https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/about daily 0.75 2024-04-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543623331922-LTZY0Y02SRX1CF1FTPET/mug+shot.jpg Artist Bio and Statement https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543623331922-LTZY0Y02SRX1CF1FTPET/mug+shot.jpg Artist Bio and Statement https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/contact daily 0.75 2020-11-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1560212992401-PCFI8LPZ31BRVX76BPXO/Sue+Matthews+with+Portrait+of+Rene+Y%C3%A1%C3%B1ez%2C+photo+by+Paul+Haggard+2019 Contact https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1560212992401-PCFI8LPZ31BRVX76BPXO/Sue+Matthews+with+Portrait+of+Rene+Y%C3%A1%C3%B1ez%2C+photo+by+Paul+Haggard+2019 Contact https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/prints-and-commission-work daily 0.75 2018-11-30 https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/exhibition-history daily 0.75 2025-09-26 https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/schwartzweiss-avenue daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456864812086-RW8U9TFHAW9J2D5YJH4R/25.jpg Schwarzweiß https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456864831358-M96K19MDDRPEIWO6TV48/27.jpg Schwarzweiß https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456864939887-HMFFUNV15800UGT1G07V/28.jpg Schwarzweiß https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/stein-avenue daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456945136383-A1K8S5BMS4FLG0IET2V8/49.jpg Stein https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/gipfel-avenue daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456778343214-6EXQ3R8UIDEWLZZQ3UYP/65.jpg Gipfel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456778401911-NT5IA88VG1GTQ9Q9RLL9/66.jpg Gipfel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456849773022-QZ1PXXQ7SKUNRLKY766U/67.jpg Gipfel https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/vergnugungspark-avenue daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456869159945-TGH8G5ZO0L2KLL0HTZWF/11.jpg Vergnügungspark https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/dunst-avenue daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456778834769-M9LWCCAJ69VZ5U31H1C0/image-asset.jpeg Dunst https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456778986994-8SITB7GC3KALT3OVESUA/image-asset.jpeg Dunst https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456780153446-79H4WTH2QLO7K7E0ORC6/6.jpg Dunst https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/weg-avenue daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456781031800-S4ECOSVWOYBTPX7BZ3U9/image-asset.jpeg Weg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456781118018-Y9WRN49UQUEJE97BLH4O/image-asset.jpeg Weg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456781326147-4M9RZ1EHNPMROICC0FTZ/image-asset.jpeg Weg https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/schwane-avenue daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456778213220-KRMLQULZ9K5DO2D19SFS/image-asset.jpeg Schwäne https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456778148407-LW8XWNCIRVQXOKWDMUAY/image-asset.jpeg Schwäne https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d4a125e707eb7a02e4055f/1456778191954-MYS1Y99SFIHN5VE81TX9/image-asset.jpeg Schwäne https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/work-avenue daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists daily 1.0 2025-07-11 https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/exhibitions-in-cuba-chana-and-senegal-9webm monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1611181593112-AZNOFHF7L1OM3NENUBAP/Dashi+with+her+portrait+at+the+Nubuke72x7.jpg Galleries - Exhibitions in Cuba, Ghana, and Senegal Dashi with Her Portrait This is Dashi, priestess of Dzodze, Ghana. She stands in front of her portrait at an exhibition of the collaborative artist’s research project we called Secrets Under the Skin UAA The exhibition took place at the Nubuke Foundation Gallery in Accra, Ghana, 2014. We also exhibited in the installation in Cape Coast, Senegal, Havana and Perico, Cuba, Homer and Anchorage, Alaska, San Francisco and Oakland, California. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1611183226444-QKF3MHH97TBDE6ZSZFLB/Galerie+Yassine+Arts+Complex%2C+Dakar%2C+Senegal+2016+72x7.jpg Galleries - Exhibitions in Cuba, Ghana, and Senegal Galerie Yassine Arts Complex, Dakar, Senegal I exhibited 8 paintings at Galerie Yassine Arts in 2016 and 2018, during the Biennale in Dakar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1611178657518-QREXA4V4OU0B7WQRFMQG/Installation+of+my+work+in+Dakar+2016+72x7.jpg Galleries - Exhibitions in Cuba, Ghana, and Senegal My paintings being installed at Galerie Yassine Arts in Dakar, Senegal, 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1611178679640-VY0V1PXK3KNHTYL2VH1J/Amadou+Thiam%2C+Owner+of+Galerie+Yassine++Arts+and+friend+with+my+painting+201672x7+.jpg Galleries - Exhibitions in Cuba, Ghana, and Senegal Amadou Thiam (in the salmon robe) discusses my work with a friend in Gallery Yassine Arts, Dakar, Senegal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1611178861503-L0WGPVCO97KUVCUPJ9OB/Trying+to+look+tall+at+the+Biennale+in+Dakar%2C+Senegal%2C+2016.jpg Galleries - Exhibitions in Cuba, Ghana, and Senegal Trying to look tall at one of the exhibits in the biennale, Dakar, Seneal, 2016. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/cds-and-book-covers-c7xdz monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359965221-UHOW5J6VXCF5EMATW7RK/QBA.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604360383621-YON6F0PRGH4CMXHBNEYK/La+Jungla+QBA.jpg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359906646-16SQUAKSLXIN461TVUDW/Hot+Caribbean+Hits+Vol.1.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359915234-MXC3VNP9O2CQ4K0BO6PA/Hot+Caribbean+Hits+Vol.2.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359923775-K4IZ7WSWNM7I9PAIXS95/Latin+Caribbean+Party+Vol.1.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359926592-ZIR46TECI4VJ4QCZO8TP/Linda+Tillery.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359953872-A85RXM7X93UT6ICB0YXU/Odara.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359968029-DASSHK2BAPGWYMF9ZDDP/Quarteto+Somando.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359934964-53VV7JKI80NDLR0S6QQQ/Michael+Smith.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359938751-BWUO41T2NIJYWFY7SME0/Obbedi+Lazaro+Pedroso+2.