come see the show when it's up from Oct 8-24 and support Root Division by bidding in the auction on the 24th! More info here.

Giving Flowers, ACCI Reception Oct 5, 4-6, Live Music Oct 19, 4-6, Through Nov 10 - I have a piece, Tapestry, in this juried group show in Berkeley. It’s my first time showing at this gallery.

Festival of Altars, Potrero Del Sol Park, Sat, Nov 2, 10-11pm - The invisibility Collective will create a beautiful altar again this year and I will be there all day.

NEW WORK

My Women and Nature series continues, but every now and then a man appears…or a different shape like a circle.

***

Signing off for a couple of months (back 10/27/24)!

Susan

xox

Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Artist & Curator | 415.425.3632 | www.cherrypits.net | https://theinvisibilitycollective.com/ | ALL: https://linktr.ee/SusanRKirshenbaum | Art Explosion Art Studios, 744 Alabama St, #209, SF, CA

Order my print on demand custom art merchandise: Srkirshenbaum.redbubble.com

Adventures in Southeast Asia

Susan R. Kirshenbaum1 Comment

Sunset shot out the window in Bali.

Waiting for the cremation procession to begin, in Ubud, Bali, April 2024.

WHY WE RETURNED

Half a life-time ago we traveled around SE Asia for several months. We made friends in Bali with folks we’ve been traveling with ever since. This was a reunion trip, of sorts. We added on Singapore, which was new to us. In the past it didn’t seem so interesting to us as travelers – too cleaned up and rigidly regulated. I’m glad we visited this time.

Bali and Java were return visits, with lots of new experiences added, as well as the expected shock and awe at all of the changes. Now there are so many cars, scooters, paved roads, foreigners (including sooo many Yoga practitioners)…And yes, much of the land and the fields are filled in. This time, our laundry wasn’t dried on the grass for all to see – in the area surrounding our rice field huts – but at a conventional laundry, smelling of strong soap.

Don’t ask me about beaches in Bali, as I’ve never been to them and never intend to. Like the Balinese, I prefer believing that the sea is filled with sea monsters and it’s best to look inland toward the mountains and rich green rice fields. I’ll head to the sea elsewhere. The hotel swimming pools were perfection.

Dripping with beauty, humor, and art, there are so many reasons to visit, get to know and understand the people, places, languages, and cultures.

This is a selection of images from dance performances, our Ubud hotel room and pool, a coastal restaurant, public art, temples and ceremonies, holy offerings, an antique shop, and that Bali-Aussie sense of humor, street vendors (heads piled high), a holy spring water ritual. We witnessed so many romantic scenes of beauty, strength, hard working, friendly people, with a sense of humor and lightness and brightness. The lush greens and cement grays are punctuated by hot colors – pink, lilac, orange. Everything is drenched, like the flourishing rice fields, in an intense, dripping wet heat.

A bagful of marigolds sits on a concrete step in Bali. The bag is a classic black and white pattern. The flowers are ready to be carefully placed around the temple for a full moon ceremony. These are decorations and offerings to the Hindu gods are ubiquitous in SE Asia (and in the San Francisco Bay Area and Mexico during Day of the Dead celebrations).

WHY BLACK AND WHITE

Everything goes back to the Balinese philosophy of balance called Rwa Bhineda. This philosophy of balance and harmony can be found everywhere in Balinese everyday life and it is symbolized in the black and white trademark textile of Bali. This textile is called saput poleng. Saput means ‘blanket’ and poleng means ‘in two tones’. In the cloth there is an equal number of alternating black and white squares. Together they symbolize the coexistence of opposites and the ultimate goal of harmony. Some of the saput poleng cloths will also include some grey or red squares. The gray squares symbolize the transition between black and white or the transition between good and evil and the red squares symbolize energy and passion.

At Threads of Life we enjoyed a textile talk by the co-owner, William. Much more than a shop, they also hosted our 3-day natural dye and batik resist workshop.

Day #1 in Ubud we were lucky to experience a once in a lifetime event – an important royal funeral cremation ceremony and procession.

THE CREMATION PROCESSION

We had a bird’s eye from a cafe’s second floor, but we occasionally dove back into the crowd for the full experience. With over 60,000 people thronging the streets to watch and/or participate, our two friends got jostled, but as in large crowds when knocked over they were pushed right back upright!

Amazing to see all the important people arrive in limos, dressed in their finest, and the crowds of tourists, some were dressed and covered in lovely, correct Balinese ceremonial attire, while others remained clueless, in skimpy clothes.

The body is ready for cremation after the procession where it’s carried through town inside the bull.

BEAUTY

I couldn’t get this word out of my head. While we were on this trip I read the book Beauty is a Wound, and highly recommend it – its historical fiction and its magical realism helped me change my own thinking to understand Indonesia’s culture a little better, including some of the differences and similarities between Java (a Muslim island, and the capital) and Bali (Hindu, and a more recent addition to Indonesia). The country was unified to speak one language. Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,508 islands that is the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, with a total population of nearly 242 million. Over 300 different native languages are spoken in Indonesia..

