My work expresses a contemporary perspective on the figure, capturing a moment and reflecting an intimacy with my subjects. Drawn from a live nude model, my style is graphic, sensual, and fluid. Sometimes it is tongue-in-cheek or whimsical. Women and men are portrayed equally as strong, decisive, confident, and unique individuals – this is my underlying narrative.
Kirshenbaum was encouraged early in life to pursue art. She grew up in a family of visual artists who started an art school, the Ivy School of Professional Art, in Pittsburgh, PA where she studied and worked throughout her life. Since Ivy, she's studied at SFAI, CCA, UC Berkeley Extension, Kala, City College, and in Girona, Spain.
In 2016, Kirshenbaum returned to full-time art making after a long hiatus, but she never lost sight of art as her center. Her long-time career as a creative director for marketing and branding was closely connected to art. Over the years, Kirshenbaum has exhibited in group and solo shows in Pittsburgh, Sonoma County, and San Francisco. Her works are in collections nationally and internationally. Recently she created three monolithic figurative series on fabric and introduced them in several art shows. Living and working in San Francisco, California since 1980, she's taken a couple of breaks to live in Hawaii, NYC, and Spain. She can be found making art at her hilltop home with her cats and husband nearby.
"Barbie on the Cusp", Pacific Felt Factory, Art Residency with Black & White Projects, San Francisco, CA, April 2019
"Drawing from Life", Grove Salon, Curated by Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Albany, CA, July-Sept. 2018
"Reveals", Secret Agent Salon, San Francisco, CA, March-June 2018
"And Figuratively Speaking", The Troll House, San Francisco, CA, Aug. 2017
"Exposed", Bayview Boat Club, San Francisco, CA, Aug. 2017
"Figuratively Speaking", The Troll House, San Francisco, CA, June-July 2017
"Solo Susan R. Kirshenbaum", The Laundry, San Francisco, CA, Nov. 2016
"Cherry Pits Art Pop-Up", Maker & Moss, San Francisco, CA, Oct. 2016
"(Breakdown) After Five", Mendelson Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, 1980
Senator Scott Weiner's Office, "Advanced", San Francisco, CA, January
Arc Studios & Gallery, Juried Group Show & Event, "Snap!", San Francisco, CA, January
Senator Scott Weiner's Office, "Advanced", San Francisco, CA, December 2018-January 2019
SFWA, Juried Show, "Small Presents", San Francisco, CA, December
ArtSpan SF Open Studios Group Show at SFWA, "Peeling Back the Layers", San Francisco, CA, October-November
ArtSpan SF Open Studios Group Show at Spark Arts, San Francisco, CA, November
City Art Co-op Gallery Members Group Show, "Figuring it Out", San Francisco, CA, November
Spark Arts, "Parallel Universes - Two-Person Show with Usha Shukla, Honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month, San Francisco, CA, October
SFWA, Juried Regional Show, "Vibrant Vision", San Francisco, CA, October
Daylighted Digital Gallery, Juried Show, Represented by ArtSpan, San Francisco, CA, October
Radian Gallery (formerly Wessling Gallery), Invitational Group Show, "Friendly Fire", San Francisco, CA, September
SFWA, Juried Regional Show, "Gaia: Age of Climate Change", San Francisco, CA, September
SFWA, Juried Regional Show, "What Brings Us Joy", San Francisco, CA, August
City Art Co-op Gallery Members Group Show, "Figures & Facts", San Francisco, CA, July
SFWA, Juried Regional Show, "Patterns", San Francisco, CA, San Francisco, CA, June
SFWA, Juried Member Show, "Intrigue", San Francisco, CA, San Francisco, CA, May
City Art Co-op Gallery Members Group Show, San Francisco, CA, April
Art Attack, A Fundraiser for Kids and Art, "Art Attacks Cancer", San Francisco, CA, April
SFWA, Juried Group Show, "Homage", San Francisco, CA, San Francisco, CA, March
Arc Studios & Gallery, Invitational Figurative Group Show & Event, "Life/Live", San Francisco, CA, February-April
SFWA, Juried Group Show, "Eye of the Beholder", San Francisco, CA, February
Back to the Picture, Invitational Figurative Group Show, "Paradise Lost", San Francisco, CA, January-February
SFWA, Juried Group Show, "Discover", San Francisco, CA, January
ArtSpan SF Open Studios, John Goodman's Drawing Group Exhibition, The Allied Box Factory, San Francisco, CA, November
ArtSpan SF Open Studios Gallery Group Exhibition, SOMARTS, San Francisco, CA, October
SFWA Juried Group Show, "Reflection", San Francisco, CA, November
Art Guild of Pacifica Members Show and Merit Award Winner, Pacifica, CA, October-November
SFWA Open Studios Group Exhibition, San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA, October
SFWA Juried Group Show, "Loving Golden Gate Park", San Francisco, CA, October
SFWA Juried Group Show, "New Works", San Francisco, CA, September
