Summer Begins in Spain: Part 1

August 2, 2022Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

Spring into Summer

We Began in Italy, Slid into France, then Stayed in Spain

From the Venice Biennale in mid-April to the museums of Paris in mid-May, we traveled with a group of pals, our “travel family”. We explored obscure sites and enjoyed extravagant meals full of unusual flavors. From cheese making in Paris, to visiting odd little museums in cities and countryside, we spent our first month traveling with the group before moving onto our one-time home in Girona, Catalonia for the next month.

Part 2 and 3: These upcoming posts (in progress) will be about the first portion of our trip and feature the Biennale. In Part 1 I’m writing and showing a sampling of photos from our most recent experiences in and around Girona.

Here’s a photo of me in front of a beautiful mosaic during one of the last days of our travels with friends through Italy and France. Shot in Paris by our talented friend, Flora, this was on the Rue Jacob, in the neighborhood of Saint Germain de Pres. Scarf by Julie Paschkis.

FROM LAST TO FIRST: DAY TRIPS

Daily side trips helped us deal with the extreme heat wave in our HQ, Girona, where the temperature reached 106F plus humidity. Living in SF for decades means we are no longer used to extreme weather. Most of the time, SF’s temperature range is small, between 60-75F. I welcome the chilly summer fog today!

DAY TRIPPING

L’ESTARTIT

We took a jaunt to L’Estartit, to meet up with a friend in a chiringuito (a rough cafe with drinks and snacks right on the sand) to enjoy the end of day temperature drop and slight breeze. It’s too hot and sunny from midday into late afternoon to spend time under the sun. It’s imperative to get on the local schedule: up fairly early to do chores and shop; meals at regular times with a big lunch from 1:30-3:30 followed by an indoor siesta, then back outdoors again to the beach or in town for a pleasant evening with drinks, tapas or a light meal, and often a delicious ice cream.

In L’Estartit, a long cove beach on the Costa Brava, we met a friend at 4pm; swam at 7:30; and left at around 8:30, swinging by the grocery for supplies to have a snack at home. I bought a little kit for 5 euros consisting of cans of muscles, clams, and olives stuffed with anchovies plus a tiny bottle of Espina hot sauce. I debated about buying a bottle of cava (champagne made in Catalonia) for under 3 euros but selected a brut reserve for 6 euros.

At the beach and on the ride home, There was still plenty of light until quite late, with bold, dramatic skies and ominous rain clouds that burst every once in awhile.

The beach at L’Estartit as seen from the chiringuito.

MORE DAY TRIPS

HOSTALRIC, SANT MARTI DE LA ROCA, PALAFRUGELL, TORRELLA DE MONTGRI / PALS, LA FOSCA, SA TUNA, AND TOSSA DE MAR

It’s fun to lie on the sand and look over at the castle remains on the hillside in TOSSA DE MAR.

Walking the path along the coast at La Fosca.

A view from the window of favorite restaurant in a favorite seaside village, San Marti d’Emporda.

The beginning of the season is provides especially clear, clean water.

Eating right next to the water in Tamariu.

First time seeing the village of Hostalric with its castle and wall plus this outdoor hand painted mural.

A BENEDICTINE MONASTERY COMPLEX

For a cooler inland trip, overlooking the sea, and from far above it, Sant Pere de Rodes is a favorite site. Built as an abbey in the 10th C., this monument complex has an unusual monastery built in the 11th C, which was abandoned and fell into decline in 1798. Fortunately it has been extensively restored since our last visit a number of years ago. Then it was a walk-in and explore kind of place. Now there’s an entry fee and gift shop…but it’s worth the trade off. It looked like so much had been excavated and made safe for exploring. The site is celebrating its anniversary, from 1022-2022. Afterward we drove down the mountain to the seaside village of El Port de la Selva for beers, mussels, and seafood fideua (noodle paella).

Stairs to one of two bell towers and a restaurant.

The Catalan Romanesque style church nave with barrel vaulting is 16 meters high.

ROMAN TARRAGONA

I’ve always wanted to see this Roman port city of Tarragona, with its intact ancient walls, Amphitheatre, Roman circus, medieval churches, and more. It’s only two hours south of Girona. Afterward we watched the Russell Crowe film “Gladiator” again, which felt just right.

There’s a lively art scene in and around Tarragona. The one indication that we saw were portside galleries and art installations.

Like many Roman sites, the Amphitheatre is overlooking the coast.

Old terminal turned into an an art gallery. The local artist showing here was American.

And arty city, this is a building-height mural in Tarragona close to the port.

Looking up the stairs to the Tarragona cathedral.

At the city’s port there’s contemporary public art and art exhibits inside of old terminals.

I love travel in the springtime! In addition to the fabulous flowers in bloom, asparagus and artichokes are in season throughout the Med.

Roasted artichokes (and fresh fish) for lunch. I ate fresh artichokes as often as possible since they were in season and so well prepared.

GIRONA’S OLD QUARTER

I’m always charmed by the Onyar River that divides the City’s Old Quarter from the less ancient part of town. The rich warm tones of the buildings are reflected in the shallow water along with the big sky, multiple foot bridges, and landmark churches. Sunsets are divine.

The Roman Wall, Passeig de la Muralla, was expanded in the 14th century and renovated to be walkable in the 21st century. Now you can walk along it and see impressive views of the city and surrounding countryside.

CONNECTING OLD & NEW

Girona is an ancient city founded by the Romans. With four rivers it is a city of bridges, eleven total. The most famous is the Pont de les Peixateries Velles, constructed by Gustave Eiffel just before the Eiffel Tower in Paris. You can walk cross the Onyar River from many parts of The Old Quarter (Roman and Medieval) into the “new” Girona. Like so many ancient cities of the world, it is surrounded by a Roman Wall with a potent history. Experts believe that some sections of the wall date as far back as the first century AD.

The River Onyar’s shallow water is filled with fish, ducks, and reflections.

The river reflects the colorful buildings lining it on both sides.

The picturesque Eiffel Bridge is a pleasant way to walk across the river.

Tiny children on bikes – the youngest cycling group I’ve ever seen. Girona is a major cycling center.

A contemporary mural adorns a a very old building.

Buckwheat crepes are Brittany style and a favorite treat in Girona at La Vedette.

L’Escabech is a tiny new restaurant with super fresh seafood made in unusual ways, and run by a very young chef.

BESALU, BISBAL, BEGUR

We visited a fascinating Ceramic Museum in La Bisbal d’Emporda, at the center of the ceramics industry in the region. The museum is located in a picturesque old ceramic factory. The history of ceramic manufacturing is well demonstrated.

Besalu is known for is magical entrance over the bridge and through the city gate. You might also see the historical mikvah by the river. Catalonia had a significant Jewish population up to around 1492.

The Ceramic Museum in Bisbal is a great way to learn about the history and production of ceramics in art and building.

In Begur we happened upon the annual flower festival with streets full of people and a festive atmosphere.

Begur is dreamy at night with views for miles.

ESPOLLA & CADAQUES WITH FRIENDS

Outdoor lunch with beautiful sunlight streaming in and fabulous food made by an artist/writer pair of French friends who live in a tiny olive oil village.

In our artist friend’s apartment building in Cadaques, there’s a beautiful stairway that leads to a spectacular rooftop view.

BABS’ TRAVELS

She’s always with me, but she takes different forms. My Barbie for Europe 2022 is a new model who is more petite in build and she has a different face and figure from the conventional Barbies. So I call her Babs…she’s so European looking, no? Her Mattel model name is “Barbie Signature Looks Doll”.

Hanging out on the steps in our Girona apartment.

IN AND OUT OF BARCELONA

We fly or take the train in and out out of Barcelona, so we savor time with our old friends and feast our eyes on the city’s architectural details.

Such a pretty city. Nice to catch an uncrowded night there before summer tourist season returns in full force.

AROUND CADIZ

We met our good friend and fellow artist Diana Howard in Cadiz for a week long holiday. Diana lives in France and studies with the same zoom tutor that my husband studies with, who is based near Cadiz. They’ve been practicing their Spanish language skills all through the pandemic, which has paid off. Diana made a beautiful, informative blog post about our trip which you may enjoy reading here.

This excursion into the Deep South of Spain, was our second visit to this friendly, pleasant seaside city with a long history. Established by the Phoenicians for its port on the Atlantic it’s been a key trading post for centuries. On one of our last days there we toured a very old sherry bodega known as Osborne, to taste and learn the process. They’re best known for introducing the giant metal bulls throughout Spain, which became the symbol for much of Spain. The burro is the Catalan mascot. Advocates of Catalan nationalism have adopted the Catalan donkey as a response to the Toro de Osborne image widespread in other parts of Spain.

CATALONIA

FLEA MARKETS

I adore a good market, small or large, flea or food, air conditioned, or sweltering in the sun. When the market is in a country other than my own, it’s almost always a thrill.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

Camprodon is a picturesque inland village we’d enjoyed a few years ago. The pandemic hasn’t been kind to it. There are so many shop closures and the streets are torn up. These small places that survive on tourism have taken a big hit the last few years. The temperature is about 10 degrees cooler than the flats and that’s a good reason to explore these off the beaten path villages.

What’s Next?

SUMMER ART SHOWS

I’m participating in a few shows right now, at SFWA, Being Human: The Figurative Show, juried by Diane Olivier; the August Group Show at City Art Coop Gallery (SF); and at O’Hanlon Art Center’s “Red”, online, juried by Jen Tough, (hear the recorded artists’ roundtable).

Join me for in-person receptions on Aug 5 at City Art Gallery, from 7-10pm and Aug 6 at SFWA, from 2-4pm. Visit my website home page for frequent updates.

ARTSPAN FALL OPEN STUDIOS

Artspan Open Studios takes place in late October - November this year. I am participating with a group at SFWA. Our Open Weekend is Oct 29-30, 11am-6pm.
My art studio will also be open - by appointment as usual - and on SOMA Open Studios weekend, Nov 5-6, from 11-6pm.
Don’t miss all of the Artspan events at SOMARTS.
On-Going!

Buy or commission my art directly through my website or in-person at my SF studio by appointment (email or text me to meet).
My art work is available on all kinds of merchandise! Visit my online shops:
- RedBubble (including my clothing, leggings, and cell phone cases)
- Spoonflower (including my textiles, wallpaper, and custom soft goods)
Show your support for my art making. Join me on Patreon!

Just Like That, 2021 Ends

January 5, 2022Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

WAS IT A YEAR IN LIMBO? OR HELL?

According to the NYT (Limbo) & Artforum (Hell), this is how we are feeling. I am an optimist and expect a better 2022. I know. We are all hoping for a better 2022. But with the current Omicron spread, ever closer to me daily. I’m feeling this new variant spreading wildly all around me. Testing, testing. And a shortage of OTC tests available.