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359893457-W2KAC4JSSH6KXBULR4V7/Egun.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1711240790650-AXFIMNA2K9X026QTTXR9/Olodumare+8x72.jpg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers - Olodumare (Copy) Olodumare 63” X 40.5, Acrylic on canvas, 2008 Original painting and prints available. This is the cover for Lázaro Pedroso’s book on Olodumare, produced and translated by Christiane Hayashi. To see the full image please see please see Hilda, Obbini Omo Eleggua, Secrets Under theSkin gallery on this website. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359956430-0F9C54WY1VW5JACQ7YLE/Pataki.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1711239481249-L9O6H14DZV3TRRNBHVA8/image.jpg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers - Los Guerreros (Copy) Los Guerreros 27” X 23”, Acrylic on canvas, original painting and prints available This image is for an upcoming book on Los Guerreros, by Cuban scholar Lázaro Pedroso, of Havana. It is a depiction of Eleggua, Oggun and Ochosi, with Osun in the upper right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604359972604-IZ676PCQLEIZTAQS62ZV/Writing+Rumb.jpeg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/a3088c80-939b-4407-8fcb-4e6edc08b779/coeur+Tambour.jpg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/cf20d34c-a1ca-4b25-8e8e-191056474627/Mindworker72x8.jpg Galleries - CDs and Book Covers https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/standing-portraits-4lz54 monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568264289643-SFC6AT8VD3PT2DYZKX8O/Joie01.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits - Portrait of a Musician (Copy) Portrait of a Musician Acrylic on Canvas, 1988, 84” X 60” Available Joie Mastrokalos (RIP) was my sister’s boyfriend, a great cook and a charismatic, funny, punk musician in LA. Sadly, he left this world a few years ago. He had tattoos of the virgin on one arm and Santa Barbara on the other, long before tattoos were the norm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568260348696-MB907Y06Y3LOYIAQP5UW/Portrait+of+Denise12.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits Portrait of a Woman Acrylic on Canvas, 1999, 84” X 60” Available This is a portrait of Denise Webbly-Wright, wife of Anthony Wright. The mirror image occurred to me while I was repositioning the figure farther to the right in the picture plane. I decided to keep both images. The background “wallpaper” is cloth applied to the canvas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631170066930-HA225Y2OJ8V8DJ4XK0F6/Lysistrata02.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits - Lysistrata (Copy) Lysistrata Lysistrata Munson was a student of mine at Maybeck High School in Berkeley. She is named after the heroine in the fabulous Greek play “Lysistrata”, written in 411 BC by Aristophanes. She and a bunch of other kids had their heads shaved by the math teacher on a school camping trip. It took me a while to realize that I had painted her with two left feet, but it seemed so funny that I left it that way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568260335891-BM17W59KJHER1U974J3I/John+McCormick16.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits Portrait of a Screen Writer Acrylic on Canvas, 1988, 84” X 60” This painting is in the collection of Claudia Stanten. John McCormick sat behind me all the way through high school because his name came after mine in the alphabet. He was and is the best writer and the funniest person I have ever known. After majoring in film at SF State he became a screen writer in Los Angeles, where he still lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568260377744-F4435SRFKVSQ75V0NE5C/Quincea%C3%B1era05.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits Quinceañera Acrylic on Canvas, 1990, 84” X 60” Available Sandra Pantoja was one of my favorite students at Maybeck High School in Berkeley. We both grew up in East Oakland. Separated by just a few miles, East Oakland and Berkeley are worlds apart. Every summer Sandra would go to a small town in Mexico and speak Spanish, and when she came back to Oakland she spoke Ebonics in the neighborhood. One fall she came back from Mexico and showed me her Quinceañera photos, and I asked if I could paint a portrait of her. The last time I saw Sandra she was working at Home Depot. She was funny and smart and now has lots of kids of her own. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568260390568-6LF93IF17BRO4MD6JVWV/The+Covert+War07.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits The Covert War Acrylic on Canvas, 1989, 84” X 60” Available I painted this self portrait during the covert war in Central America. I had spent a lot of time with a backpack hiking around the cornfields in the highlands of Guatemala, and I got a good sense of the strength and tenacity of the native people who worked the land. The fire represents the guilt I felt, knowing that some of the coffee we drank may have come from stolen land with blood spilled all over it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568260412731-UZ3KLTN9JID03WEK0NV9/I+Danced+With+Chocolate13.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits I Danced with Chocolate Acrylic on Canvas, 1990, 84” X 60” Available For many years I was crazy about salsa dancing, and once I went to see Chocolate Armenteros, the famous trumpet player. Chocolate asked me to dance, so i did, and he took me right in front of the stage. It was embarrassing, because although I was a pretty good dancer, i couldn’t follow him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568266952359-PPLGCDRZV9YVJDI63RS3/Troubled+Sleep14.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits Troubled Sleep Acrylic on Canvas, 1990, 84” X 60” Available This is a portrait of a Maybeck High School student named Ben Warwas. He was a wonderful artist who made his own clothes. He wore this fake fir outfit every day for a whole semester. His mother said he washed it every night. When he saw the painting he asked me to lengthen the shorts, which I did, but after the photo was taken. Troubled Sleep is the title of a novel by Sartre about the private lives of young soldiers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568267204274-20JC1L5EZ36JX42SAGUE/The+Judgement+of+Paris15.