Bali connotes different things to different people. Our trip was about art and culture. People go there for yoga and beach retreats though. So for those who believe it must be ruined by its popularity, it is not.

The traditional culture and rituals appear to be intact. The people are genuine and sweet, and their ingrained attention to beauty is ever-present. Fresh food and flower offerings and meals carefully wrapped in banana leaves are intrinsic to Indonesia. What an incredible sense of color and composition! You see it everywhere, from food and textiles to offerings and architecture. Large and small, attention to detail is still foremost.

ACTIVITIES IN BALI

We visited tiny villages, family compounds, temples, fresh water springs, artists’ studios, art residencies, local artisans, farms, museums, day and night markets, and we watched dance performances. We heard artists’ talks and demos, and we had well-informed guides at each spot. We traveled comfortably by bus, van, and even by horse and buggy.

We enjoyed many gorgeous, festive meals and tasted lots of strange new foods and drinks. I loved a vivid blue-purple tea and water, made with butterfly pea flowers. The most unusual drink I tasted was a coffee made with live coals, served street side. I explained how to make cocktails to several servers – which was an amusing way to engage. Throughout all this is was steamy hot and often rainy.

I saw this world through a veil of sweat. I don’t do well in humid heat, as you may see by my deep red face.

Our dyed pieces were hung out at the studio of Threads of Life, a large indoor/outdoor space with dye plant gardens. We had to wait for the air to oxidize our newly dyed and batiked fabric to evaluate what to do next.

DYING, BATIKING, AND WEAVING

Our Threads of Life three-day natural dying and batiking workshop started us out with three colors: red-brown (plants), black (mud), and indigo (plants). We mixed up the dyes, then dipped, dried, and dipped multiple times. This process was interspersed with tie dying (with coins, marbles, and string), then batiking – drawing with hot wax and/or using large metal stamps. We made our own textiles to take home. It was messy, difficult, and a great learning experience – all led by local men.

WEAVING IN BALI

We had the opportunity to visit a number of weavers and learn about the different techniques and types of weaving. As with most of our educational adventures we were offered the chance to experience weaving hands-on, on various types of looms. I’d experienced backstrap weaving in art school way back when, but I was remembering that on my first trip to Bali I started learning about textiles from Alida, who is a long-time textile collector.

VILLAGE VISITS

We spent several days visiting tiny, traditional Balinese and Javanese villages. We were shown around by the village leaders and guides. In one village we watched two women making food items – tempe and crunchy snacks – in their homes. In another village we were invited to play Gamelan.

We watched while artisans carved books and masks, created shadow puppets, spun thread and wove it into one-of-a-kind textiles. We had an adventure at a coconut farm, watching the process from tree climbing to cooking and serving us coconut sugar and sampling virgin coconut oil. We stirred the pot over a flame outdoors, cooking it down the old way, and it tasted delicious. We toured their orchards and gardens, sampling fruit off the trees. We were shown how to weave reeds that make the containers for offerings and food. Like so many lovely hosts we met, they cooked a meal for us too.

We observed preparations for a full moon temple ceremony with a huge array of offerings including ducks. We descended a very long, steep set of stairs to be blessed in cold rushing water from a holy spring. We visited a lovely colonial compound housing a huge collection of masks and puppets.

Charming village woman had us into her rustic home to show us how she makes these crunchy snacks.

MEETING ARTISTS

We visited an art foundation with artists-in-residence, a few exhibiting artists, an artist’s studio, a beautifully curated shop-restaurant-gallery compound, a design shop with household goods made of handmade paper, stone, metal, and fabric, and more. Our travel group included many artists and curators, a museum registrar, and a costume designer. Most folks were coming to Bali for their first time and mainly live in the Seattle area.

At the the art foundation we saw the most artistic shadow puppets I’d ever seen, being used as inspiration for a sculpture project by this artist: https://www.saatchiart.com/imams. The artist couple who we spent time with founded their own art foundation and serve in art residencies there as well. One of these artists is Mella Jaarsma, where we saw her current project ready to ship to a show: https://mellajaarsma.com/. We also attended a Balinese artist’s talk and demo, show below, at Threads of Life.

A traditional Balinese artist with his own style, gave an ink painting demo at Threads of Life.

Mella, the Dutch artist in residence (wearing black in the middle) with her finished floor cloth piece at her feet.

Artist, designer, and Japanese papermaker, speaking about their work in their showroom.

A pile of fabulously painted shadow puppets being studied at the art foundation/residency.

A village master working on his shadow puppets.

At the art residency/foundation where this artist (right) is sculpting with tanned cow hide.

NATIONAL TREASURES – TEMPLES

Borabudur and Prambanan are two of the most important historical and religious sites in the world, yet many people haven’t heard of them. We visited them 34 years ago, and again on this trip, taking us back to Java (East of Bali) and in and around the major city of Yogyakarta. We had some wonderful guides and the tourism and care of the sites has been refined, including sandals specially-woven so as not to damage these ancient sites. Our guide was extremely well informed and articulate, telling us the stories represented by these well-preserved, sophisticated stone carvings and wall paintings. We stopped at a few smaller temples nearby. Traveling with friends in the know makes a big difference from the days when we were just winging it on the cheap, without a guide and just our Lonely Planet SE Asia book.