I find that I am not just looking back at 2021, but at two years – since the beginning of the pandemic, from early 2020 through 2021. Now I understand that year one was a major first for most of us – the first pandemic in our lifetimes. I recall that at the beginning, there was some frustration with the lack of recognition and connection with the AIDS epidemic, which for me was always too close to home, having lost so many dear friends. But I think we see things in a slightly different light these days. I thought a deadly pandemic was completely terrifying, but I imagined an end in sight. Now we know better. That’s where limbo comes in, aka Purgatory. Some might say, it’s just been Hell.

For many artists like me, 2020 was a surprisingly productive year. We felt lucky and resourceful. Even unable to go to our studios, artists set up shop in garages and spare rooms. They drew and painted on zoom sessions and outdoors. We learned to truly take advantage of online resources. We posted our art online, saw exhibitions and art collections online, and attended art talks online. We enjoyed international exchanges.

When we turned the corner into 2021, it felt like dipping a toe into water and finding it still too cold to submerge. On again, off again. Hanging a show in person. Attending an opening in person. Going to our studios – yes, I held onto mine since I’d just gotten my space in March 2020. Then the changing restrictions. Sneaking in some travel, museums, galleries, and art fairs in between surges. Intermittent panic. It seems every step forward led to two steps back and that is where the year ended.

“It’s like swimming in time.” That’s how Monica Huerta, writer for Artforum described 2021 in her article this month.

In the home of interior designer Tina Blakeney on a recent December evening. Another friend who decided to leave the Bay Area in 2021. Lots of shifting going on, including leaving-the-USA conversations.

ART IN-PERSON

I have not been quite as productive this past year. I continued to show some new pieces and work in-person at two galleries, SFWA and City Art Coop in SF. But I have enjoyed other forms of re-engagement. Most significantly, I was able to return to my art group’s life drawing sessions in-person. After a year and a half of drawing each other’s faces and hands on 2x weekly Zoom sessions, it was fantastic to see folks in their 3-d flesh. This group, run by SF artist John Goodman, has been active for decades. We finally got to know each other better due to sheltering in place requirements. But we always missed our live models – a worldly set of women (mostly) with a lot of talents and chutzpah.

I unintentionally slipped away from frequent attendance at the many Zoom drawing sessions available. But I credit the discovery of these wildly diverse life drawing events getting me through 2020 and into the first half of 2021, which was our pre-vaccination phase. Life returning to more in-person interactions again, if only for intervals, was important to me.

In 2021, there were also a number of wonderful art shows and fairs to see and to participate in. I attended a handful of art shows and events in NYC last Fall, in between surges. There have also been several great local exhibitions at Bay Area Museums. But people have been intermittently Covid-scared, and crowds were often thin or places were just shut down. For one-on-one experiences this has not been an entirely a bad thing for seeing art and talking with gallerists. Recently I was (admittedly) surprised how wonderful the collections and special exhibitions were at two excellent Honolulu museums I visited in December.

Wall-sized painting from the SFMOMA current retrospective of Joan Mitchell (through Jan 17, 2022).

The last show I saw in 2022 was the Joan Mitchell Retrospective at SFMOMA. It was totally inspiring – her bold, calligraphic strokes, sense of color, and use of paint – all spectacular. If you are near SF see it before it leaves!

Earlier in December I visited this social activism art / local artists show at Honolulu Museum of Art. These artists made so many powerful statements. Seeing this digital piece below, about wages and worth, reminded me of the Bay Area artist and participant in “Seen by Unseen”, Sawyer Rose, and her monolithic installation in the “Carrying Stones Project” about women’s work inequities.

A video installation, *Wages: What are we worth?* which I saw at the Honolulu Museum of Art Artists of Hawaii exhibition by Manu Mei-Singh.

This fellow in the shadows is about to retrieve coconuts from high up in the tree. He shimmied up with his spiked boots.

A fanciful Maui cocktail with a Hello Kitty “hang ten” transfer art right on the foam plus a fresh marigold.

Honolulu window view from the “Pink Palace”.

Here I am on a wild pink chair in the “Pink Palace.”

ONTO MIST & FABRIC

I am fascinated by the diverse substrates that artists use to apply their art. For the first time I walked through a film projected onto mist in a construction just outside of The Bishop Museum on Honolulu. It was a thrilling experience.

Artist Taiji Terasaki presents KAIMANA—an outdoor, walk-through art and film installation offering a cinematic work projected onto a dramatic, interactive mist curtain.

At the Honolulu Museum of Art I walked through an exhibition of works by Hawaiian social practice artists that included an installation (photo below) of cyanotypes of seaweed applied to sheer panels and paper. I always study the hanging and application mechanisms for art that physically connects to my work.

Artists of Hawai‘i NOW, September 2021 - January 22, 2022, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Oahu, HI, work shown is by Gwen Arkin.

This is an explanation of the art shown above.

POETRY, NATURE, & CONSERVATION

We visited a lush, tropical nature conservancy on Maui that was home to the late, two-time U.S. poet laureate, W. S. Merwin. As a person who loves trees I appreciated seeing land being returned to its most bountiful, verdant state.

This shade of green must have been a favorite.

Everything was left just as it was the day that he died in 2019

Every object a thing of beauty and grace

A CHANGING VOCABULARY

The overall thrust of the art world feels different since the summer of 2020. It’s been activated. It’s finally color and gender conscious. Like the shift that came out of “The Summer of Love”, we experienced “The Summer of Rising Up, Fighting Back, and Exposing” in 2020. This activation fed into my group conversations with The Invisibility Collective, who were already energized. I sincerely hope we never go back to the same old inequities or the outdated terminology.

I’m glad that there’s a new language forming to accommodate this different thinking. I understand that it’s still in progress. The English language is wonderfully pliant and evolving. What are your pronouns? What will be the new word for Feminism? As I understand it, I must be a second-wave feminist (1960s-80’s) though I believe I have evolved to the latest version. I admittedly only recently learned that there’s a third, fourth, and possibly a fifth wave. Do you know of a better term to use other than adding “wave”? Do you call yourself a feminist? I do, quite simply, without the wave.

It’s exciting to experience an on-going focus on artists and arts administrators who have been ignored for too long. We are seeing artists of all shades, hues, ethnicities, and genders taking their places in the forefront of the art world. We’re witnessing a shift in top-level art administration, curation, exhibition, and media coverage. That said, I still see a need to make room at the top for more women. I see the need to pay more attention to women of a certain age who are all too often invisible.

This ring represents the diameter of a submarine! We were here during the week of Pearl Harbor Day.

MINIMAL TRAVEL

It’s so difficult to travel and freely see friends and socialize. A trip to Europe was put on hold. Circumstances keep changing. It takes a lot to keep up. So we give up and stay home safe. Sometimes when plans change new options open up. A trip to Hawaii popped up to round out my end of the year. What a quick thrill! The timing was just right before Omicron surged here. It turned out to be a total getaway – nice and slow, yet it passed by quickly as if it didn’t happen. Oddly, this unplanned trip coincided with a significant anniversary of mine. On Pearl Harbor Day, 39 years ago, I moved from San Francisco to Hawaii with the man who became my husband, Jack, two years later in NYC. We had not been back to Hawaii in over 20 years. It is still a magical place.

In addition to our year-end Hawaii trip, I took a few other short vacations – San Diego, Palm Springs, and NYC. It’s now year two of not leaving the country. This is unusual for me and I hope to make up for it in years to come.

Looking down from the memorial platform, above the sunken ships where victims of the bombing of Pearl Harbor are buried, there was a giant sea turtle.

TROPICAL FLORA

Everywhere in Hawaii there are seemingly impossible fruits, trees, plants, and flowers. Here’s tiny sampling of just looking around the landscape. So lush!

ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS

For those who follow and read my blog, you might recall that I had major shoulder surgery in my dominant arm back in May. That put a huge dent in all of my activities.

One outcome of the surgery was a “break up” with Pure Barre, after a seven year relationship, I decided it’s too stressful on my joints.

After 14 years of launching and running a book group, I shuttered that too. It had been slowly fading. I may start another group – or join an existing group. I’m open to recommendations for a local in-person Fiction Readers Group. I’m always looking for good fiction to read. Recommendations? Favorites of the year? What new things will 2022 bring? A refocus, for me, I hope!

“Midcentury Modern Woman” is one of my pieces that will be shown in Serenity at UCSF.

SFWA FINDS NEW PARTNERS

San Francisco Women Artists Gallery is going strong. We are beginning a new curatorial partnership with UCSF Center of Excellence for Women’s Health and I’m producing our first Serenity Exhibition. Opening on January 17th, there will be five different artists, three times a year at the Women’s Health Center in SF. I recently re-engaged with SFWA’s Board, returning to the role of Exhibitions Director. In our first exhibition, “I am Resilient”, the SFWA member artists are: Valerie Corbin, Marie Massey, Susan Proehl, and myself.

Both 2020 and 2021 were terribly hard on retail galleries, but we’re feeling good about membership, 2022 exhibition themes and jurors, and sales from the gallery and online. It’s easier than ever to buy art even if you rarely leave home.

Throughout 2021 I continued submitting work and get juried into many of our themed group exhibitions. Currently I’ve got a piece in the year-end exhibition “Artful Giving” juried by Priscilla Otani, partner of Arc Gallery (SF). In February I’ll be in SFWA’s “Fresh Perspectives” juried by Ceclia Chia, owner of Glass Rice Gallery (SF).

Exhibition Entry Opportunity Feb 2022:

Photography & Digital Art: We invite all SF Bay Area artists to submit their best work in either category or any combination of the two. JUROR: Diane Fenster, Award-Winning Photographic Artist, Curator, Member of the Adobe Photoshop Hall of Fame

Look down into the landscape – just as is it creates a colorful, textural picture.

“A practicing Buddhist as well as a proponent of deep ecology, Merwin lived since the late 1970s on an old pineapple plantation in Hawaii which he has painstakingly restored to its original rainforest state. Merwin was once asked what social role a poet plays—if any—in America. He commented: ‘I think there’s a kind of desperate hope built into poetry now that one really wants, hopelessly, to save the world. One is trying to say everything that can be said for the things that one loves while there’s still time. I think that’s a social role, don’t you? ... We keep expressing our anger and our love, and we hope, hopelessly perhaps, that it will have some effect. But I certainly have moved beyond the despair, or the searing, dumb vision that I felt after writing The Lice; one can’t live only in despair and anger without eventually destroying the thing one is angry in defense of. The world is still here, and there are aspects of human life that are not purely destructive, and there is a need to pay attention to the things around us while they are still around us. And you know, in a way, if you don’t pay that attention, the anger is just bitterness.’
– Poetry Foundation

INCLEMENT WEATHER

Travel is intense and exciting for so many reasons including unpredictable weather. In the wintertime in Hawaii there are severe tropical storms which can mean cyclones. You don’t enter the water. You stay indoors safe and warm and watch. The trees fall and the rocks slide. The power flickers.

There isn’t much better than a sunny day of sailing, watching whales, and seeing a show of fish all around you.

Look up into the sails. Look out and see the whales. Look underwater and see coral, sea shells, and fish.

Some of my sumi ink wash drawings made during a virtual session (Zoom) in my studio. These are from one of my series underway.