mDAC Summit Juried Group Show (Mobile Art), Pacific Art League (PAL), Palo Alto, August
PAL Juried Group Show, "Science, Tech and Art", Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, August
SFWA Juried Group Show Juried Group Show, "City, Sea, Landscape", San Francisco, CA, August
SFWA Juried Group Show, "All Botanical", San Francisco, CA, June
PAL Juried Group Show, "Summer Exposure", Palo Alto, June
stARTup Art Fair, ArtSpan Juried Group Show, San Francisco, CA, May
"Art Attacks Cancer", A Fundraiser for Kids and Art, Art Attack, San Francisco, CA, April
"The Blueberry Farm Annual Group Show", Sebastopol, CA, December
Ivy School Alumni Show, Spinning Plate Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, 2015
International Group Show, Essence Gallery, Freestone, CA, 2006
Business of Art, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA, 1990
Women of the Women's Building, Group Show, San Francisco, CA, 1980
Graduate Show, Ivy School, Pittsburgh, PA, 1976
ART RESIDENCIES
Black & White Projects, Pacific Felt Factory, San Francisco, CA, April 2019
Troll House, Co-work space, Pier 26, San Francisco, CA, Summer 2017
The Laundry, Co-work space, Mission District (Mission and 26th), San Francisco, CA, Fall 2016
"Barbie on the Cusp", An adult storybook by Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Art Residency Project, Spring 2019
33 New Works by Susan R. Kirshenbaum, Fall 2018
Arc Gallery Catalog, Life/Live Show, SF, Spring 2018
Ivy School of Professional Art:
Marks on Paper, 1976
Life Drawing, 1978-1979
Catalogue: Arc Studios & Gallery, Invitational Figurative Group Show & Event, "Life/Live", San Francisco, CA, 2018
See the Exhibition Catalogue:
https://issuu.com/arcgallery/docs/lifelive_2018
Self-Published Book - 2 editions: New Works, San Francisco, CA, 2018
SELECTED PRIVATE COLLECTIONS & COMMISSIONS
Melissa and Chris Baker, Sebastopol, CA
Nancy and Philip Crawford, San Francisco, CA
Kim and Peter DeJong, Les Cluses, France
Joanne Dierbort, Sausalito, CA
Ava and Art Doppelt, Orlando, FL
Debbie Droskin, Leawood, Kansas
Laurette Foggini, San Francisco, CA
Marie-Jeanne Juilland and Garey Johnson, Redwood City, CA
Barbara Lane, Mill Valley, CA
Lorraine Lerner, Oakland, CA
Rhiannon MacFadyen, San Francisco, CA
Patricia Meager and Kevin Stapleton, San Leandro, CA
Marc Prisant, Boulder, CO
Tina Scala, Boulder, CO
Katherine Shedrick and Jon Bonanno, San Francisco, CA
Vicki Simon, Portland, OR
Lyndee Sing and Andy Small, San Luis Obispo, CA
Eric Tam and Lucy Delgado, Oakland, CA
John Venuti and Regina Parsons, San Mateo, CA
ART AFFILIATIONS MEMBERSHIPS
Model Drawing Groups: Hosted by John Goodman, 1995-present
Founding Member: Bay Area Made / BOD Member: San Francisco Women Artists (SFWA),
City Art Co-op Gallery (SF), ArtSpanSF, Pacific Artists League (PAL), Art Guild of Pacifica,
Southern Exposure, Richmond Art Center (RAC), Women Who Draw, Artists United
Asian Art Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, SFMOMA, YBCA
RELATED VOLUNTEER WORK
> San Francisco Women Artists Gallery (SFWA) - Exhibitions Director, Present
> River of Words – an educational nonprofit for children's art and poetry, co-founders:
Poet Laureate Robert Hass and Pam Michael, 2007-2010
> Pacific Chamber Symphony, 1999-2003
Planning Committee and Participant:
> "City of Poets" with Annice Jacoby and Lisa Citron, 1993
> "The Roof is on Fire" with Suzanne Lacy, Annice Jacoby, and Chris Johnson, 1993-1994
Lived/Worked: Girona & Barcelona, Spain; New York, NY; Oahu, HI; Albany, NY; Silverton, CO; Madison, WI; Northern Israel; Pittsburgh, PA;
San Francisco, CA (current)
Travels: Asia, Middle East, UK, Europe, Central & South America, Canada, & N. Africa and in 2017: Myanmar (Burma), Greece/Turkey
Avid Pure Barre maven, walker, culture hound, and fiction reader/book group leader
Graduate of Ivy School of Professional Art, Associate Degree, 1976
Additional studies:
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 1973-1974
San Francisco Art Institute, SF, CA, 1980 (studied under Howard Fried)
California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA, 1990s
Private painting classes with Kim Anno, Oakland, CA, 1995
Painting (Plein Air and figure painting) workshops with Randall Sexton, San Francisco, CA, 2000-2003
Painting, La Merce, Girona, Spain, 2004-2005
Silkscreen printing with Master Printer Antonio Gonzalez, El Lledoner, Spain, 2005
Etching with Master Printer, Sebi Subirós, Lupus Grafic, Girona, Spain, 2005
UC Extension and City College at Fort Mason, On-going
Sharon Art Center at Golden Gate Park, On-going
instagram.com/srkirshenbaum
https://www.linkedin.com/in/skirshenbaum/
facebook.com/cherrypitsart
YouTube: Video bio: http://bit.ly/2kANAAA and process videos of drawing: http://bit.ly/2kAzpvS
+ JUST LAUNCHED ON PATREON! www.patreon.com/srkirshenbaum