Additional ancient temple sites we visited were Candi Mendut, Candi Pawon, Kalasan Temple, and Candi Brahma. Each site unique in its way, and all with incredible carved narratives, and sometimes painted stories. I remain a huge fan of the complex, realistic carvings at Borabador.

Our day at Prambanan was accompanied by a prolonged downpour that flooded the grounds we waded through. The original carved downspouts are proof that the temple construction was made for such intense rain storms. Umbrellas were useless. The Seattle crowd felt right at home!

BORABUDUR: Built during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty, the temple design follows JavaneseBuddhist architecture, which blends the Indonesian indigenous tradition of ancestor worship and the Buddhist concept of attaining nirvāṇa.[3] The monument is a shrine to the Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. Evidence suggests that Borobudur was constructed in the 8th century and subsequently abandoned following the 14th-century decline of Hindu kingdoms in Java and the Javanese conversion to Islam.[4] Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians.[5] Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was completed in 1983 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, followed by the monument's listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3] Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world,[6][3] and ranks with Bagan in Myanmar and Angkor Wat in Cambodia as one of the great archeological sites of Southeast Asia. Borobudur remains popular for pilgrimage, with Buddhists in Indonesia celebrating Vesak Day at the monument. Among Indonesia's tourist attractions, Borobudur is the most-visited monument.[7]
PRAMBANAN: The temple compound, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second-largest in Southeast Asia after Angkor Wat.[1] The Prambanan temple is the largest Hindu temple of ancient Java, and the first building was completed in the mid-9th century. It was likely started by Rakai Pikatan and inaugurated by his successor King Lokapala. Some historians that adhere to dual dynasty theory suggest that the construction of Prambanan probably was meant as the Hindu Sanjaya dynasty's answer to the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty's Borobudur and Sewu temples nearby, and was meant to mark the return of the Hindu Sanjaya dynasty to power in Central Java after almost a century of Buddhist Sailendra dynasty domination. Nevertheless, the construction of this massive Hindu temple signified a shift of the Mataram court's patronage, from Mahayana Buddhism to Shaivite Hinduism.

SEEN ALONG THE WAY

People, signs, temples, fields, roadside shops, drivers, vehicles, vendors, cats, birds, and walls – glimpsed from a car window, from a horse carriage, or walking by, there were so many sites that grabbed my attention. Here are a handful of images including some walls I’d love to turn into paintings.

NEW FAVORITE MUSEUM

We took an excursion to Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets just outside of Ubud, a new favorite museum. It is in a cluster of elegant buildings both colonial and traditional, set amidst gorgeous grounds, with an extensive collection. These are just a few favs below. Masks are made to express. Here’s an example of the expressive masks used in Balinese dance performances, often with an open mouth area to speak through.

SINGAPORE SITES

Singapore is an ideal stop over on the way to Indonesia. I’d avoided it for fear of its strict government regulations, but I love this region. Singapore is a small, dense republic with a parliamentary system of government. It’s an interesting example of an independent sovereign state that separated from a larger country, Malaysia. Signage in SE Asia is quite strong. We saw forceful signs in both Singapore and Indonesia. But there are still old, charming, funky, arty parts of Singapore, including many wonderful murals. There are wonderful public works of art, architectural gems, a lit-up river cruise and gardens for night viewing. Cultural and religious diversity abound, so there are mosques, temples, and great food districts. There are upscale galleries and shopping.

Incredibly, we learned that most of the population live in public housing “With more than 1 million flats spread across 24 towns and 3 estates, the Singapore brand of public housing is uniquely different. The flats spell home for over 80% of Singapore's resident population, of which, about 90% own their home”.

VERDANT

What I enjoyed most in Singapore were the acres of public gardens, both the Orchid Garden (private) and the Botanical Garden (public). It rained hard on us there, but so what? It was intensely hot and humid and gorgeous, with dripping plants, it was simply scrumptious.

We didn’t see them in action as they don’t enjoy being out in the rain!

These were the only otters we saw!

FELLOW TRAVELERS

There were lots of new folks to meet on this trip. As in all of our travels with Alida and Christopher, many friends are fellow arts professionals. A few of the artists who came on this trip:

Cappy Thompson is a Seattle-based painter: https://www.cappythompson.com/objects/vessels-color

Marita Dingus makes her own clothes and textile-based sculptures and dolls out of found materials: https://www.travergallery.com/artists/marita-dingus/

Kelly Lyles (we first met at Miami Art Basel) is an artist, designer, and art car star. Like Marita, we were treated to her daily art outfits: https://www.kellyspot.com/

Here we are at Borabudur - note our special sandals to help preserve the stone.