Resolved for 2022

Get away every season.

Figure out my (new) master plan for my art.

Find the residency to support #2.

Re-up my language study and work on my Spanish before my next visit to Spain.

Stick to a regular art studio schedule.

Find or create an art critique group.

Find my next exercise routine.

Call, write, and visit friends more often.

Keep walking. Learn to walk alone.

Learn plant and bird names.

Always draw and paint manually (in addition to digitally).

Keep records.

Keep up my series.

CONTINUING MY SERIES

As I enter into 2022 I plan to keep up many of my series including: Barbie on the Cusp photo series, sumi ink drawing series, digital collage series (botanicals, abstracts, and more), portraits, and printing on fabric. I’d like to tackle some new artistic challenges. See samples of my work from this past year below. Stay tuned for lots more.

A year-end field trip to Old Sacramento marked our approach to another year around the globe.

WISHING YOU A HAPPY, HEALTHY & PEACEFUL 2022

So long 2021! Good riddance.

But now we’re genuinely alarmed that we've brought Omicron with us into 2022. At the moment that I finish writing this post and hit send, it appears to be everywhere.And that puts a damper on fresh starts. Maybe we need a new year re-do, once we are out of the woods?

“Alluris in Red Swimsuit” is hanging in “Artful Giving”, the December show at SFWA Gallery.

The Collective CONTINUES

Since I founded The Invisibility Collective in 2020 we’ve lost some of our initial traction but we persevere and plan to expand in 2022. We had a thought-provoking “Seen X Unseen” Group Reunion on Zoom with artists who participated in our first exhibition at Radian Gallery (SF) in Dec 2020. It was hosted by Tony Wessling, owner of Radian. Look for a call video on our website and FB page soon.

Our conversation was in keeping with our observations on issues surrounding seeing, being seen, being heard, erasure, obliteration, ancestors, lost histories, and art that tackles social issues connected to invisibility. We discussed how our art and lives have changed from 2020 into 2021. Reunion Participants included: Mary Graham, Sophia Green, Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Rhiannon Evans McFadyen, Sawyer Rose, Samira Shaheen, Christopher Tandy, and Angela Tirrell.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic! We invite guests to our monthly meetings, too, in case you’d like to participate in a call.

Artists left to right: Angela Tirrell, Lonnie Graham, Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Sophia Green, and Rhiannon Evans McFadyen. Work shown behind left to right: Sawyer Rose, Mary Graham, Lonnie Graham, and Christopher Tandy. At Radian Gallery (SF).

NCWCA

This year I became an active member of the Northern California chapter of the national organization whose mission is to create community through art, education, and social activism.

Artwork by our chapter members is on our flag for the national conference in 2022. My piece is in the center of the third row from the top.

Originally photographed at Radian wrapped in my fabric panels, I made it into a black and white self portrait for “The Naked Truth of Arts” and later these banners became my installation at Arc Gallery.

Nathalie Fabri CURATED EXHIBITIONS

I was pleased to be included in two back-to-back exhibitions organized by Nathalie Fabri. “The Naked Truth of Arts” began on Instagram with visual artists and musicians submitting black and white selfies with their Covid stories. Later the co-curators transformed the show into a physical gallery exhibition at analog gallery (SF) with live music.

Just after “The Naked Truth of Arts” exhibition I was invited into the “Intimacy Illuminated” show, another exhibition curated by Nathalie Fabri, at Arc Project Gallery. I showed the the three hot shades of my nine foot sheer chiffon figure-laden banners. They were originally produced a year earlier for “Seen X Unseen” at Radian Gallery.

Viewers were invited to interact with the banner and swish through them, feeling and be felt. A fan moves them around and a light shines through them.

She also created The Mission Kiss painted heart and art walk project, which I took part in twice.

My pieces were in “Intimacy Illuminated” at the Arc Project Gallery in Dec 2021.

CITY ART COOP GALLERY

If you’re local, you can see my work on display in-person at City Art Coop Gallery in their Back Room. The gallery is in the heart of The Mission, on Valencia Street between 19th / 20th Streets. I’m in the annual two-month show through January 2022. I’ll be showing new work in February. I’ve exhibited several times during 2021 and so I can say that I’ve fully experienced working in a retail gallery during Covid!

Artspan Open Studios

SF Open Studios was a different series of events again this year to accommodate Covid. I held a Studio Reception one day only and welcomed guests by appointment. The virtual aspect of exhibiting and viewing art continues to be critical as in-person opportunities keep shifting. I’m happy to report that my piece, featured in the Guide and the SOMArts exhibition, “She is a Rose” was purchased, and so I contributing to the Artspan fundraiser. But it was another difficult year to have fully open studios. Hoping for a better 2022.

Here’s a wall from the 2021 Artspan exhibition at SOMArts with my piece on the far right top.

Grace of No Age

Trying to stay focused on my art practice, I decided to disengage from my role as a “goddess” and writer for the Girona-based website Grace of No Age. I still appreciate the core concept of this international blog site which disseminates articles written by women for women about aging and menopause. Their slogan, “No Pause at Menopause” is wonderfully direct. I enjoyed part of the start of this online venture and writing for the cause. You can see my most recent article here. The site is a good resource and has just expanded to include men’s issues and male menopause.

Imagery from Hawaii: Barbie 2x, an apartment building display, red bamboo trees, and a starry sky…

The Tiger Ride at Evangeline’s Costume Mansion in Old Sacramento

YEAR OF THE TIGER

Here’s what Her World says about the upcoming year. “2022 is the Year of the Water Tiger – and in Fengshui this means it’s a year made for bold action. The Tiger is known for its power, daring, and ability to do everything on a grand scale. This is markedly different from 2021’s year of the Metal Ox, which was all about hard work and pragmatism. Think about it: in 2021 the world had to plod through months of pandemic lockdowns and WFH isolation. It wasn’t glamorous or fun, but we plodded on because we knew it was necessary…”

A VISUAL TOUR OF 2021

Learn more

SEPTEMBER INTO NOVEMBER: ART SCENE/SEEN

November 13, 2021Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

At the Sean Kelly Gallery (Chelsea, NYC) we saw this haunting exhibition by Dawoud Bey – photography and video – of his journey through old plantations and slave dwellings.

September in NYC

September is my birthday month, the start of a new season, the beginning of the school year, fall, and it is my favorite time to travel.

Talk about pent-up demand! It was my first time flying since Covid and I went “back East” to NYC. The trip was filled with food, friends, family, gardens, and art. We visited a number of alternative art venues, galleries, museums, and art fairs including The Armory Show and the Works on Paper Show.

Friends took us by car to The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and to Red Hook, Brooklyn for lobster rolls and alternative art at Pioneer Works.

Our stay coincided with the 20th anniversary of 9/11/11, so the humid September air was heavy with sadness. New Yorkers were so traumatized by Covid in what felt like a different way from the SF Bay Area. For many New Yorkers it had something to do with being hit first and hardest, the constant screeching of sirens, deaths literally piling up, people fleeing for less populated places to stay and ride it out, and The City emptying out.

In NYC on September 11, 2021, it was not easy to ignore the 20th anniversary of 9/11/11. There were signs of it everywhere. This was in Riverside Park.

Barbie, my frequent travel companion, was hanging out with me on our friend’s balcony.

Joyful with Kasuma: NY Botanical Garden (Bronx)

I first saw Kasuma’s work in 2019 on the Art Island in Japan, where many of her giant squash sculptures reside. Seeing her vast installations throughout the Botanical Garden was impressive and delightful.

The NY Botanical Garden is special to me since I got married there – at their Snuff Mill (aka Stone Mill) by the Bronx River, several decades ago. When I go to NYC I like to visit The Gardens. Exhibits like this one show it off in a whole new light.

“The 250-acre verdant landscape — which includes a 50-acre, old-growth forest — and the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory support living collections of more than one million plants.”

I spend a lot of time locally at the SFBGin Golden Gate Park. Many of my nature photos come from my walks there.

Even the trees were all dressed up – wrapped in Kasuma’s fabric.

*My Soul Blooms Forever* is a greenhouse-like building where you get to stick a flower.

Reflections outside of the *Mirrored Room—Illusion Inside the Heart* (2020).

*Dancing Pumpkin* in front of the flower conservatory.

A portion of Kasuma’s *Dancing Pumpkin* with Barbie enjoying the installation.

In and Around Manhattan

My destination was the extensive exhibit of Cezanne’s Drawings but the crowd pleaser at MoMa was Automania.

A powerful Mural by Eduardo Kobra of Gandhi and Mother Teresa.

Little Island is one of NYC’s latest exciting outdoor excursion options and it’s right off the Highline.

An archetypal pretzel vendor glows in the dark.

There are so many architectural gems around town.

A visit to the Philip Gaston: On Edge exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Gallery. Many Covid-safe galleries use QR codes for self-guided, safe experiences.

When summer slides into fall, and faux flowers decorate all…loved the outdoor dining setups decorated with flowers. But I felt quite wilted in the September heat and humidity.

New York’s Jewish Museum

This gorgeous portrait resides in the permanent collection of the museum. By Kehinde Wiley, *The World Stage: Israel*, 2011.

Oddly I have never been to this museum. It turned out to be a wonderful treat. The exhibition that drew us there was Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art. “This exhibition traces the fascinating timelines of individual (works of art) and objects as they passed through hands and sites before, during, and after World War II, bringing forward their myriad stories.” Needless to say, it was a poignant and provocative exhibition.

This exhibit runs through January 2022: *Afterlives:* *Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art*.

In Red Hook

On a warm sunny day our friends picked us up in their convertible and took us for lobster rolls (all the rage in NYC), then we toured Pioneer Works and experienced an immersive art piece created by MOSES SUMNEY

“We’ve learned to speak, dance, and feel from the depositories of our screens. From social media self-documentation to advertising’s algorithmic automation, in the midst of the echo, what do we teach our technology, and what does it teach us?”

— Moses Sumney.

Movement practice videos guide you while awaiting entry.

A container-made building on the grounds of Pioneer Works.

“Presented by Pioneer Works at Red Hook Labs, technoechophenomena is an experiential, audiovisual installation by Moses Sumney that offers an extension of his artistic and musical oeuvre, exploring isolation and our emotional relationship with technology. Echophenomena is the unintentional imitation of actions. This includes the repetition of words and sounds, body movements, or thoughts picked up from external stimuli. The artist adds the prefix ‘techno-’ to the psychological term, evoking the relationship between human behavior and modern technology. Visitors enter a custom-built cubic room, and learn a series of technology-inspired gestures choreographed by the artist.

Magnificent Morgan Library

Somehow I’d never been to “The Morgan” in all my years living and visiting NYC and now I can’t recommend it enough. There’s the original part (pictured below) and a gorgeous contemporary addition with changing exhibitions.

The Annual Armory Show

Photographed at two pink booths in the Armory Show in my pink artwear.

Our trip to NYC was planned around The Armory Show. Arranged in the spring of 2021, we didn’t know how life would unfold in the world of Covid. I’m glad we stuck to our plan and ventured across the country to see art, friends, and family – all of which we were starving for.

