This is a site about art and life - both the cherries and the pits.
Who am I?
I’m Susan R. Kirshenbaum, artist (not to be confused with other Susan Kirshenbaums!) My name, Kirshenbaum (Kirschenbaum), means Cherry Tree. I’m married to Jack, with two cats and no kids. We live high on a hill in San Francisco, CA, USA. I write, draw, paint, collage, take photos, cook, entertain, decorate, and make things.
The journey of making art
These days I draw a lot on my iPad.
My website/blog is about putting my work out into the world. It's also about practical considerations – tools, tricks, techniques, space, and materials related to art making. And it's a discussion about inspiration, fear, boundaries, limitations, and restrictions. Looking for and finding a visual language, and creating one’s own set of symbols.
It’s about what I see and like and work that I am trying to understand.
I started this site to find and engage in my own online art and lifestyle community with a variety of common interests and a desire to learn. I used to keep journals and sketchbooks, and write and illustrate correspondence (remember mail art?), write and send group email letters, and finally I created online photo slideshows (on Shutterfly) of my images. It’s time to use the proper tool for the job.
The journey of making changes
I need a venue. I need feedback. I need more art making friends. I’ve reached a point where I am coming back to all this after years of working in the creative communications field, but in an office, and now I am digging into messy, thoughtful, and unresolved self-expression. Creativity and solutions that are not strictly on behalf of clients. I have founded three creative agencies, and most recently I was the founding partner of Stir, an arts marketing creative agency. (See www.stircreative.agency). I also worked in publishing, corporations, and nonprofits. I volunteered and served on boards. But along the way I lost my momentum as an artist. I am getting it back, with you, my friends.
I have always loved drawing. And I was lucky to get so much exposure, encouragement, and opportunity throughout my life. From age five to 25, I was immersed in my family’s art school business. It was called Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh, PA.
Learning to make all kinds of things
From cocktails to cookbook parties, and art fabric to artwear, gift wrap, and soft goods, to jewelry, hand lettering, flower arrangements and table settings…well let’s see where we go with all of these interests.