BARBIE COMES ALONG

What’s my ongoing Barbie series about and why is she with me? My on-going series Barbie on the Cusp continues to grow and change with me. Each trip since my art residency at Pacific Felt Factory with Black and White Productions under my mentor and friend Rhiannon Evans-MacFadyen (my art coach since 2016-on), I’ve since taken Barbie with me traveling.

Although Barbie started out as a vehicle to tell my story about my realistic fear of impending adulthood, she has become my buddy, partner in crime, and has helped me enlist friends and strangers to participate in our drama. I shot the picture below, while one of the folks working at our hotel art directed me.

Barbie received this gift in Java, a Vespa just her size, made of weighty metal from a stall at a temple site that also had lovely crafts, masks, and puppets.

Thank You!

…For perusing my long, image-laden blog! Just so you know, this isn’t simply a travelogue, though it is partially that. What you’re seeing here is my fuel, my inspiration, and it reflects one of the main ways I want to spend my time – and I do! Travel gives me new experiences which I can savor and translate into my art and every day life. It holds me in its sweaty palm, while I sit in the chill of a windy, cool San Francisco summer.

Please visit me this month and next at my studio. I’ll be there several June-July weekends with cava (a lovely brut bubbly), snacks, and digital demos.

Or stop by the SFWA Gallery, in the Inner Sunset, where I’m showing work in “Radiating Pride” followed in July by two pieces juried into “Illuminations” in the main gallery.

In case you didn’t hear, we’ve been caring for two senior, sick cats who continue to amaze us with their multiple lives. They are brilliant companions and earn their keep. Doing better, fingers, crossed.

And in case you didn’t know, I post much of my new work, including art in progress and life drawings, weekly. You can check out my travel photos, exciting food, gorgeous plants, and walks – all in real time. Our aforementioned cats, Nigel and Reginald, make appearances there too. Instagram is my preferred social media. I promise you will still see a lot of top-notch visuals shared there. I love you all (if you’re on this list) and I would love to hear from you.

What Else?

NYC, Spain, Open Studios, more group shows, and two biggies – The Invisibility Collective, which has evolved quite nicely, will launch a group exhibition in Dec ‘24 in SF, and, I will curate another figurative show in Sausalito, at SCA, in Jan ‘25.

A Busy Beginning of 2024

Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

The year began with adventures like this one – atop an old volcano in Maui – and lots of art.

Exploring the Self

I don’t really do self-portraits, but I am keenly interested in exploring identity. At the end of 2023, a friend took a photo of me on the sofa after dinner recently, which I turned into a self-portrait.

Here’s another new piece exploring my identity. It’s an addition to my ongoing series: Women and Nature. The collage contains: a drawing of a huddled pose from a session with the model Sarah, photos I shot of an Italian shop window, an embroidered ceremonial textile (with Hebrew text), and a rose image from Golden Gate Park Rose Garden. It was juried into “Patterns, Shapes, and Textures” in Jan 2024 at SFWA Gallery.

This is my interpretation of the requested self-portrait “assignment” for my drawing group.

“Inside the Shop Window” is a newly produced piece. It’s a 48w x 24h framed metal print, in an edition 1/1.

March is Women’s History Month: Three Shows

“Flirting”, a digital original collage, is my first circular piece, a requirement of the show theme. It’s a 23x23 inch metal print, in an edition 1/1.

NCWCA: 6000 Circle Project

I was invited to show a feature piece in the NCWCA March show at Arc Gallery (SF).

In collaboration with The Calling (Artists Yasmin Lambie-Simpson, Chantelle Goldthwaite, and Sheila Metcalf-Tobin), everyone was invited to participate in the international art initiative, The 6000 Circle Project. The project focuses on the circle as a symbol of balance and unity, a never-ending container of feminine energy and light. The Calling envisions 6000 circles created by a multitude of artists from around the globe. Circles created by NCWCA members and the public are exhibited in the Arc Project Gallery through April 6. NCWCA is the first WCA chapter to kick off this global 2024 exhibition. NCWCA presents a collaborative exhibition honoring the Divine Feminine ​in the Project Gallery at Arc Gallery.

The Drawing Room: Women Rising

The Drawing Room’s “Women Rising” second annual group show included two venues, on both Clement Street and Valencia Street (SF). I showed my piece “Love in Shades of Blue”.

Color is often a theme for me.

A pink coat connection.

Women in pink coats must stick together. Always a great conversation starter, this pink-coated artist next to me had another idea - she handed out hundreds of adorable arty finger puppets at the receptions!

(Sorry but I don’t know her name!)

Joseph Abbati curated the Black History Month show at Senator Scott Weiner’s office. (That’s Scott next to me plus painter friends (left) May Shei and (center) Tiffany Conway.)

SEISMIC SISTERS CURATED WOMAN-MADE

I was selected by this wonderful feminist group to take part in an exciting show in a super-cool venue, Manny’s, in the SF Mission, which was new to me.

Just after hanging my corner.