This caught my eye (among many pieces). It’s a huge, complex, fascinating figurative painting.

Here’s a corner of a gallery display of 2D+3D combo art ceramics at The Armory Show.

At Sapar Contemporary Gallery we admired Dilyara Kaipova’s coat art and Faig Ahmed’s sculpture basOriental carpets (on the wall).

3-D @ Art on Paper

I brought my visiting niece and her friend to this show and they were amazed. I believe that these massive, top-shelf art fairs are a different type of art experience for many. And it wasn’t overcrowded this year and it felt rather safe! The next Art on Paper show is in spring 2022.

Enormous paper sculptures at the Art on Paper show.

More giant paper sculpture wraps the columns - created by Samuelle Green.

October in The Bay Area

Fieldtrips! We took some breaks and went to Point Reyes National Seashore, Pacifica, and Half Moon Bay, among our various road trips around the Bay Area. We found signs of fall, large birds, and enjoyed long, misty walks.

In Bolinas the beach detritus looked like a fish or a boat.

While visiting Point Reyes we stopped into this artist’s studio. Keith Hanson is known as “The Birdman of Bolinas”.

Fall Gallery Exhibitions

It was a whirlwind of art events back in SF. I wrapped up my Sept show at City Art Coop, “Her Pinkness”; launched Oct shows at SFWA “Barbie on the Cusp” (below left) and participated in Artist’s Choice (below right); helped hang the Artspan Open Studios show (see it before it closes!); delivered my work for a group show, “The Naked Truth of Arts”, brought my piece to Root Division for the exhibition/art auction; and prepped my own open studio for a reception. I attended all of the openings. Plus, I returned to my role as SFWA’s Exhibitions Director.

San Francisco Women Artists Gallery (SFWA)

Friends at the Reception for SFWA’s Member Open Studio Show in front of my “Barbie of the Cusp” series.

City Art Coop Gallery

SFWA’s August Abstract exhibition was juried by Philip Bewley (left). My piece (right & below) is called “Bent not Broken”, a digital original collage (Edition of 1/1) printed on metal.

Here’s a virtual in situ version of the same piece on the gallery wall above.

Artspan Open Studios Exhibition

That’s my piece (top right) that I’ll be discussing my work TODAY in an **Artist’s Talk: Tues, Nov 9 from 6:30-8pm -** **Eventlink**. Tune into this not-to-be-missed Zoom conversation with Artspan Artists.

At the SFWA Annual show, “Artist’s Choice” with my 36” square metal print “Appear / Disappear”. This was an Open Call Show juried by Alan Bamberger. With artists Usha Shukla (left) and Pam Borelli (center).

My Open Studio

The hallway gallery entry into my workspace at The Sobel Design Building awaiting guests arrivals.

The Naked Truth of Arts

“The Naked Truth of Arts” started out at the height of the Bay Area’s sheltering in place as an Instagram exhibition with artists – both visual and sound. We all posted black and white self-portraits and told our Covid stories. Curated by Nathalie Fabri and Fabio Reis, they brought the exhibition into an analog phase in SF’s Mission District, ironically it was installed at the analog gallery. They displayed our printed photos, stories, and artwork. And they threw a real, in-person opening party complete with live music! It is also a fundraiser with cool gifts like the cards below (right).

At the physical exhibition my piece is just below the sign. It’s titled “Body Paint (Janique)”.

The show poster with all our black and white self-portraits.

Friends visiting the exhibition posing in front of photos of the artists (I’m veiled in the middle).

When you give $45 to the project founders funding campaign, you get a deck of art cards with our photos and our stories.

Field Trip: Disney Museum

The view from the museum hallway, in the Presidio overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

What a hidden gem this museum is! Whether you’re a fan of Disney and animation – or not, there’s so much to see, hear, and learn here. The design of the space is stunning and the views are superb. It was a perfect crisp, clear autumn day.

Looking down through the beautifully-designed main museum. We also visited the WWII special exhibition and learned so much history!

A Disney miniature city is collaged with a life drawing (in person!). Model @Shari_Putra.

Fall at the DeYoung Museum

JUDY CHICAGO

The Judy Chicago retrospective is a powerful exhibition chock-full of feminist art organized by the artist’s thematic phases. The show starts at the later stages of her life confronting death and the climate crisis and goes backward to her earliest work and feminist roots. Unfortunately she also gave a live performance with billowing orange smoke pouring out of the museum and park that didn’t go over well in SF where we are in the midst of fire season.

PATRICK KELLY

The Patrick Kelly exhibition is a tasty treat with a very sad ending. His life was cut short by AIDS at the height of a skyrocketing career as a fashion designer in the 1980s in Paris. His work is still so fresh and contemporary for its multitude of social activist messages. See it to see what I mean.

Immersed at Asian Art Museum

My most recent museum thrill was getting immersed at the Asian Art Museum in a delicious, interactive, multi-media show by *teamLab: continuity*.

Root Division Art Auction

Here I am at the Root Division Exhibition prior to the Auction with my piece, “Vins”. My art was submitted through Black White Projects.

What’s Next?

EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

> SFWA Art Fundraiser Auction (online) | Nov 6 – 13 (last day is today)
> Art Guild of Pacifica: Member Show | Oct 29-Dec 12 | Fri, Sat, Sun, 1-5pm

> ARTSPAN Open Studio:

Artspan Open Studio Artist's Talk: My 5 minutes of fame on Zoom | Nov 9, 6:30-8pm | Eventlink
ARTSPAN OPEN STUDIO EXHIBITION | SOMArts | Oct 21-Nov 21 | 934 Brannan St, SF

> ARC PROJECT GALLERY: “Intimacy Illuminated" | Curated by Nathalie Fabri | In-Person Reception: Sat, Nov 20, 7-9pm | Exhibition: Nov 20-Dec 18

> City Art Coop Gallery | Dec 2021-Feb 2022 | Visit me at the Gallery Dec 13-14 & Jan 16 & 25

A new collage with GG Park twisted tress and figure drawing collaged together.

Cherrypits Art Links

Lefty

July 13, 2021ArtingSusan R. KirshenbaumComment

Shoulder-themed collage: composed of a poster hanging in my surgeon’s office, a digital abstract painting of mine, and a portion of a gorgeous ceramic sculpture in an art show.

Okay, so it was temporary. But long enough to explore ambidextrousness and using my left hand so much more. Not exactly past tense yet. This time it’s my right side. Last time it was the left.

Have you ever had to learn to function with your non-dominant hand/arm? Because of this I haven’t been writing since my right shoulder surgery (three different issues) in early May, but now I am resting my right hand on my laptop while writing with both hands, because I’m on the road to recovery. Lucky for me that I already work so much with an iPad so I can keep making art without having to use my entire arm and body. I’ve been using this time to create more digital collages. I’m taking my existing drawings from life model sessions to use as a base and adding my photos and/or my digital abstract paintings in layers. I’ve tried making some new drawings and paintings left-handed or with my right hand (attached to my immobilized right arm), albeit, crudely. Going through my treasure chest full of drawings so I can change and refresh them has been a bit like shopping in my own closet. My archive is full of endless possibilities, especially since I attended so many Covid zoom model sessions.

Kyla is a nightlife performer/aerial ballet dancer based in Brooklyn during Covid on Zoom while live performances were on hold. Collaged with the Madrid Botanical Garden.

Dieter, a member of my regular drawing group, posing here with a lovely old microscope and layered with my abstract paintings.

I can barely use my cameras one-handed. So I have even incorporated a few photos from friends’ summer gardens (Sarah S. in Western Mass grows the best flowers). I’ve been finding ways to obliterate my original drawings to increase depth and complexity. I like the painterliness, moodiness, and mirrored or multiplied images added in. The added layers help build out my ideas and the personality of the subject.

Shout out: I love my physical therapists at Davies Medical Center (SF) and so appreciate their sincere interest in getting me drawing again.

Recent Work

A portrait of Dwight made at my Zoom drawing group – with my left hand. It was juried into SFWA’s August exhibition “Bold. Color!” in August.

Titania is a popular local model, although I’ve only drawn her on Zoom. I sold a print of this work via Instagram to a friend in the midwest.

This is a portrait from Zoom group out of Dublin of Izabella. I loved these virtual travel and drawing opportunities that came out of the pandemic.

A favorite due to the yummy color palette, this too will be in the SFWA August exhibition “Bold. Color!”.

A spring trip to Palm Springs, CA helped me restock my image bank with cacti for collages.

And Men Too

Recently I was asked to show some of my male figurative work for a potential interior design project. Here are a few of my favorite male subjects.

Working on multiple versions again showing a collage with a male model and dogwood flowers (above) and abstracted, another in the same series, in situ, below.

Dwight with a mug among sunflowers in Catalonia. Virtual travel is placed in a virtual living room!

After many iterations I’m finally satisfied with this version.

WHAT’S NEXT & FALL PLANS

At last I’m beginning to shift gears into a semi-post-pandemic mode, and starting to make plans for the rest of the year, because it seems possible again!

JULY

I’m in both of these SFWA July shows, “Verdant” and “Assemblage”. Saturday was my first in-person opening since early 2020.

AUGUST

In August – I’ll be showing my work at City Art Co-op Gallery on Valencia St (btw 19th-20th) along the main corridor of SF’s Mission District. City Art is re-launching their website with members on it now so check back soon.

SEPTEMBER

This fall brings us another annual ArtspanSF Open Studios (Sept-Nov). So I’m fluffing up my studio for visitors and also hope to show at SFWA at the same time.

Looking forward to our first trip beyond California! We’re flying across country to NYC in September for the annual Armory Show.

OCTOBER

I’m also working on pieces for two exhibitions curated by Nathalie Fabri (Oct-Nov); The Naked Truth Project (Analog Gallery); and Intimacy Illuminated (Arc Project Gallery). Plus there are several juried and/or curated exhibitions at SFWA.

NOVEMBER

After a year-long delay, SFWA is holding our first major fundraiser at the top of Sales Force Tower (SF) on Nov 17, 2021! Details to follow.

DECEMBER

Plans are underway for an event and publication for The Invisibility Collective Nov-Dec 2021. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Exciting event and publication info to come.

I will once again travel to much farther away places in 2022! Most likely we’ll be going back to Spain, France, and Italy. Maybe we’ll add someplace new in Eastern Europe.

A colorful corner of the gallery section of my SoMa studio.

Fall Open Studios

Please join me at my studio in the Sobel Design Building in SoMa for a private tour of my gallery/workspace from Sept 18-Oct 30. Email me or text me for an appointment M-S, 9-5pm. I’ll have a small mix and mingle reception in my studio on a date TBD in October. Look for updates!

ArtspanSF is taking a new approach this year and there will be open studios all around SF. You can visit artists’ private studios and group spaces.

I’ll also be at SFWA the weekend of Oct 2-3 where our reception runs from 11am-5pm.

From Oct 21-Nov 21 you can see an exhibition of works by all participating artists at SomArts. There will be several additional Artspan events running throughout November.

