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

Exploring the Self

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

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

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

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

March is Women’s History Month: Three Shows

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

NCWCA: 6000 Circle Project

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

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

The Drawing Room: Women Rising

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

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

(Sorry but I don’t know her name!)

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

SEISMIC SISTERS CURATED WOMAN-MADE

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

Exhibiting Artists: Nicole Dixon, Taiko Fujimura, Tiffany Conway, Nye Lyn Tho, Nathalie Kardjian, Susan R Kirshenbaum, and Krystal Lauk PLUS Reception Performers: Mia Pixley, Ash Rex, Molly James Band, and Rhodessa Jones

ABOUT SEISMIC SISTERS

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

A Tribute to Randall Sexton

1958-2023

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

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

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

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

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

And Springtime Arrives

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

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

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

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

WHAT’S NEXT?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

January at Sausalito Center for the Arts (SCA)

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

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

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

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

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

Mary Graham with her paper bag series of portraits.

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

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

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

See the article by Jonathan Farrell:

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

Artist and author Peter Steinhart speaking at the closing reception.

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

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

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

CURATOR’S STATEMENT

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

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

Sharon Paster and her corner of the gallery.

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

Closing night party. Photo by Doug Kaye.

Maui in the Middle

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

Green sea turtles lounging in abundance.

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

ArtWeek in Mexico City

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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