ABOUT SEISMIC SISTERS

Seismic Sisters elevates and celebrates feminist artists and activists who are shaking things up. We amplify the voices of new leaders and rebels who are shifting culture and changing the landscape. We also give space and r-e-s-p-e-c-t to longtime feminist activists who did the groundwork and are still powering on to create a more feminist future. From girls to grandmas, we need each other, feed each other, and work best together. Seismic Sisters is a mix of clubhouse, news site, and think tank where you come to get informed, inspired, and invigorated to go back out into the world. Our epicenter is San Francisco, but our influence will ripple out beyond the Bay Area.

A recent photo of Randy in his studio.

A Tribute to Randall Sexton

1958-2023

On Dec 10, 2023, Randy passed away at his Benicia art studio. Very much at the height of his artistic and teaching career, this was an unbelievable shock and tragic loss for our community. Randy’s family, friends, students, teachers, artists, art models, gallerists, curators, and the art world won’t be the same without him.

1980’s vintage “art photo” of Randy on his roof in North Beach

I will miss my long-time friend. I would travel to Benicia just to draw a model with him for a few hours. Randy was great to be around – funny, smart, generous, and insightful. I feel particularly bad for friends who were in the midst of his mentorship program, and those who planned to take his international workshops, or hoped to simply spend more time with him over a meal and a beer.

His widow, Carol Neilson, has an ongoing gofundme campaign underway and she is running a studio estate sale in Benicia on Saturdays. Let me know if you’d like to connect with her.

Clearing out Randy’s beautiful studio, his art models were invited to choose a work they’d posed for to take home.

And Springtime Arrives

Sometimes there are happy art-making accidents. This is my house.

Magnolias, daffodils, camelias, rhododendrens, oh my. Another day at my favorite place – the SF Botanical Garden.

VR of me at the current fashion-themed show at the DeYoung.

I love the DeYoung Museum. I see all of their shows. It’s also conveniently right near my home. Don’t miss the fabulous Irving Penn show on now!

This was taken at the year-end Art Explosion Open Studios in my studio (#209). I love my new studio (Sept 2023) and all of our open studio events!

WHAT’S NEXT?

A big trip! I’ll be away most of April – in Bali and Java and Singapore. This is a big year for traveling again…so I’ve pulled back a bit from my many artistic obligations and leaning into adventures!

You can still find me working away in my studio at Art Explosion, 744 Alabama Street, #209, between 19th and 20th in the Mission. Stop by (text first)! I’ll be there frequently in May, July, August, October, November, and December.

We’re having a spring open studio that I’ll have to miss for our Bali trip, but please check it out! ART EXPLOSION OPEN STUDIOS: Opening Reception: Fri April 12, 7-10pm and Open Studios: April 13-14, Sat & Sun: 12-5pm. Art Explosion Studios is an Arts Organization that provides affordable art studios in San Francisco and produces art shows for its member artists. By supplying art space and exhibition opportunities, we enable our artists to explore their talent and interact with the public in a supportive and creative environment. Artists grow and thrive here to create a dynamic art scene in San Francisco.

Of course I’m planning to curate and participate in more gallery shows toward year-end and into early 2024. Look for updates about the next an Invisibility Collective biennial group exhibition and a third iteration of our Figurative Show.

This was taken at the FOG Art and Design Fair at the beginning of the year.

Look for my updates here:  https://linktr.ee/SusanRKirshenbaum

I am most active on Instagram, so if you follow me there you can see my frequent event announcements, new work, travel and other fun pics.

Another plant and place I am in love with – Pride of Madeira and all the shades they grow in from pink to deep violet, as the bloom along the dock-front path to Fort Mason.

January at Sausalito Center for the Arts (SCA)

Opening night at SCA

Hard work, curatorial responsibilities, a new venue, lots of fresh connections, plus a couple of short vacations…were all packed into the front end of the year.

I co-curated – with fellow artist and curator Catherine Merrill – a large figurative show at SCA in January. We were their guest curators for “Third Generation: The Bay Area Figurative Movement Today”. We selected 18 Bay Area artists to exhibit both two and three-dimensional works. Each artist was invited to show five pieces of their work and each had their own portion of the gallery.

We hosted multiple exhibition-related events. We held an opening and a closing reception with food and wine and we hosted artist and author talks. Peter Steinhart, who wrote The Undressed Art, gave an enlightening talk about why we draw. He also exhibited his drawings in the show. Peter is in my long-time weekly drawing group. There was also live music and a roving art model, the actress Becky Hirschfeld, for everyone to draw.

Patterns! I’m here with my friend, the artist May Shei, in front of her wall of art and her ten foot tall watercolor scrolls!

Exhibiting artist Sandra Speidel is shown here drawing Becky Herschfeld, our model at the closing.

Mary Graham with her paper bag series of portraits.

So much preparation and planning for this show, starting in 2022 to create a smaller version we held at the SFWA Gallery in the spring of 2023. But what a powerful and fulfilling payoff – with great exposure, attendance, sales, and wonderful feedback from the community. The space looked marvelous. Thank you, SCA!