Drawing circus artist/aerialist Bridget was my first and last in-person model session before surgery and post-vaccination.

Cherry Pits Art Merchandise

REDBUBBLE

I’ve added quite a few of my most recent artwork as repeat designs for merchandise on RedBubble. There’s an even broader range of color palettes and subject matter (still figurative). Don’t see what you want? Let me know. I can always add more!

This hot series of Amanda (#theartache) has a unique color palette – shades of purple, blue, aqua, orange, and gold.

Teal and royal blue squares and figures – a new addition to RedBubble! This is Titania.

Personally, I’ve bought and tested most of my RedBubble art merchandise – including socks, dresses, blouses, iPhone cases, notebooks, masks, coasters, postcards, and more.

I have many mask designs on RB. There are still times when you need to wear one…

Bright bold new addition of a pattern with Bridget on a circus ring – just added to RedBubble!

My friend in London just received a blanket (shown above) with my art on it. I can’t believe how fast it got to her!

SPOONFLOWER

Spoonflower (examples above) is where you can order a wide variety of textiles with my artwork in a repeat pattern. They’ll make it for you in organic cotton, chiffon, velvet, lycra, upholstery fabric, and many more options. They’ll also make you wallpaper! Since I began working with Spoonflower in 2016, I’ve designed and made or had made - all sorts of fabrics and ready-made items, mostly soft goods. I’ve bought the fabric and made all kinds of products and I’ve bought their ready-made with my textile designs. I especially love their cotton sateen throw pillows, sturdy canvas dishtowels, placemats, cocktail napkins, and table runners – all made from my designs. I’ve tested many of them myself. The quality is excellent.

This is among my first products which I started making in 2017 with the help of a pro, who also taught me how to sew, Connie Walker-Shaw (classes at SEW on W. Portal).

The Naked Truth Project Exhibition

Black and white portrait of me draped in my artwork (assisted by Jack Ostrofsky) in Radian Gallery at our exhibition, “Seen x Unseen” in Jan 2021.

Analog Gallery (SF) will host the analog exhibition of this previously Instagram-only show of black and white photographic self-portraits made by artists with their art in Covid stories. Details to follow – check back next month for dates and description. This show is curated by Nathalie Fabri. Here’s the background from her website: “My niece in France recently participated in this project for non-essential workers. The idea is from the term « a poil » a slang term meaning naked. If the government shuts us down, they are taking everything from me…so I am left naked. This has inspired me to start a campaign in partnership with Fabio Reis, artist and musician, about all creatives, called #TheNakedTruthofArts. The naked truth is that artists and musicians have certainly been considered non-essential and have been suffering…What is your story? Maybe you have had more work because of donations and grants…tell us. Maybe you lost most of your creative income? tell us! maybe your creativity has suffered so bad from stress that it has affected your livelihood.. tell us. I invite you to take a photo of yourself and a piece of your art if you are an artist, with your instrument if you are a musician, With your creative tools if that’s what you want to show, in black and white with the idea that you are naked behind it, telling us the Naked Truth about your situation.”

Cat of “Caturday”, @newyorkcat, and @DistancedDrawing Zoom modeling session. They’re a gorgeous aerialist/nightlife performer in NYC. Combined with the Berkeley Rose Garden (above). And Cat with their ring painting (below).

See more here: @newyorkcat / @distanceddrawing

“Abstracted Bibi” is placed in a virtual diningroom.

“She’s a Rose” was selected by gallerist Andra Norris for “Verdant” for July at SFWA.

Intimacy Illuminated at Arc Gallery

“Intimacy Illuminated: Light, Luminosity and Intimate Relations" is a Bay Area Exhibition in Arc’s Project Gallery curated by Nathalie Fabri. Through works that depict luminosity and use of light, to works that honor a feeling of intimacy between people, this exhibition explores the merging of these qualities these pandemic times.

I’m delighted to be included in “Intimacy Illuminated”! Nathalie Fabri saw my room-sized installation (below) in “Seen x Unseen”, the inaugural exhibition by The Invisibility Collective in Dec 2020-Jan 2021 at Radian Gallery (SF).

I’ll be creating a site-specific variation of my original installation. There will be a reception – so look for an update coming soon.
Runs Nov 20-Dec 18

Three of the five sheer fabric figurative panels hanging in “See Through Me”, a site-specific mixed media installation featured in “Seen x Unseen” at Radian Gallery.

Women’s Caucus for Art

I’m curious to see what this group will do. I have always been passionate about and actively engaged in women’s organizations, especially mentoring and advancing women in the arts.

Grace of No Age: It’s Not Too Late

“Woman on the Fence” depicts a figure both entering and blocked by an entryway/gate.

See the latest article by yours truly, AKA Creative Coach and Goddess here. I neglected to mention that everything I talk about in the article is based on what I’ve done personally. See more here.

A favorite view of NYC from my last visit in May 2019.

NYC Here I Come

Each year The Armory Show takes place during spring and fall in NYC. This September I’ll be there!

For me, NYC is about visiting friends and family AND seeing a lot of art. When I lived in NYC – way back in the wild and crazy 80’s, I was working all the time. Now I am curious to see how The City is recovering from this trying year and a half. And I always look forward catching a bit of East Coast seasonality which I always miss.

Interior Designers and Art Consultants take note! Did you know that I can make my digital original art for your client’s space in almost any size or format, and print it on almost substrate? That means paper, wood, glass, fabric, metal…and more (you name it). And all types of commissions are available too.

Find all of my links in one place!

Click the button below for my website, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon, Pinterest, YouTube, RedBubble, Spoonflower, Grace of No Age, and The Invisibility Collective.

My Social Links

Transitional Spring

April 30, 2021Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

I lost track of the beginning of this year. It just felt like a continuation of 2020. So I was alarmed to see that I hadn’t blogged since December 2020.

The season has changed though and I have been deeply enjoying the prolonged California spring. Life will never return to “normal” but it feels like we are in the midst of a transition from pre-vaccine to post. From last spring to this spring.

Unrealistic assumptions (this will be over soon) combined with fear, anger, confrontation, illness, death, and hopelessness are shifting into a different phase that feels more positive. We know we have all changed since pre-Covid. Now we are sorting out how life might be on the other side. As we sift through what we’ve learned and experienced during Covid – such as increased appreciation of nature; being less busy; being quieter and more present; and appreciating where we live while we can’t travel – we try to hold onto the best parts while easing back into increasing our in-person interactions.

In February I was fully vaccinated and I’ve been so relieved and eager for friends and family to be vaccinated too. I don’t feel safe planning trips requiring flights just yet. Transitions are tough to navigate. But I am eager to be back indoors at galleries, museums, and art fairs. I even made my first post-Covid vaccination trip into the desert.

ROAD TRIP: PALM SPRINGS

MODERNISM WEEK

It was our first chance to get out town for longer than a day. Fully vaccinated and wanting a drastic change of scenery, Palm Springs was calling. A friend had just moved there too, so we got to visit and see the sites with her. She just opened a shop there too, so check it out if you go! Preview her gorgeous Italian linens at Talini Home.

It was so much fun to mingle with art and design loving people! Palm Springs is a mecca for both. The area’s midcentury style is right up my alley (I live in a 1959 house in SF) and it brings back fond memories of my childhood in the 1960s.

This house had a few outrageous pieces, like this feathered lamp.

DESERT X

Driving around in an air conditioned car was a delightful and easy way to navigate a handful of the outdoor sites comprising Desert X.

This “N” is a portion of an art installation within the stunning cactus landscape of Sunnylands. The title is Women’s Qualities by Ghada Amer and large-scale words are spelled out in steel planter boxes with plants inside (below). Possibly best viewed from above for the full affect, this was still a delightful place to relax and get refreshed. It’s a home, art center, retreat, and garden.

Desert X runs through May 16. We also visited Serge Attukwei Clottey’s installation, The Wishing Well made of recycled yellow plastic water containers; Galanin’s Indian Land; Myer’s The Art of Taming Horses; Simmons’ Because You Know Ultimately We Will Band A Militia; and Stringfellow’s Jackrabbit Homestead.

Serge Attukwei Clottey’s The Wishing Well is made of recycled plastic water containers woven together into structures and platforms at Desert X. — Serge Attukwei Clottey’s *The Wishing Well* is made of recycled plastic water containers woven together into structures and platforms at Desert X.

JOSHUA TREE & NOAH PURIFOY

This powerful piece of installation art (below left) is one of 100’s created in this “outdoor desert art museum” created by the late Noah Purifoy. Many works are strong statements about racial inequity. See more here.

Hard to see in my shot but on the left the sign says “white” and on the right, “colored”.

Photographed at Noah Purifoy’s outdoor museum where even the plants look special.

HOT WEATHER & COLD DRINKS

Palm Springs enjoys a sensational cocktail culture so reminiscent of its midcentury modernist roots. This is THE place to eat, drink, shop, and lounge by the pool, surrounded by sparkling green irrigated grass and a desert-mountain landscape. Add art and design to the mix, with friendly people, and all this makes it a great getaway.

I had this cocktail at a Palm Springs restaurant then I made it myself. It’s sort of a Gimlet but with fresh lime, cucumber, basil, and vodka. Like a trip to a spa in a glass.

Cocktail aesthetics always improve with a fresh pansy floating on top.

ART EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

SEEN X UNSEEN

The Invisibility Collective extended our December 2020 exhibition, Seen X Unseen, into January 2021. But Covid surging continued and our audience was extremely limited. Here are my floor-to-ceiling printed chiffon panels in my series, See Through Us, which occupied most of the second floor loft at Radian Gallery (SF).

FEBRUARY, MARCH & APRIL

SF CITY ART COOP GALLERY

I began feeling hopeful about people re-emerging from their cocoons after the winter. Covid vaccines were becoming available and my seniority was for once an advantage, and I was able to get fully vaccinated in February. So I secured a wall space to show my work in February, March and April at City Art Coop Gallery in the Mission (SF).

Here I am in February at City Art Gallery wearing one of my RedBubble tops with my drawings of model Titania across the front. The piece above my head (left - magenta and purple), Swinging Through Summer was just purchased. — Here I am in February at City Art Gallery wearing one of my RedBubble tops with my drawings of model Titania across the front. The piece above my head (left - magenta and purple), *Swinging Through Summer* was just purchased.

April is my last spring show at City Art Gallery and then I’ll take a break. The piece in the center (sunset colors), SF Neighborhood series: Woman Rising, was just sold this month. — April is my last spring show at City Art Gallery and then I’ll take a break. The piece in the center (sunset colors), *SF Neighborhood series: Woman Rising,* was just sold this month.

During March at City Art Gallery I showed a selection of my digital original collages including four my Word series, a collage of Golden Gate Park’s Casting Pools combined with a model drawing of Lael (lower left), and new works on paper mounted on wood (lower right).

SFWA

In March for Women’s History Month I conceived and hosted the gallery’s first zoom Artist’s Talk with Juror, Hillary Olcott, a curator at the DeYoung Museum. She was great to work with and really made the event a success. Now I must learn to edit video to share these Zoom talks.

Barbie on the Cusp series: Her Pinkness, is a fine art photographic diptych which is shown here printed on metal. It’s hanging at SFWA for the Spring 2021 Member’s exhibition. — *Barbie on the Cusp series: Her Pinkness,* is a fine art photographic diptych which is shown here printed on metal. It’s hanging at SFWA for the Spring 2021 Member’s exhibition.

Here’s my photo of a Burmese grate overlooking the city of Yangon, Burma. It was juried into the April “Scapes” exhibition at SFWA.

NATHALIE FABRI COLLABS: The Mission Kiss & The Naked Truth

This heart of mine (an actual painting on wood) is one of many painted hearts hanging in the SF Mission for the second Mission Kiss, an art project produced by Nathalie Fabri.

MY NAKED TRUTH

Draped in my art installation See Through Me was created for the Seen X Unseen exhibition produced by The Invisibility Collective at Radian Gallery, SF, in Dec 2020-Jan 2021. — Draped in my art installation *See Through Me* was created for the *Seen X Unseen* exhibition produced by The Invisibility Collective at Radian Gallery, SF, in Dec 2020-Jan 2021.

Nathalie asked a number of artists of all stripes to join her in this social media project and post a black and white “naked” photo of ourselves with a personal and artistic statement about our work during Covid. I wrote this:

As a figurative artist who is used to drawing live models in person on a regular basis, the pandemic led me to discover new ways to satisfy my need to keep up my drawing while supporting the life model community. I did not expect to enjoy drawing virtually but it turns out that I love it and as a bonus, it’s like virtual travel since I’ve been attending sessions held all around the world.
Model-led sessions are a fairly recent development in my experience, but drawing groups have been a part of my art practice for a very long time. Both types of groups are helping models survive under impossible circumstances. In addition to zoom model drawing sessions I attend my regular drawing group virtually. Twice a week I draw fellow artists’ heads and hands as we take turns posing. As a result of these Covid-inspired virtual sessions, I’ve gotten to know more artists, see their newly created work, meet models, and maintain my art practice. At the same time I was discovering the world of virtual drawing I was feeling a greater need to connect with artists to delve into a subject that has plagued me for a long time, and people seemed to be more available than usual. I began a series of bi-coastal conversations and together we formed The Invisibility Collective, which organized a year-end gallery exhibition in San Francisco. These powerful and enduring outcomes wouldn’t have happened without the pandemic.
See more of Nathalie’s Naked Truth Project.

ART AUCTION SEASON

Juried into the Artspan Annual Fundraising Auction this month, “Happy Yet Sad” went to the highest bidder. Congrats to Artspan for a very successful virtual event.

SFWA will hold a fundraiser auction of juried art in May, so please plan to place your bids! Mark your calendar for May 22 - 29 to contribute to our organization’s critical fundraising event.

GRACE OF NO AGE

I continue to contribute articles to this international and bilingual (English + Spanish) website and invite you to explore the many articles written by women (goddesses) from around the world. Follow us on social media! Here’s my latest article. See all of our links here.

If you hurry over to 24th and Shotwell by Wise Sons Deli my heart painting might still be there. It could be yours – even though the art walk is past – there are still hearts left hanging and they need homes!

MORE CHALLENGES

How do we keep up our artistic momentum? During this transitional time – with light at the end of the tunnel – I am tasking myself with assignments like the Sumi Ink / Woman Warrior drawing project I’ve put off for too long. Pulling back from my dependence on my iPad as my primary art-making tool I want to work differently, so I am making myself draw a model with ink on paper every day.

I’m still enjoying Zoom life drawing sessions as much as ever but had a chance to draw in a studio in person last night and that was a thrill.

WHAT’S NEXT?

May will be a quiet month of recovery from shoulder surgery on my dominant arm, so if I can draw, it’ll have to be left-handed.

I will still have new work showing in a number of places both online and at physical locations. See my piece in SFWA’s Spring Forward, which is all online. Check out my photo art, Wall of Faces. I took a number of shots from different angles and directions then combined them into this photo montage.

I am captivated by walls. This photo montage is titled Japan series: Wall of Faces. — I am captivated by walls. This photo montage is titled *Japan series: Wall of Faces.*

Check out the SFWA gallery in-person to see the May show, Collage & Mixed Media (my piece is below), part of World Collage Day.

Fractured Alluris, a digital original collage, was juried into the SFWA May collage exhibition. — *Fractured Alluris*, a digital original collage, was juried into the SFWA May collage exhibition.

JUNE - JULY OPEN STUDIO

During the second month of my recuperation starting in June I will begin hosting my own Open Studio at 680 8th Street in SF’s SoMa. (Sobel Design Building). At my studio I have a good-sized gallery space as well as a separate work space. You’ll be able to see how I work and buy directly from me. You can browse my large inventory of art books, cards, original drawings, photographs, and prints.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Contact me at SRKirshenbaum@gmail.com or text me at 415-425-3632 to visit me. My visiting ours will be Mon-Sat, from noon-3pm. There’s ample parking on all sides of the Sobel Design Building.

THE INVISIBILITY COLLECTIVE

We continue our monthly zoom conversations and have added an every other month feature of an invited guest to participate. Watch for upcoming events and another group exhibition in December 2021. Follow us on social media! The Invisibility Collective. Art can and does activate change.

Learn more

An End to 2020 (Whew!)

December 29, 2020Susan R. KirshenbaumComment

Barbie dressed in festive attire, says “Happy holidays and here’s to 2021!”

AND A TOAST TO THE NEW YEAR!

My goodness, who didn’t want this year to end? Usually I’m writing upbeat recaps at this time of year. Despite everything, there were several silver linings. I’ll start with those. But as hopeful as I am about 2021, I am still deeply concerned how we will climb back out of all this.

EXHIBITION: SEEN X UNSEEN

For years I thought about aging, especially among women, as a way of becoming invisible. That was my initial focus because my work is about women and our bodies. Before the pandemic began, I was bouncing ideas around invisibility off of two friends, who are both now members of the Collective. I also wrote a proposal for an art residency that featured a project and an exhibition about invisibility. Then I decided to put together a group of artists to discuss these complex issues around invisibility, and to expand on my initial ideas to honor the multi-faceted breadth and depth of the concept of “invisibility”. I invited a handful of friends – all nationally-acclaimed artists, curators, and social activists with a variety of backgrounds and from California and Pennsylvania to form what is now known as The Invisibility Collective.

We convened last summer with regularly scheduled talks on Zoom. In just a few months we produced our first group exhibition, “Seen X Unseen” which is currently underway at Radian Gallery, in San Francisco. Each Collective Member invited one or two artists to participate in the show to form a cohort of a dozen.

Angela Tirrell, Lonnie Graham, Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Sophia Green, Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen (left to right).

THE ARTISTS

Collective Members: Lonnie Graham / Susan R. Kirshenbaum / Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen / Samira Shaheen / Angela Tirrell

Bios for Collective Members: The Invisibility Collective

Invited Artists: Mary Graham / Sophia Green / Rell Rushin / Sawyer Rose / John Stone / Christopher M. Tandy (Courtesy of Glass Rice Gallery, SF) / Nancy Willis

On Opening Day, December 5, 2020, at Radian Gallery in front of the first panel in the series that fills the room “See Through Us”. Photo by Candice Jacobus

FROM CONVERSATIONS TO CATALOGUES

The Collective took a deep dive into exploring invisibility at a poignant time in the world – in the midst of Covid; sheltering in place; and people hitting the streets to express dissatisfaction with our systemic racism and violence toward people of color. During this profound moment in history our group solidified and our conversations blossomed, and ideas flowed in many directions.

We decided to form a collective and proceeded to create an identity, build a blogsite and a presence on social media. By the end of August I had lined up a location for a group exhibition at my friend Tony Wessling’s spacious SoMa gallery, Radian. The Collective and our invited artists met and got to know each other on Zoom calls and in person during installation while masked.

Recently we had a very successful Artist Talk on Zoom. The unedited version is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/MbFBd0K5lAO6y5c8N9jBgySJhcKhzdttkVplCzQsQerLRXapoLB5UTrouR09h0aX9A5WuEp38mfxjTBg.BH87HqyVhTsTPZgy?autoplay=true&startTime=1608407292000

Our exhibition catalogue has arrived! Want one? They are a very limited edition…but a few are available for $25 each. Email me to enquire: srkirshenbaum@gmail.com.

CATALOGUE FOR SEEN X UNSEEN

The alter (left) and ritual (right) by Collective Member Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen.

Paintings by invited artist Sophia Green (left) and Collective Member Samira Shaheen (right).

The installation by Mary Graham of painting and projection of video performance (left) and installation of photographs on paper and silk by her Collective Member and Mary’s father (right).

On this spread you can see Collective Member Angela Tirrell’s four pieces in the exhibition.

VIRTUAL VS IN PERSON

The tricky part of having art exhibitions during these ongoing Covid days is trying to get more virtual. I struggle with how to create an effective virtual experience when so much of art is physically experiential, and this show is especially spacial and experiential. So if you are local, try to visit. Contact me to arrange an appointment. It’s not illegal (retail=20% occupancy and/or by appointment) and we will take every precaution! Most of the art in this exhibition is for sale.

EXHIBITION INSTALLATION

For the first show I ever really produced I sure made it a doozy! Much of our work is challenging to hang and the gallery space has 22’ ceilings, both a blessing and a curse. But all of the artists were troopers. And Collective Member Lonnie Graham flew in from Philadelphia with complex artworks to install for three people. It took days to work out but it was well it worth it. Pieces by Christopher Tandy and Sawyer Rose each took a half day to install. My own work was difficult too, employing the use of the Pythagorean theorem to hang the five panels from the rafters. Special thanks to my husband Jack who installed so much of the show for me. (It’s a problem having a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder while making and hanging art…but I felt I had to delay the surgery until I get the vaccine).

It also became evident during the installation that there was a remarkable synchronicity in our art materials, color palettes, and ideas. With the bright winter light streaming through the huge gallery windows and the cool cross-breezes, Radian Gallery is the ideal setting for our pieces to sway in the breeze – with fabrics, feathers, bones, and sculptures strung together on ribbons, chains and strings. That powerful cross-ventilation also importantly helps maintain a safe indoor environment.

Our gallerist, Tony Wessling, pointed out that while we’d filled the gallery beautifully, we had also taken over the entire space so that there could be no other events during the show (except those that featured us). Good thing there really are so few events taking place these days.

Invited artist Christopher M Tandy installing his piece In the Silence (Everything Dances) II — Invited artist Christopher M Tandy installing his piece *In the Silence (Everything Dances) II*

Site-specific installation art piece underway by Invisibility Collective Member Lonnie Graham, Ancestral Resonance, digitally printed on silk and paper. — Site-specific installation art piece underway by Invisibility Collective Member Lonnie Graham, *Ancestral Resonance,* digitally printed on silk and paper.