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Joseph Abbati, Douglas Andelin, Madelyn Covey, Jane Fisher, Mary Graham, Isidoro, Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Catherine Merrill, Stephen Namara, Diane Olivier, Sharon Paster, Fernando Reyes, Alex Rosmarin, Randall Sexton (deceased)*, May Shei, Sandra Speidel, Peter Steinhart, and Charles H. Stinson 

See the article by Jonathan Farrell:

California + News  and The Figurative Art Movement of The Bay Area isn’t Dead 

Artist and author Peter Steinhart speaking at the closing reception.

The book was for sale at the closing talk by Peter (right).

The Artists and Curators from left to right: Me, Charles H. Stinson, Peter Steinhart, Diane Olivier, Madeline Covey, Alex Rosmarin (back row), Mary Graham, Sandra Speidel, Isadoro, and Catherine Merrill. Not pictured here: Fernando Reyes, Stephen Namara, Jane Fisher, Joseph Abbati, Doug Andelin, May Shei, and Sharon Paster (and of course, Randy).

The curators and gallery director, Shiva Pakdel, speaking to attendees.

Fernando Reyes and his art wall.

Jane Fisher and her wall of paintings.

Overview of the gallery.

Overview of the gallery.

CURATOR’S STATEMENT

The Bay Area Figurative Movement never died and continues to thrive. San Francisco Bay Area artists and models founded the Models Guild in 1946, and it’s no wonder that we still have such a healthy, lively community, chock-full of dedicated talent. Some of us even flourished during COVID and sheltering-in-place, as we continued drawing, painting, and sculpting on Zoom sessions around the world. What does our figurative community look like? We are artists and models; teachers and students; our styles are anywhere from classical to pop; our techniques are everything from digital to hand-ground pigments; and our community encompasses the very experienced and the relatively new to exhibiting. This exhibition explores a full range of styles and approaches combined with skill and craft. 

A portion of Randy Sexton’s wall.

Stephen Namara’s wall.

Happy artists, curators, venue. Look for more shows I’ll be curating more at SCA in the near future!

Sharon Paster and her corner of the gallery.

An Art Tour attended our artists talks at SCA. The sculptor Charles H. Stinson is shown speaking.

Closing night party. Photo by Doug Kaye.

Maui in the Middle

We managed to sneak away on two short trips – to Maui and Mexico. We were invited to Maui so of course we couldn’t say no to a brief getaway in the middle of the figurative show. Life in Maui presents you with chickens wandering freely and giant turtles lounging on the beaches. It’s another world. A beachfront condo and good friends to hang out with, then it was just us – for a romantic getaway with a full moon.

Green sea turtles lounging in abundance.

Chickens roaming by the beach.

I almost always bring a Barbie on my trips.

Here’s my dirty, old, chopped-hair Malibu Barbie in a hand-made crochet “vacation dress” she was gifted.

ArtWeek in Mexico City

Right after the figurative show ended, followed by a week-long stint helping our friend with Randy’s art estate sale, we hopped off to Mexico City (CDMX) for their annual Artweek. Only six nights there – but it was so dense with all the various art fairs, walking the city, exploring the galleries, visiting obscure museums, and always investigating food and flea markets…not to mention constant snacking and socializing. Upon return we had a few celebrations, including mole mezcal dinner parties and a restaurant reunion with the talented Bay Area stylist and chef of Anything’s Pastable.

Anything’s Pastable

Artweek reunion in the SF Mission with Stephen Wagner and Jillian Knox.

In CDMX we hung out with some Bay Area friends and we went to my cousins house, where we watched the Super Bowl and snacked on pizza while sipping mezcal.

Stephen Wagner, art coach extraordinaire, was hanging out with us at Artweek.

An evening at an historic Mexico City restaurant and a delicious mezcal margarita.

Jack, me, and Jillian Chinn at one of the art fairs held in some beautiful ruins.

On the go through the last day of multiple art fairs and wanderings.

YES. We’re planning to return to CDMX Artweek next year! And we’ll spend more time next time.

Loved this dismembered arm petting kitty sculpture

Here’s a cool use of space – completely covered by small, delicate art.

We walked by this CDMX store-front with beautifully appointed black and white theme inside and out.

We found our delicious mole paste at a stall that also sold beans, pet food, candy, and spices in our neighborhood market.

The amazing mole and mezcal dinner (1 of 2) made upon returning home.

Suddenly, September (Part 2)

Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

Suddenly it’s my favorite month! Time for new beginnings. It’s also my birthday month and the Jewish New Year. It’s time to re-set and regenerate in this post-pandemic era we’re entering. Time snuck up on me. Summer is over? Not in California with off and on record high temps in our normally chilly SF summer/fall! But we’ve arrived at the Fall Equinox and now there’s a fresh scent in the air, a bit of rain in the clouds, and the grape vines are turning gold and red. So I’ll wrap up my springtime adventure in Italy.

“Christina in a Bed of Roses” is new in my ongoing digital original collage series. A new wide format, this is a life drawing of a model in San Francisco combined with my abstract paintings and photos. See these Golden Gate Park roses along with antique fabric and lace from a museum in Provence.