Invited artist Sawyer Rose installing her piece, Loeta — Invited artist Sawyer Rose installing her piece, *Loeta*

A site-specific installation underway by Invisibility Collective Member Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen, You Cannot Look Away from What You Cannot See, 2020, Altar and ritual — A site-specific installation underway by Invisibility Collective Member Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen, *You Cannot Look Away from What You Cannot See*, 2020, Altar and ritual

OPENING THE EXHIBITION

Yes, I’m meeting people one-on-one under strict Covid-safety precautions. On December 5, Opening Day, we watched a ritual performance piece by Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen (left). On December 12 we hosted a second Open House (right). On December 13 the SF Bay Area went back into lock down. Email me to make an appointment: srkirshenbaum@gmail.com.

Radian Gallery on Dec 5, 2020 with Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen (front center) performing a ritual at her altar piece.

From the loft - Mary Graham’s installation piece with Angela Tirrell and guests at Radian Gallery Dec 12.

Guest viewing Angela Tirrell’s floor piece, WIRED II: Corona Totem. — Guest viewing Angela Tirrell’s floor piece, *WIRED* *II: Corona Totem*.

Rhiannon’s MacFadyen’s invited artist Christopher M. Tandy (right) showing his installation to a guest.

Fred Bove viewing Sawyer Rose’s sculpture and portrait, Bety. — Fred Bove viewing Sawyer Rose’s sculpture and portrait, *Bety*.

People are Water is from a collage series about water (2018), a digital original print on paper. Dress, leggings, and mask are my artwork available at RedBubble. — *People are Water* is from a collage series about water (2018), a digital original print on paper. Dress, leggings, and mask are my artwork available at RedBubble.

Pittsburgh artist and Collective Member Samira Shaheen’s two mixed media paintings (left) and Philadelphia artist and invited guest John Stone’s “Is a…” assemblage (right).

OUR COMMERCIAL

SEE THROUGH US SERIES

I created a brand new series inspired by our conversations leading to “Seen X Unseen” and it is composed of seven pieces called “See Through Us”.

In deep jewel tones they are meant to attract like a colorful bird or butterfly. Each panel is titled: (Emerald Panel) Dissolving; (Tanzanite Panel) Bounding Across Boundaries; (Poppy Panel) Slipping into the Abyss; (Coral Panel) See Concealing/Revealing; (Scarlet Panel) Here/Not Here, There/Not There, Here/Not There. Each digitally printed chiffon panel is 54” x 104” with multi-layered life drawings. The fabric panels are like abstracted bodies that they are the fabric flutters in the breeze and should be gently touched. It’s meant to be a sensuous experience of being caressed by these obfuscated figures. There is sense of moving through ghosts of the unseen. My models are aerial dancers drawn during Covid on Zoom, with strong identities as Black, Queer, and Trans—all groups struggling to be seen and heard, and which I drew at the peak of our nationwide uprisings. The fabric is meant to be touched – to be “swished through” starting from the first (green) to last (red) and landing the viewer in front of the two works on paper that are part of this series. One arrives at “And You?” and is asked to answer the questions. Pencils are supplied.

Front view of the installation has stronger colors and forms. (Nancy Willis’ work on left wall)

Rear view of the installation (Nancy Willis’ work on right wall).

Annice Jacoby writing on my piece And You? (left) as I requested from viewers. From my series See Through Us. — Annice Jacoby writing on my piece *And You?* (left) as I requested from viewers. From my series *See Through Us*.

Part of our Collective’s research work entailed asking each other and people we know “How do you describe yourself in one sentence? AND “Do you feel / or have you ever felt invisible?” That is what you’re asked to write about here.

The second drawing, Appear/Disappear, has many of the words and phrases we bandy about pertaining to invisibility. The figure is disturbingly headless and upside down with her back to us.

Death, ghosts, and ancestors were a powerful thematic direction in this exhibition. The work shown by Member Rhiannon and her invited artist Christopher as well as Member Lonnie and his invited guests John and Mary all have this in common.

As I’ve said throughout my last few Covid blog posts, I love Zoom life drawing sessions. I hope these sessions really are helping our models and drawing groups stay afloat! It is also virtual travel. Plus, several friends have taken up art during sheltering, and they have discovered the joy many of us have known our whole lives. It took a pandemic…

INSIDE MY ART PROCESS

1) My initial drawing of model on Zoom ( yes - she’s hanging from straps in a headstand).

2) My finished drawing, now in “Seen X Unseen” titled “Appear/Disappear”. It’s a 36” square 1/1 print on fine art paper, 2020.

I have lots of art process videos on YouTube, but they don’t really explain how I work. They are just recordings of me working in Procreate, rather like David Hockney’s art process videos - if I can be so bold as to compare my process to his! See my art process videos here.

MY STEPS

PHASE 1: LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS

These days I research the various model sessions available, sign up, and attend from my home or at my studio.

PHASE 2: PREP FOR DRAWING SESSION

I start with my iPad Pro in Procreate and draw with an Apple Pencil (stylus) on color-tinted digital canvases of varied shapes and scaleable dimensions that I’ve prepared.

PHASE 3: CONTINUE TO BUILD AFTER THE SESSION

Then I go back and and experiment with the background color, the sequence of layers, the percentage of strength per layer, make more color and effect changes, and adding layers of photographs and paintings. I often take photographs now with collage-making in mind.

PHASE 4: FINAL PRODUCTION

Depending upon the output I want, I make a Photoshop file to fit the required specifications I either print the artwork or have a supplier print my work on paper, metal, or fabric. I’m eager to try glass and/or acrylic printing soon!

MAKING THE SERIES OF FABRIC PANELS

These are the initial quick gesture drawings of art models Titania and Kyla which I made during summer Covid Zoom sessions. The art has been reformatted, multiplied, and layered, showing movement, complexity, falling, leaping, and flying. In this series I reshuffled my drawings, took them apart and put them back together again, to overlap and become intentionally unclear and hard to “read”. I made the final files in Photoshop to send to print at a fabric-making vendor. My friend Connie Walker-Shaw (of SEW, in West Portal) did a beautiful job hemming them.

WHAT’S IN THE SILVER LINING?

THE SF BAY AREA

I am fine. I am lucky. My health issues are minor. My friends and family have also been very lucky. As winter arrived, I have become even more aware that I live in a perfect temperate climate especially during what appears to be another draught. So I can walk or cycle around comfortably outside every day. It’s very quiet and pretty in my neighborhood and I live close to beautiful parks and the ocean. Most importantly, I have a superb life partner who loves to cook and bake and do things together. And I have a wonderful community of friends and I haven’t lost any of them.

MY GROUPS

I’ve got several ongoing groups in my life. I have exercise buddies I see near-daily at Zoom Pure Barre classes. And I’ve reconnected and gone deeper with some friends and some groups, like my drawing group – by now we know each others faces and hands intimately.

John Goodman’s Drawing Group on a field trip to a gallery exhibition between lock down orders, summer 2020.

FOUNDING THE INVISIBILITY COLLECTIVE

Of course there’s my wonderful, powerful, Invisibility Collective newly formed during conversations from June to September which were especially poignant and nurturing. That was before we had to put effort into the logistics for our current exhibition. I look forward to continuing our in-depth discussions in the new year and to deciding what artistic projects we’ll tackle next.

ON BEING A GODDESS

I’ve connected with some new folks, too, internationally, as one of the “goddesses” of a brave group of women who formed Grace of No Age this past summer. I wrote my second article for the website and it’s live now. Susan Kirshenbaum - check out my latest feature on the Grace of no Age website and find more like it – the group is dedicated to tackling issues relating to women and aging - which is something many of us think about!

BOOK LOVERS AND CURLY GIRLS

I love fiction and discussing books, so for years I’ve run a fiction-reading book group. I miss the in-person dinner parties we had but Zoom talks are not bad if it’s all you have. We are currently reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I sure do enjoy the time travel theme – and what a great read – and it’s nothing like his horror novels! Recently we read Richard Powers’ The Over Story which I loved. It reminds us of our place in the world. And I love trees.

Just for fun I host a Curly Girl group too, which talks politics more than hair.

A STUDIO AT LAST

In March – of all times – I acquired my first art studio – all to my self. It’s large and empty enough to exhibit my work and to invite visitors. I will have a new show there in spring 2020.

TRAVEL BACK TO 2019

I sure did travel a lot in 2019! Who knew it’d be like a savings account for a rainy day? I visited NYC, Mexico, Spain, France, Yosemite National Park, and Japan.

PETS ARE THERE FOR US

There’s nothing like a warm, furry critter to soothe the soul. I have two delightful cats, Reginald and Nigel. I know there’s been an explosion of animal adoptions in the USA, and I hope that people keep their pets post-Covid! How many friends do you have who recently acquired a furry pet? Nigel has a pet black cat with a little white heart. It’s an ornament, I think. One reason he likes this toy is that it’s made of wool and Nigel is a wool eater. Now I know everyone doesn’t love cats, but allow me to show you some of their indisputable charm as we spend so much time together these days.

Snuggling on our guest bed which is now their bed

Posing with art, book, and asmall bronzes

BREAD BAKING

Many folks took up baking bread and so did my husband. I never want store-bought bread again! This is a great outcome of Covid as I know many share in this exciting new pastime. What have you taken up?

RECENT WORK (IN BATHING SUITS)

Portrait of Titania in a swim suit I made recently during a zoom drawing session.

LAYERS OF BOTANICALS AND PAINTINGS

As a result of drawing sessions being on Zoom now, many art models are not comfortable posing fully nude, so I’ve been drawing them with bathing suits and other minimal clothes. It helps the models feel less vulnerable out there where anyone might access their sessions. There are ongoing issues around what is allowed on different social media platforms and their rules about appropriate content. Clothing is like another layer of obfuscation to me. I continue creating new iterations of my original drawings by adding layers of paintings and photos, changing colors, and trying special effects. Here are some of my recent multi-layered collages. I am hoping to have some of this work land in a Breast Health Center in Philadelphia. I always thought that would be an ideal environment for my work.

Kyla swinging through the air on her silks

AN EXHIBITION ABOUT CENSORSHIP

I have started planning an exhibition about Women and Censorship for the spring of 2021. There are updates on my censorship experience with YouTube – which would be amusing if it wasn’t so disturbing. A friend, Ken - the above videographer, made a video about me - just a short piece about a show I was having at City Art Coop Gallery (SF) in September. He posted it on YouTube and it was completely removed! When he wrote YouTube a complaint letter, they returned it to the site, but had labeled it “age restricted” (18+). If you see a black hole on anyone’s YouTube channel it’s because their video was removed.

NEW YEAR WISHES

My hands as drawn on Zoom by drawing group artist Dieter Tremp.

I wish for the vaccine to reach an enormous swath of people around the world and save lives while allowing us to be able to move on. I’m excited about the future yet I know how uncertain it is. I love to plan so this is tough. Still, as soon as it’s SAFE we will take off on more adventures (but we’ve learned to stay home, and that’s a good thing too)!

GOOD RIDDANCE TO 2020 – LET’S TOAST TO 2021!

My last name, Kirshenbaum (Kirschenbaum), means Cherry Tree. Now I’m using everything in my life’s toolbox, the cherries and the pits.

I’m married to Jack, and we have two cats and no kids. We live high on a hill in San Francisco, CA, USA. I write, draw, paint, collage, take photos, sew, cook, entertain, design, and make things. I like to watch films, take classes, walk, dance, and travel – but most of all – I love to draw people.

Read more about me here and take a look at my latest photos below.

May 16 is the Lunar Eclipse! Here’s a photo of me (tiny) at an art show in Frank Gehry’s Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. Photo by Tom Sparks. @srkirshenbaum #frankgehrybuilding #architecture #spraypaintart #portraitphotography #barelyvisible

Here’s a tiny snippet of the performance piece I saw a few days ago at ICA. She’s a commanding performer with strong ideas. So happy to have Mary participate in the Invisibility Collective conversations and exhibitions despite her busy CCA schedule. @mary.graham.art @ccaexhibitions @ccafinearts @icasanfrancisco #performance art #voice #callandrepeat #anscestors @anno.kim

I’m giving an Art Talk tomorrow (tickets free on Eventbrite) about my piece “Appear/Disappear” in the “Women Rising” show at The Drawing Room at 780 Valencia Street: April 5, from 4-6:30pm, featuring multiple artists. I’ll be talking about this piece which I originally created for my series “See Through Us” shown for the first time at the Invisibility Collective’s initial exhibition “Seen x Unseen” in Dec 2020 at Radian Gallery. @invisibilitycollective #appear #invisiblewomen #olderwomenrule @radiangallery @drawingroomsf @inside.outside.project @curatedstate #rootdivision @sfwa_artistsgallery @artspansf @sfcityartgallery #sfartist #digitalartist #procreateartist #ipadartist #figurativeartist #worksonfabric #lifedrawing #gesturedrawing #modeldrawing #artshow #contemporaryart #drawing #portraits #artforsalebyartist #womenartists #artgallery #artstudio #artpractice #bayareamodelsguild #portraitdrawing #digitaloriginalart #digitalcollage #redbubbleartist #spoonflowerartist #wordpairs #upsidedown

@invisibilitycollective members @srkirshenbaum and @rhiannonblackandwhite are pleased to be participating in @rootdivision 20th annual art auction and exhibition!

Don’t miss this exhibition which is strategically placed around the legion of honor and so powerful... @legionofhonor @wangechimutu #arttosee #sfartscene

When was the last time you really looked at your lettuce? 🥬

Another shooting in Minneapolis.I cannot stop crying. feeling that the world is falling apart morally. it is so easy seemingly to kill another human. To in a second wipe out a young man’s Existence And to spread pain and despair so completely easily with seemingly no resistance from so many other humans. I invite all who read this to stand in front of your houses this evening with a lit candle and say a prayer for all who have died through police brutality and racism. — Angela Tirrell, Invisibility Collective

“White / Colored” installation art in the desert by Noah Purifoy seen near Joshua Tree (by Collective Member Susan Kirshenbaum).

Invisibility Collective creates, promotes, and disseminates arresting art and ideas about those who feel invisible, those who are fighting to have a cogent voice. As a member of the Collective I make art work not only about my fellow humans, but also about creatures of the earth and sky, and the planet itself. I subscribe to the brilliant idea my painter aunt and mentor in Rome, Pucci Clerici, has lobbied for over decades: there should be a representative for planet Earth in the UN!

Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle spread featuring collective member Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen and discussing the invisible labor of artists. Images taken at Radian Gallery at the end of our group exhibition Seen × Unseen in January. @rhiannonblackandwhite @invisibilitycollective @sfchronicle @sfchronicle_datebook @sfchronicle_art @radiangallery #seenxunseen #labor #ab5 #gigwork #artistsarelaborers

Come see the show. Bernie's gallery-sitting for us. As always, masks and mittens required.

LAST CHANCE to see the unseen at Seen × Unseen, closing soon at @radiangallery ! DM us here or contact @srkirshenbaum to schedule a safely-distanced visit!

Last days! Here is a series of photos of Seen X Unseen @radiangallery until 1/25. By appointment only. DM me (susan). @rhiannonblackandwhite @mrlonniegraham @cmtandy @srkirshenbaum @mary.graham.art @cindynwndrlnd @art_as_essay @sfwa_artistsgallery @artspansf @sfcityartgallery #artgallery #sfart #sfbayarea #artistsoninstagram #artwork #contemporaryart #installationart #artonfabric #contemporaryfigurativeart #contemporary_collective #photographysouls #invisibility #seethrough #videoperformance #contemporarypainting #artexhibition #covidart

“Very” by Sawyer Rose in the Seen X Unseen exhibition- see it now in its last week! Dm me for an appointment at Radian gallery in SF (one person at a time). @radiangallery @art_as_essay @ksawyerrose @srkirshenbaum @mrlonniegraham @rhiannonblackandwhite #installationartist #sculpture #portraitphotography #storytelling #invisible #castmetalsculpture #sfartscene #sfartgallery

It’s the last week to visit! Make an appointment for a one on one visit to Radian Gallery to see “Seen X Unseen”. Work pictured here is by Angela Tirrell. @art_as_essay #contemporaryart #mixedmedia #internetinvisible #wired #sfartgallery @radiangallery #floorpieces

The collective’s “Seen X Unseen” exhibition catalogue is out! @cindyrenee4 @cmtandy @ksawyerrose @nancywillisart @art_as_essay @artbysamira007 @mrlonniegraham @bldrman @sophiagreenart @nancywillisart @art_as_essay @artbysamira007 @radiangallery #sfartist #sfartgallery #exhibitioncatalog #covidart #contemporayart #drawing #photography #mixedmedia #printmakingart #installationart #performanceart #alter #rituals #artcollective

Tomorrow ! Saturday December 19 noon -3pm pdt join us for an art talk about “Seen x Unseen” group show on zoom register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIode6hrDMoEtJLuSkKzZDnSxpG2zDnfD_y @bldrman @cmtandy @radiangallery @art_as_essay @rhiannonblackandwhite @srkirshenbaum @nancywillisart @ksawyerrose @cindynwndrlnd @artbysamira007 @mrlonniegraham @sophiagreenart @sfwa_artistsgallery @sfcityartgallery @artspansf @sfartsmonthly @sfchronicle #sfartist #sfhearts #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #digitalart #artonfabric #installationart #contemporaryphotography #portraitphotography #portraitpainting #mixedmedia #assemblageart #sculpture #printmakersofinstagram

Catch a glimpse of this poignant first group exhibition by The Invisibility Collective and invited artists. See “Seen X Unseen” @radiangallery this month and join the artists in conversation on 12/19. @cmtandy @cindyrenee4 @srkirshenbaum @mrlonniegraham @nancywillisart @rhiannonblackandwhite @artbysamira007 @ksawyerrose @sophiagreenart #invisible #seeandbeseen #sfartshow #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contentcreator #galleryshows #artcollective #bicoastal #intergenerational #interdisciplinaryart #installationart #videoart #performanceart #artonfabric #groupartshow

A cluster of images from “Seen X Unseen”yesterday at our opening day. Don’t miss the his exhibition! @radiangallery #artstudio #artist #lifedrawing #modeldrawimg #figuredrawing #figurativeartist #virtualdrawing #procreate #digitalartist #drawingbyhand #sfart #sfartist #portraits #artspanartist #artforsale #womendrawingwomen #artmodel #artshowsanfrancisco #invisibility @cmtandy @nancywillisart @art_as_essay @artbysamira007 @rhiannonblackandwhite @bldrman @mary.graham.art @sophiagreenart @sfwa_artistsgallery @sfcityartgallery @artspansf #scupture #installationart #performanceart #ritualart #invisibiltity #seen #unseen

Here’s a tiny snippet of the performance piece I saw a few days ago at ICA. She’s a commanding performer with strong ideas. So happy to have Mary participate in the Invisibility Collective conversations and exhibitions despite her busy CC

Wearing my “Scent of Red” art scarf and art dress made by RedBubble, I’m posed in front of two of my works which were juried into “Hue and Me” at SFWA Gallery, in the Spring 2024.

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Spring into Summer

We Began in Italy, Slid into France, then Stayed in Spain

FROM LAST TO FIRST: DAY TRIPS

DAY TRIPPING

L’ESTARTIT

MORE DAY TRIPS

HOSTALRIC, SANT MARTI DE LA ROCA, PALAFRUGELL, TORRELLA DE MONTGRI / PALS, LA FOSCA, SA TUNA, AND TOSSA DE MAR

A BENEDICTINE MONASTERY COMPLEX

ROMAN TARRAGONA

GIRONA’S OLD QUARTER

CONNECTING OLD & NEW

BESALU, BISBAL, BEGUR

ESPOLLA & CADAQUES WITH FRIENDS

BABS’ TRAVELS

IN AND OUT OF BARCELONA

AROUND CADIZ

CATALONIA

FLEA MARKETS

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

What’s Next?

MORE BLOG POSTS

SUMMER ART SHOWS

ARTSPAN FALL OPEN STUDIOS

On-Going!

WAS IT A YEAR IN LIMBO? OR HELL?

ART IN-PERSON

ONTO MIST & FABRIC

POETRY, NATURE, & CONSERVATION

A CHANGING VOCABULARY

MINIMAL TRAVEL

TROPICAL FLORA

ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS

SFWA FINDS NEW PARTNERS

INCLEMENT WEATHER

Resolved for 2022

CONTINUING MY SERIES

WISHING YOU A HAPPY, HEALTHY & PEACEFUL 2022

The Collective CONTINUES

Nathalie Fabri CURATED EXHIBITIONS

CITY ART COOP GALLERY

Artspan Open Studios

Grace of No Age

YEAR OF THE TIGER

A VISUAL TOUR OF 2021

September in NYC

Joyful with Kasuma: NY Botanical Garden (Bronx)

In and Around Manhattan

New York’s Jewish Museum

In Red Hook

Magnificent Morgan Library

The Annual Armory Show

3-D @ Art on Paper

October in The Bay Area

Fall Gallery Exhibitions

San Francisco Women Artists Gallery (SFWA)

City Art Coop Gallery

Artspan Open Studios Exhibition

My Open Studio

The Naked Truth of Arts

Field Trip: Disney Museum

Fall at the DeYoung Museum

Immersed at Asian Art Museum

Root Division Art Auction

What’s Next?

Recent Work

And Men Too

WHAT’S NEXT & FALL PLANS

Fall Open Studios

Cherry Pits Art Merchandise

The Naked Truth Project Exhibition

Intimacy Illuminated at Arc Gallery

Grace of No Age: It’s Not Too Late

NYC Here I Come

ROAD TRIP: PALM SPRINGS

MODERNISM WEEK

DESERT X

JOSHUA TREE & NOAH PURIFOY

HOT WEATHER & COLD DRINKS

ART EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

FEBRUARY, MARCH & APRIL