SPRINGTIME IN ITALY

I had never attended the Venice Biennale, and friends have been curious about my first experience there. You arty folks might want to plan your own trips to Venice if you haven’t yet. The good news is that there’s still time. You have until November.

When I traveled there, it was with a group of a dozen arty friends. Our first stop- of our one month trip - was into Venice, in mid-April. We also traveled through Northern Italy by bus and car, then into France. This trip was so dense, I had to break it into 3 bite-size chunks. I have far too many photos.

But, gosh, I sure do love art fairs. And I hope to return to the Biennale again some day soon. I want to see how this art fair differs from year to year. I love Venice with a passion, which I first discovered at 14 years old. That was when I wrote a poem called “The Rat and the Red Rose” (based on what floats by in the canals).

It seems I hit the Biennale the most perfect year for me - 2022 is the first year they honored and featured women artists.

NUTS AND BOLTS

Because friends asked…Here’s how the Venice Biennale works. It’s held every other year, but it’s been on hold due to Covid. Remember the videos of dolphins swimming in the Venice canals? Fake!

There are two main curated exhibition venues, plus many varied country pavilions, like The World’s Fair, with art exhibitions produced by one selected artist or a team. The Arsenal and the Castello are these main locations – but there are so many more art shows and installations throughout Venice. One ticket gets you into all these shows. All venues have food and water onsite so you don’t have to leave once you’re there. Like most art fairs, there’s quite a bit of standing, waiting, and walking. There are so many venues you can’t see it all.

I’ve included a few art reviews to peruse. I already sent a few friends recommendations compiled by my little travel group. My Venice pitch is that just because people go to see the Biennale in Venice doesn’t mean it isn’t totally worth seeing more of Venice and spending enough time for a leisurely visit. And traveling around N. Italy, as we did. Springtime (for your future trips) is an ideal season to travel to Europe. It’s still cool. All of my favorite spring flowers are blooming - and oh those shades of lilac to blue. Note my obsession with wisteria.

Wisteria and canals. Can’t get much is better than this.

A VENICE SLIDESHOW

RECOMMENDATIONS

“Curated by Cecilia Alemani, The Milk of Dreams will take place in the Central Pavilion (Giardini) and in the Arsenale. The exhibition takes its title from a book by Surrealist painter and writer Leonora Carrington, a work in which change, transformation, and otherworldly magic alter the lives and imaginations of its characters. A guiding principle of metamorphosis informs the three themes of the exhibition: the representation of bodies and their changes; the relationship between individuals and technology; and the connection between bodies and the Earth. This showcase offers an opportunity for visitors to engage with some of today’s most wide-ranging artistic perplexities.”

Excerpted from Phillips and you can see more at https://www.phillips.com/ Here’s a little compiled list of my recommendations supplemented by my travel friends:

Giardini is one of two main buildings featuring the curated show “The Milk of Dreams”. There are 28 country pavilions on its grounds.

“My favorite exhibit was from Denmark. We walked the Earth. The realism and capturing of a moment of extreme intensity stole my attention.” https://www.designboom.com/art/danish-pavilionwe-walked-the-earth-uffe-isolotto-venice-art-biennale-04-21-2022/

“The Polish Pavilion was my favorite national display.” https://labiennale.art.pl/en/

“Don’t miss Uganda and Japan”. I’m sorry to say that I missed both. See more here: https://www.labiennale.org/en/art/2022/japan and Uganda

In the exhibit of under-represented female artists, we were excited to see the works of these women: Vera Molnar (1970s) and Hannah Levy (1990s)

“I enjoyed walking through the long building at the Arsenal much more than the Giardini…I also enjoyed the various installations found around the city and worth the boat ride out to Giudecca”.

“The big building at the Arsenal was one wonder after another. The Polish pavilion was by one artist who told the story of the Roma people in a giant embroidered and appliquéd extravaganza.”

SO MUCH TO SEE

Walking around Venice to and from the expositions in the Biennale, luscious window displays lured me into shops to buy tiny treats such as malachite powdered pigment for a painter friend.

SCALE AND PERSPECTIVE

Amazing to walk underneath the life-sized horse and human body part sculptures, suspended between buildings, just to get from Point A to Point B.

This entire pavilion was lined with narrative art tapestries depicting the stories of Roma of Poland.

An ad kiosk has rare seating and promotes Venice Biennale events.

This game gives you some idea of the experience.

OA detail of one of the country pavilions made of gorgeous iridescent mosaic tile. What was inside the building was not as exciting.

Café paradise outside the Arsenal was a good place to eat cake and observe the larger-than-life sculptures of women wearing swimsuits cast in bronze.

Great concept! He is not an art piece. Or is he?

I was thrilled by these life-sized, story telling pastels and discovering the artist, Paula Rego, who just passed away.

One of the more interesting shows we came across by chance, this work was about a favorite topic of mine, invisibility.

SIMONE LEIGH: This figurative work is featured throughout the US Pavilion.

Life-size elephant in a gorgeous rotunda

IGSHAAN ADAMS: This is a ceiling to floor wall-length tapestry. “Stitched together with fragments of locally sourced wood, plastic, beads, shells, string, and rope, they are deeply linked to commodity trading and local environs in postcolonial Africa.” More here.

GABRIEL CHAILE: Enormous ceramics of objects usually seen quite small fill this huge space. By Gabriel Chaile.

This is a tiny detail of a very large embroidered wall piece.

Human signage for the Louise Nevelson show.

Ceramic inspiration in this roomful of erotically painted vignettes.

ANDRA URSUTA: Lead crystal sculptures by Andra Ursuta. Use of unusual materials were found throughout the show.

In The Castello, there were Cat People! Here’s a cut-out from the series.

I must pay a tribute to the numerous astounding video and multimedia experiences in Venice, and among my favorites, I loved Francis Alys: The Nature of the Game, in the Belgian Pavilion, Giardini. I don’t enjoy games myself, but what a unique perspective this film lent to the idea.

NOTE: Please forgive me for not listing all of the artists’ names for work shown in the photos. My records are messy and I need to get this blog post wrapped up with my next shows underway!

Who could not take a selfie in this graphic room of profound changing text?

Hard not to enjoy this immersive experience and not to want to take part in some way.

BEYOND VENICE

Verona , where we visited family, is a picturesque little city, rich in culture and history since Roman times.

A NEW FAVORITE MUSEUM

MUSEUM SLIDESHOW: ETTORE GUATELLI

This museum is the astonishingly dense private collection, now a foundation, belonging to a lifelong teacher with a distinctive eye toward finding, organizing, and displaying objects – often no longer used or abandoned. I wrote a blog awhile back about collecting, but I had never seen anything like this! It’s located way out in the countryside, southwest of Parma. If you’re fascinated by collections and have a chance to travel to this region known for its fine cured meats and cheeses, a visit to this museum will make its out of the way location worthwhile.

At a roadside stop for famous regional foods.

Last days of Italy – Babs waves good bye on the balcony of our room, located in a beautiful old monastery in Saluzzo.

WHAT’S NEXT?

2023: Watch for details about a show I’m curating featuring Bay Area figurative artists. Now in its third generation, The Bay Area Figurative Movement lives on!

EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

  • Root Division: Exhibition & Art Auction/Reception: Thurs, Oct 20, 6-9pm, Oct 7-23,1131 Mission St, SF

  • SFWA Gallery: "Artist's Choice", Juried by Ashley Voss | Reception Sat., Oct 1, 2-4pm | Through Nov 4 | 647 Irving St @ 8th Ave, SF | Visit the online shop.

  • SFWA Gallery: "Botanicals", Juried by Anne Herbst | Through Sept 23 | 647 Irving St @ 8th Ave, SF | Visit the online shop.

  • Art Show International Online Gallery: Finalist Award, "4th Figurative Show, Sept-Oct 2022

    ARTSPAN OPEN STUDIOS

  • My Open Studio Receptions: Sat-Sun, Nov 5 & 6, 11-6pm | Sobel Design Bldg, 680 8th St (btw Townsend / Brannan), Suite 230, SF

  • Artspan Open Studios Exhibition/Reception: Thurs, October 20 | Oct 22-Nov 13 | SOMArts, 934 Brannan St, SF

  • SFWA Gallery Opening Reception: "Artist's Choice" & Open Studios: Oct 1, 2-4pm | Sept 27-Nov 3 | 647 Irving St @ 8th Ave, SF

  • SFWA Gallery Receptions: Open Studio 12 Exhibiting Artists: Oct 29-30, 11am-6pm | SFWA: 647 Irving St @ 8th Ave, SF

    SAVE THE DATES

  • The Bi-Annual Invisibility Collective group Show Re-Appears! Every other year our Collective – plus invited guest artists – have an exhibition at Radian Gallery (SF) in Dec-Jan. Reception Dec. 10. For more info see my website and social media posts.

  • SFWA Gala Benefit Fundraiser and Art Auction: Dec 7, 6-8:30pm, Salesforce Building - top floor with a 360 degree view. Details to follow on my website and social media posts.

ONGOING

  • See my live TV interview, Aug 17, 2022, on behalf of SFWA Gallery on KRON4 TV: LIVE! in the Bay on YouTube

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  • Check out my ARTWEAR and various art products, including wall paper, where I am always adding new work, on the sites RedBubble and Spoonflower. We will never look alike!

  • Become my PATRON. See my art and photography that only patrons get to see. Every little bit helps. Join me on Patreon!

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    BLOG PLANS

  • See my LAST blog post "Spain: Part 1" (This is Part 2 and yes, there will be a Part 3, France)

  • Send me your personal Barbie story for an upcoming Barbie blog post and website - all part of my on-going “Barbie on the Cusp” project.

  • I’m still fascinated by collectors. Send me your collection photos (JPG format please) for possible inclusion in another blog post about this exciting topic!