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits The Judgement of Paris Acrylic on Canvas, 1994, 84” X 60” Available This is a portrait of a young man who had three girlfriends. Rather than being judged by Paris, the three graces are judging him. (The three graces are taken from other paintings in this series). When I was painting this portrait I was listening to a news story about the “three strikes you’re out” law that was being discussed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568741110653-YO9TRC8HO6SDFI3OJMHX/No+Soy+Chilango11.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits - Yo soy Tarasco, No Soy Chilango (Copy) Yo soy Tarasco, No Soy Chilango Acrylic on Canvas, 1993, 84” X 60” Available This is a portrait of a dancer I knew in Oakland. He was born in Mexico City and did not like being called “Chilango”, (slang for a person born there). So far away from home, yet still setting his identity straight, he used to say, “Yo soy Tarasco, no soy Chilango”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568260442112-8HXE9O81ECIE0B9KKD0B/Artist%27s+last+Supper10.jpg Galleries - Standing Portraits The Oakland School Acrylic on Canvas, 1990, 84” X 60” Available This is a group of Oakland artist friends, all of whom made a career of art in one way or another. It is a riff on the Last Supper, but note that there is no food. Left to Right include myself, Charlie Chavez, Xochitl Nevel Guerrero, Roberto Guerrero, Rick Arnitz (RIP), Jeff Carr, Jude Pittman Jamey Brzezinski, George Hurt (RIP), Carolyn King Hurt, and Ken Gulley (RIP). In the 1990s it was possible to rent a studio for next to nothing in East Oakland and many of us shared a space called East Bay Generator on E.14th and 23rd Avenue. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/born-to-drum-8fa93 monthly 0.5 2025-05-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/516ca8a0-c2bb-4d64-8389-ccab65f0c31b/Roots72x8.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum Roots 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 38" X 25" Roots is the image for 2025 Women Drummers International born to Drum, led by Carolyn Brandy. The idea is to rely on tried and true cultural structures in times of trouble. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1711238479806-19D1388Q92U6B37VIU0V/image.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum - Born to Drum 2024 (Copy) Oggun's Daughter, 2024 Acrylic on canvas Original painting and prints available The inspiration for the 2024 Born to Drum image is Oggun, the Afro-Cuban deity who lives alone in the forest, is the owner of iron and minerals, maker of tools, and therefore has tremendous power and creativity. Oggun has a wild, uncontrollable side and understands the mysteries of the forest. In this painting the drummer is playing in solitude for Oggun. She looks up, surprised to see the viewer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1721609418977-T3S32DMEEY4JVYRCZ91X/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Born to Drum - Sweet Water update (Copy) Sweet Water update 48" X 27", acrylic on Canvas, 2023 2023 image for Born to Drum, a women's drum camp sponsored by Carolyn Brandy and Women Drummers International. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1552951541165-M4Q3QPTGVTTUITMLIPBW/Seeds+of+Our+Freedom72x7.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum - Seeds of Our Freedom (Copy) Seeds of Our Freedom This is an imaginary depiction of Osain, Cuban deity of medicinal plants. Seeds of Our Freedom is the theme for the Women Drummers International Drum Camp held in Oakland, July 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544077058667-8VFY1WFIAY8WODKU84ZB/Olokun72x7.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum - Olokun (Copy) Olokun Into the Deep was the 2018 theme for Women Drummers International drum camp called Born to Drum. The image is a depiction of Olokun, deity who lives in the deepest part of the ocean. The drums are sacred Olokun drums which exist today in Matanzas province, Cuba. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544075644641-D0BIUJXMEIIY07DTWQ0I/Babaluaye72x7.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum - Babaluaye the Healer (Copy) Babaluaye the Healer This was the image for the 2017 Women Drummers International Born to Drum camp. It is a depiction of Babaluaye, deity of sickness and health. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544077092652-961I4HPM144Q8LRVXRG3/Obatala%27s+Shell+72x7.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum - Obatala (Copy) Obatala This was the image for the 2016 Women Drummers International Born to Drum camp. It is a depiction of Obatala, owner of all things white, creator of human beings and earth, owner of the head, and of thoughts and dreams. Obatala’s attributes include the elephant, the spiral, and white beads. This was one of 8 paintings I exhibited at Galerie Yassine, in the 2016 Biennale in Dakar, Senegal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544075641467-75XCDER29LZZB6TSEUFK/Yeyeo+Ochun+72x7.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum - Oshun (Copy) Yeyeo Oshun! 2008, 48" X 36" Acrylic on canvas This is a depiction of Oshun, deity of romantic love in Afro-Cuban folklore. The traditional drums in this painting still exist in a ceremonial house in Perico, Matanzas province, Cuba. They are newly painted every year and closely resemble Ghanian drums. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544075601521-IZME9V0TIKA57HG4CV59/Amelia+72x7.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum - Amelia Pedroso (Copy) Amelia Pedroso This is a depiction of Amelia Pedroso, virtuoso drummer and singer of Afro-Cuban sacred music. Renowned worldwide, Amelia came to teach in Oakland and tragically, shepassed away several years ago, long before her time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544075784777-M6LGJ24OXAZQLKJOAFCD/Rumba+Morena+72x7.jpg Galleries - Born to Drum - Rumba Morena (Copy) Rumba Morena This is a painting of Rumba Morena, one of the great performing groups in Havana. An all female Rumba group these performers are an inspiration to women drummers everywhere. I did this painting after one of my first trips to Cuba, and I brought a print to the group as a gift. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/heinrich-harrison-f44mz monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568847792801-AFOECQ8632B7A6SNV4ST/Athlete72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Simona Halep (Copy) Simona Halep Tennis champ. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848271778-3MENBFWW1RWH612P3DSQ/Ilhan+Omar72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Ilhan Omar (Copy) Ilhan Omar Representative from Minnesota and member of the so-called “Squad”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848757052-CR81NYYIINW1ANW2M2WZ/Squad1+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Ayanna Pressley (Copy) Ayanna Pressley Representative from Massachusettes, and member of so called “Squad” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568847189339-QVF05CMLGH99DZ154OY8/Alexandria+Ocasio-Cortez72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Alexandira Ocasio-Cortez (Copy) Alexandira Ocasio-Cortez The background was stained with tea and the border was stained with red wine! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848782732-20R96BW93BIZI3EIEZ5B/Squad2+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Rachida Tlaib (Copy) Rachida Tlaib Representative from Detroit, member of “The Squad” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568847242797-UYXYMFJEJNJU18H8JM6W/Amazona72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Tiurre, Kayapo Tribal Chief, Brazil (Copy) Tiurre, Kayapo Tribal Chief, Brazil https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568849106294-R9GC6HEO3BGO5HVJ50QL/Venus+Williams72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Venus Williams (Copy) Venus Williams Tennis Champ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568849137203-JO89AAYDM2BR7RCMOENE/Serena+Williams+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Serena Williams, Tennis Champ (Copy) Serena Williams, Tennis Champ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848161359-ZW81SQ54P9FTQCUB5V2D/Coco+Gauff.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Coco Gauff (Copy) Coco Gauff Tennis Champ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848032756-UNFJID71LH9T0T3ZMOY4/Beto+O%27Rourke72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Beto O'Rourke (Copy) Beto O'Rourke https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568847156071-F37DSQOJDNP2Y9BNLEIB/Afghan+Poet+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Afghan Poet (Copy) Afghan Poet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568849056703-QED10VJNB274XSFJB4UP/Taliban+Fighter+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Taliban Fighter (Copy) Taliban Fighter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848066540-2B5UGMU8IE9RGHYBXS96/Central+American+Migrant72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Central American Migrant (Copy) Central American Migrant https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568847773400-5T54XKEKNJEQO3XYC548/Anderson+Cooper72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Anderson Cooper (Copy) Anderson Cooper https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568847993039-9SWPP6D1GSF1QBYM06SO/Author72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Toni Morrison (Copy) Toni Morrison https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848124616-CWHEKPGOH23ZZN19VRB5/climate+activist72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Greta Thundberg (Copy) Greta Thundberg Teen Climate Activist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848578123-YVF4DMFNSPJLN8QCQPLH/Rohingha+migrant+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Rohingya Migrant (Copy) Rohingya Migrant https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848693200-U939PCNLETX2H0ABJHXV/Somali+Migrant72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Somali Migrant (Copy) Somali Migrant https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848221798-271F99BMAAUDW2YL1671/Hillary+Clinton72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Hillary Clinton (Copy) Hillary Clinton https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848627499-F8F3GNWMTA8PZ7MAMBX2/Rouhani.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Rouhani, Iranian President (Copy) Rouhani, Iranian President https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848667415-NO6EUH6E8POPBKUMN41K/Shinzo+Abe72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Sinzo Abe (Copy) Sinzo Abe President of Japan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848532338-8MZQUUYJDD1BP5VNGBJG/Megan+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Megan Rapinoe (Copy) Megan Rapinoe Soccer champ, activist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568848712617-Z74SIUYVK5ZY5F68JXXW/Somali+Pirate72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Somali Pirate (Copy) Somali Pirate https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568849031937-ZFKEUNJXO4OZBLUW7TNG/Syrina+Migrant+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Syrian Migrant (Copy) Syrian Migrant https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568849567946-HIUI1VF1ZXV68OR1I7I8/Kim+Durroch.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Kim Durroch (Copy) Kim Durroch British Ambassador who lost his job because he called Trump “inept” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568849160965-AEIO456D6L3EDHYDD3P9/Women%27s+rights+72x7.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Bedouin Activist (Copy) Bedouin Activist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604875761658-JX3GAPA9OJI631LLGVA5/IMG_9593.jpeg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568850005464-4DFRX70UGESE5BRPUGE3/IMG_9695.jpg Galleries - Time Reveals All Things - Time Reveals All Things 2019 (Copy) Time Reveals All Things 2019 Forty-nine of the fifty 6’X6’ gilded portraits fit into a grid at 50/50 2019 at Sanchez Art Center. This is an impartial view of the day’s news, as if seen from an earlier era. Each artist displays their work in an identical grid, with #50 separated out and framed. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/julien-clarke-zeahr monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544077967553-RM1LQ0DKELGKWGGIZ2RV/Camels+in+Tasssa+Ibrahim+72x7.jpg Galleries - Random - Camels in Tasa Ibrahim (Copy) Camels in Tasa Ibrahim Tasa Ibrahim is a resting spot on the edge of the Sahara for the nomadic Woaabi people. I was privileged to go there when I visited my brother Joel and his family, who lived in Niger for 16 years. Please see portraits of the Wodaabi in my African Portraits Gallery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544077950697-ZDKASLHJVS619LZW7G9W/Jesus+Diaz72x7.jpg Galleries - Random - Jesus Diaz (Copy) Jesus Diaz This painting was commissioned for Jesus Diaz’ CD called El Jardinero. Jesus is a master percussionist and leader of the Cuban band QBA. His music is unbelievably complex and shows that highly intellectual forms of expression exist in languages that transcend words. Jesus is part of a lineage of drummers that reaches back to a time when drums did transmit messages that could be understood by whole villages. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544077996828-DOQ3DUL0SFHXIH4XNR6D/Green+Pitcher+Plant+72x7.jpg Galleries - Random https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544078003116-8UTCFMEBBT2CR0BKHF7M/Pitcher+Pant+72x7.jpg Galleries - Random https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544249400519-ST3BFXNOFKH99YU2D0U3/The+Cat+Lady72x7.jpg Galleries - Random - The Cat Lady (Copy) The Cat Lady This portrait was commissioned by Claudia Stanten to commemorate her beloved cats. It is larger than life, at 74” X 78”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544077970385-OOFV2Z3AD0M0JQEUJ9BX/Flamenco+Gitano72x7.jpg Galleries - Random This painting was done for the 10th anniversary of Festival Flamenca Gitana, produced by Nina Menendez, who is the daughter of Bay Area Blues singer Barbara Dane. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/jonathan-miller-l69pr monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1609805239769-XLMH6N8GO8A6GEBHZC3Y/Lilia72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Lilia (Copy) Lilia Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2015 Lilia was a bartender at Merchant’s Saloon, downstairs from my studio near Jack London Square. Although she is of German heritage, she grew up in Mexico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544071011237-MTZS3Q0CURWKVAEX8XUH/Woody+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Woody Johnson (Copy) Woody Johnson Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2016 Woody Johnson is a sculptor/printmaker/painter, and an important Oakland artist and teacher. Fluent in Spanish, Woody served in the Peace Corps in South America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544071044560-7XB7EM3TWXHA62LKOIQG/Jesus+de+Oaxaca+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Jesus (Copy) Jesus Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2016 The ultimate gentleman, Jesus is a waiter in a restaurant at Jack London Square. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544071039537-ET85B92N4K1VMYRGAQZC/LaDonna+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - La Donna Franco (Copy) La Donna Franco Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2016 La Donna is a kindergarten teacher in Alameda. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544072295841-ZJP1XY02UAWJ29MD6YQ1/Fernando+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Fernando Valenzuela (Copy) Fernando Valenzuela Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2015 Fernando Valenzuela shares his name with a famous pitcher for the Dogers. Different people. Fernando is a State Farm agent in Oakland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544072117332-Y20V54KNW3Y2AWB1D3FG/Joyce+gordon+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Joyce Gordon (Copy) Joyce Gordon Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2015 Joyce Gordon is an Oakland treasure. Vibrant and tireless, she owns Joyce Gordon Gallery in downtown Oakland. Her gallery features artists and musicians, supports young people, and just causes of all kinds. Joyce has a heart of gold, and her gallery is a cultural center in the heart of the city. Go visit her. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544072212765-50E2UENS9F3S24190SM6/Joyce+with+her+portrait+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Joyce Gordon with her portrait. (Copy) Joyce Gordon with her portrait. Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2015 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544072486758-BAOG6RZ3GVX0A95C8Y5Z/Peter+Selz+7x72.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Peter Selz (Copy) Peter Selz Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2014 Peter Selz was my art history professor at UC Berkeley. Much later I ran into him again at the Berkeley Art Center and we became friends. He was curating and writing until his death at 100 years of age. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544072557401-Y0430JFYQ8BXRZS5Q62M/Ralph+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Ralph Bailey (Copy) Ralph Bailey Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2016 Ralph is always pushing the envelope and exploring something new. Among other things, he is a professional driver, a pilot, a banker and a musician. He’s the all around renaissance man and a regular at Merchant’s Saloon in Oakland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544072614062-H3APJABOPWK3WA63EA7J/Allegra+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Allegra Matthews (Copy) Allegra Matthews Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2015 This is a portrait of my niece in Niger, where she grew up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544074072150-YM63TWQ5DAYVGWB2QL2F/Sam+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Bartender (Copy) Bartender Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2016 Formerly a bartender at Merchant’s, now in the collection of Lisa Politeo, purchased because he reminded her of “The Dude”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605737590559-J08TX9CO6DL8T8OOH4KN/Janet+Koike72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Janet Koike (Copy) Janet Koike Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2020 Founder and director of Rhythmix Cultural Center in Alameda, Janet is also an accomplished Taiko drummer. She is the alternate juror in the portrait series now known as Hunter’s Jury, on view at Hunter Pyle Law in Oakland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605747318760-EXE3H142CFKC8GRS26DL/Anita+72x7.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - Anita Amirrezvani (Copy) Anita Amirrezvani Anita Amirrezvani is an author and professor of literature. Her novels include Equal of the Sun and The Blood of Flowers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605737504377-5ZTBYFSSS5V41GPHLUTB/A+few+of+the+99+portraits.jpg Galleries - 99 Portraits Project - A few of the 99% (Copy) A few of the 99% Each of these portraits is 24” X 18”, acrylic on canvas, painted between 2015 and 2020. Some of the portraits I did for my 99% project. Most of them were purchased before I could complete 99, which was the original idea. 13 of them, now known as Hunter’s Jury, hang in Attourney Hunter Pyle’s conference room, Oakland. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/emily-london-1-9e3xd monthly 0.5 2025-06-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568700012224-ZWGLJZC7X7JE01BEPGC2/Sannu+Means+Hello72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Sannu Means Hello, 40" X 30", Acrylic and gilding (Copy) Sannu Means Hello, 40" X 30", Acrylic and gilding A young Hausa girl gathering firedwood outside Soura dan Nana, Niger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568702862908-Q7Y2L7KDH37CZN1IKJZW/The+Yellow+Turban72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - The Yellow Turban (Copy) The Yellow Turban The Fulani were the most regal people I had ever seen. Their sense of style was timeless yet somehow utterly contemporary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568700080395-JSZTU867FHZOPF74PYGN/Camel+Man72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - The Camel Man (Copy) The Camel Man This man gave us a ride on his camels in the Sahel, Niger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568700165872-OZ8HPRC5KN9TV1TSRC2N/Thornveld72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Thornveld (Copy) Thornveld Available through SFMOMA Artists’ Gallery We visited Tasa Ibrahim, a temporary camp near the Sahara where nomadic Wodaabi herders rested with their camels.. This woman took my hand and looked off into the distance, saying something in the Fulani language. The landscape is so stark, there is nothing but thorn bushes. People never know if the rain will come to provide water and plants for their herds. Their lives are marginal, but they love their traditions and the open desert spaces they wander. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568700859296-YL1EZMCNU4FDL9XA2PQ0/Soura+Dan+Nana72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Hausa Girl in Soura Dan Nana (Copy) Hausa Girl in Soura Dan Nana Young Hausa girls walk on the paths in the village of Soura Dan Nana selling food cooked by their mothers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568700520369-BFRKGPRTF583CEWPPIGO/Young+Fulani+Man+72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Young Fulani Man (Copy) Young Fulani Man The Fulani consider themselves to be the most beautiful people in the world, and I believe it. They wear elaborate jewelry and hairstyles and wander the s=deserts following their herds. Their culture is full of taboos. I was never as fascinated by any people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568701663044-X6D1ONXRB58JFX0CL4DV/Garaya72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Garaya (Copy) Garaya Garaya is the name of the instrument this young man was playing. It is a gourd with one or two strings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568703219915-PXEQJHO46LQ0REAJ1UO8/Hello%2C+How%27s+Your+Work%3F72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Hello, How's Your Work? (Copy) Hello, How's Your Work? There were many conventions, and one was the greeting system, with different appropriate questions and answers to be recited throughout the day. I had to learn them as best I could, and I wrote some of them in the frames of the paintings. This young girl was selling peanuts, and the counter weight was a stack of coins on the enamel plate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1626126977242-RUASWTEYIJRYCEURGWGE/The+Newlywed+72x8.jpg Galleries - African Icons - The Newlywed (Copy) The Newlywed This Wodaabi woman was newly married and traveled with us to Tassa Ibrahim, a nomadic outpost on the edge of the Sahara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1626126686808-LKFO47CYF3KQ9801KDQX/Wodaabi+Woman+72x8.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Wodaabi Woman (Copy) Wodaabi Woman Available in hand gilded Pigment Print This nomadic Wodaabi woman wears a facial tatoo identifying her clan. Her hair has been braided tightly in order to encourage it to fall out over time, revealing a high forehead, stylish in the Sahel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1626127021718-3BWUL9D0BQ4EBF9H6QD8/The+Owner+of+the+Pump+72x8.jpg Galleries - African Icons - The Owner of the Pump (Copy) The Owner of the Pump 40” X 30”, Acrylic with faux gilding This child takes pennies from passers by who buy water from him, saving themselves a long walk to the well. Note that his shirt was borrowed from a bigger person. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1626126717417-Y8G7LYSQKU2AJ5I1BKNL/Girl+with+Water+Jar+72x8.jpg Galleries - African Icons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1626127029787-IIAHI73SSGW5Z5OHCP33/Drinking+Water72x8.jpg Galleries - African Icons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1626127035436-RZBFNOOTJ58ELE9JXKXL/Woman+at+the+Well+72X8.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Wodaabi Woman at the Well (Copy) Wodaabi Woman at the Well 40” X 30”, Acrylic with faux gilding on canvas On our way to Tassa Ibrahim we came upon a well with many lovely women joyfully drawing well water from far below the sandy desert. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1626127049575-TVPQJ8FO9TSZOEKR3A5W/Man+with+White+Turban72x8+.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Man with white Turban (Copy) Man with white Turban 27” X 23”, Acrylic and faux gilding on canvas Wodaabi nomads wrap long lengths of cloth into turbans for protection from sun and sand storms. Caught in a sand storm one wraps up in the cloth and waits for the wind to stop. There is nothing else to do. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568699761480-C78NIX8HRVS8Q09U3XJL/The+Blue+Bowl72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - The Blue Bowl (Copy) The Blue Bowl I saw this woman in a market in Niamey, Republic of Niger. The blue bowl was a begging bowl. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543701167206-WDTU1M6DMS8PUJ9QD68G/African+Oya+72x7.jpg Galleries - African Icons - Oya Ochun (Copy) Oya Ochun This image combines and African dancer I saw in Soura dan Nana, Niger, with Afro-Cuban imagery of the deities of wind and fresh waters. When I sell a print from the Niger series I send a portion of the proceeds to a hospital in the Sahel, or directly to a settlement via a friend of my brother’s who has lived there for many years. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/dana-buckley-cme5c monthly 0.5 2025-06-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543701971611-HKJGKPOKN9NE7AFI56HE/Yemaya%2C+keeper+of+the+Ocenas+76x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Yemaya, Keeper of the Oceans (Copy) Yemaya, Keeper of the Oceans https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543702325721-CC0GQXO6W3LIGS6UK5EK/Oya%2C+Keeper+of+the+Wind+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Oya, Keeper of the Wind (Copy) Oya, Keeper of the Wind https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543702575783-49YU8GR4ZPLPNQR82XX2/Oshun%2C+Keeper+of+the+Rivers+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Ochun, Keeter of the Rivers (Copy) Ochun, Keeter of the Rivers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1553574744601-JQMFNJEIQSH0DI4GUXJH/Oya+Rompe+Cuero72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Oya Rompe Cuero (Copy) Oya Rompe Cuero Oya is keeper of the Wind , owner of sparks, and female ire, as well as determination and power. This painting was created for “Born to Drum”, the annual women’s drum camp held in the Oakland hills, sponsored by Carolyn Brandy and Women Drummers International https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568696884786-PAPHH21P3MGAH9CXIU0D/Rumba+Morena+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Rumba Morena (Copy) Rumba Morena Rumba Morena is a dynamic female rumba group that performs regularly in Havana. I gave a print of this painting to the woman pictured here and she remarked that she recognized herself, and remembered that she had borrowed the shoes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1612831034799-SD55E6KXF44ON1R2HYLZ/Ofrendas%2BPara%2BOchun72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Ofrendas para Ochun (Copy) Ofrendas para Ochun This image was inspired by a memory of drummers and dancers in an old dance hall in Matanzas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543701443081-BF1Y9QLQONRMZWHOQ09U/El+Ensayo72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - El Ensayo (Copy) El Ensayo This is an image of a dance rehearsal in Havana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568741355142-PZ9BTPTPI56ZR1WLPE5V/Barroso+Dances+Chango.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Barroso Dances Chango (Copy) Barroso Dances Chango José Francisco Barroso danced with Raices Profundas in Havana. When he dances the heavens open and the deities come down. He is currently living in Oakland, raising a family, teaching, and performing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568697086411-LMUK4V8RQ5141H6ED0TW/Yeyeo+Ochun+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Yeyeo Ochun! (Copy) Yeyeo Ochun! The dancer in this painting was inspired by Ava Square in a performance I participated in with Ojalá, a group led by Carolyn Brandy. I took artist’s license and included sacred drums from the town of Perico, Matanzas, Cuba. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568695844142-22JKVWXDUJN28RBOPYVA/Guaganco.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Guaguancó (Copy) Guaguancó Guaguancó is the name of the rhythm the drummers are playing. This is the first painting I did after going to study music in Cuba for the first time. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. I studied with Cristobal Larrinaga, shown wearing green, looking at Pancho Quinto. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568697492873-71CHAUSLMIA788WNGMJO/Urban+Yemaya+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Yemaya en La Habana (Copy) Yemaya en La Habana This is a painting of a dancer invoking Yemayá, deity of the oceans. Even in a show, practitioners are sometimes mounted by their deities, and go into trance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543617282424-1JBSC3UE9JIW7Q8Z4EX5/003+the+other+guantanamo+.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - The Other Guantánamo (Copy) The Other Guantánamo These were some of the teachers I studied with in Guantánamo, eastern Cuba. I call it the Other Guantanamo, because most Americans only know about the American prison there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1553569790217-DZQAYNLTB6UY8YEDV4N1/Mani72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Maní (Copy) Maní This painting was inspired by a performance of one of the great rumba groups in Havana, Clave y Guaguancó. The title, “Maní” refers to the spilled peanuts in the foreground, which are sold on the streets day and night. The paper cone is called a cucurucho. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1553572266748-NJHSPT9196NVNCBN16IP/Rumba+Taller+Gr%C3%A1fica+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Rumba Taller Gráfica (Copy) Rumba Taller Gráfica This is a representation of Rumba Columbia, traditionally danced by men as a form of competition, not ulike break dancing. I call it Taller Gráfica because I added a graphic arts print shop in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1553570038510-U25QHNM4BE6CCE0X8R3R/Rumba+de+Noche+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Rumba de Noche (Copy) Rumba de Noche This is a fantasy painting of two dancers with a mysterious, looming shadow between them. Drummers in the background are barely visible as outlines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1553572316549-XO3BJTQZF2IVUQMF7748/Guardians+at+the+Gate+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - The Guardians at the Gate (Copy) The Guardians at the Gate Once I went to a party in Havana where the great female rumba band was in attendance. Significantly to me, they were not invited to play. I call this painting the Guardians at the Gate to signify the glass ceiling that still exists for female performers, though recently the glass has begun to crack. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1553574312068-U5VASO9T6FU8Y9PZYDFU/La+Caridad+de+Oriente72x7w.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - La Caridad de Oriente (Copy) La Caridad de Oriente This is a group called Caridad de Oriente rehearsing for Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba. They insisted on posing for me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1553572639276-ZYVR3N45QOXLY65U1JMC/Los+Tambores+de+Clave+y+Guaguanc%C3%B3+72x7w.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Los Tambores de Clave y Guaguancó (Copy) Los Tambores de Clave y Guaguancó This is a fantasy image of drums and performers after the show is over at Callejon Hammel, Havana. It includes drums painted by Salvador, and an offering for Ochun. During that performance the drummers pulled me in out of the sun, and I am pictured here in the green dress. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1553573374965-XNVW9BY5DOF1OYZVB0IO/Rumba+de+Caj%C3%B3n+72x7w.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Rumba de Cajón (Copy) Rumba de Cajón One day, after class at La ENA (Escuela Nacional de Arte), it was raining so hard that the rumba happened in the kitchen instead of its planned location in the neighborhood. I included tape recorders, which every student had, and a dessert, as well as a still life of batá and other drums in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1568696413013-CQM6SESGMPBUO2YWM27N/Oba+Guemilere72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - Oba Güemilere (Copy) Oba Güemilere Acrylic on Canvas, 48” X 72” Oba Guemilere means King of the Party in Lukumí, the creole language in Cuba. It is a depiction of a rumba in Callejón Hammel, a wide alley in Havana full of murals by Salvador, known for performances every Sunday afternoon. I was situated behind the drummers, looking out at the crowd. This image is available as a pigment print. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605764674752-14HQ6GBU12ADLXQRC9CP/African+Oya72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance - African Oya (Copy) African Oya Acrylic and Faux Gilding on Canvas, 84” X 48”, 2006 In 2004 I went to a village in Niger where my brother and his family were working on an agricultural project. I attended a dance and chose this pose to create an image that combines the sand of Niger with Cuban symbolism of Oya and Ochun. This image is available in pigment print with hand gilding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1612831142905-4STWE85PFBWXDXO9ANRC/La+Ola+de+Yemaya+72x7.jpg Galleries - Cuban Music and Dance La Ola de Yemaya Acrylic on Canvas, 48” X 72”, 1997 In the collection of Tracey Finger. Pigment Prints available This is a composite image from various photos I took in Havana. when I was studying music and dance there. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/sir-james-condi-exbbl monthly 0.5 2025-06-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1592520185959-JDEOVYERX53A4HPKPNYL/Hilda+72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Hilda la Obbini Omo Eleggua 2008, Acrylic on Canvas, 68” X 48” Hilda Zulueta adopted our team of artists, saying she wanted us to tell the world about Perico and its Arará traditions. This painting is life size, and commemorates the day she took us to visit a sacred site in a sugar cane field. I have depicted her holding an African gourd, releasing white butterflies to symbolize the release of her ancestors from the fields where they were enslaved. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1552948595693-PMLZRKZDXRGDX5SAE56U/El+Cabildo+De+Ma+Gose7x72.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Cabildo de Ma Gose 2013, Acrylic on Canvas, 67” X 54” This is an image of a cabildo in an isolated town called Agramonte, in Matanzas province, Cuba. It has been continually in use as a ceremonial center since it was established by enslaved Africans. The sacred drums in the foreground are still played on special occasions. Some of the objects are said to have come directly from Africa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544229976786-Z3RL4TCFJ8FWII8LTVAS/The+Story+of+Odu+Aremu72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin The Story of Oddu Aremu 2010, Acrylic on Canvas, 67” X 54” Oddu Aremu is an Arará deity syncretized with the Lukumi deity Obatalá. The story in Perico goes that Oddu wanted to swim back to Africa. His entry point was Laguna Ramona, a small spring near the sugar refinery called España. The Africans begged him to stay, singing and leading him back to the refinery by covering his path with white sheets strewn with his favorite herb. One day Justo Zulueta was walking near Laguna Ramon, when he was mysteriously pulled into the lake. Although he was afraid of water and couldn't swim, Justo emerged 45 minutes later with Oddu Aremu’s favorite herb in his mouth. This confirmed that Oddu still lived in the lake, and this is how Justo received Oddu Aremu. He then was led back to the refinery just as Oddu had been, walking barefoot on the white sheets strewn with herbs, as the people of the town sang Oddu’s special songs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1721608688398-E4IZ2Q5CBLLYOM4R35BX/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin - El Leopardo de Josefina Tarafa (Copy) El Leopardo de Josefina Tarafa Acrylic on Canvas, 55" X 41", 2024 In the shrine for Justo Zulueta in Perico, Matanzas, Cuba, hangs a leopard skin brought as a gift by Josefina Tarafa, partner of Lydia Cabrera. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605763995705-2IEX9NBRI9HVFVGIK0BW/Justo%27s+Chair+72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Justo's Chair 2010, Acrylic on Canvas, 67” X 54” This chair belonged to “Difunto Justo Zulueta”, and still can be seen in a shrine kept by his son, Reinaldo Robinson. (Robinson is now deceased) Legend has it that Justo fathered 44 children by different women, literally making him father of Perico. He received Oddu Aremou (Arará deity syncretized with Babaluaye) in a small lake called Laguna Ramona, just outside Perico. Oddu Aremou is said to live in the lake to this day, but no one receives him anymore because knowledge of his ritual ceremonies have been lost. I gave Reinaldo a print of this painting, and he instructed me to stand it up in the chair, where it can be seen today at the shrine in Perico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605763169524-C3H5DWC1NQDNF4IJQI57/Roberto%2BIn%2BPerico72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Altar for Roberto 2016, Acrylic on Canvas, 36.5” X 26.5” Roberto Pedroso García was born Colón, a town near Perico, where our artists’ research project called Secrets Under the Skin was based. Roberto was one of our important Cuban collaborators. He was a spiritual practitioner, an altar maker, and one of the best people I have ever known. He passed away in Havana in 2016. This painting shows him standing in front of a ceremonial table setting in Perico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544229989236-SIM448RUNQF546ZSA81B/Dashi%27s+Togbi+Shrine72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Dashi's Togbui Shrine 2014, Acrylic on Canvas, 72” X 54” This is Dashi, a powerful priestess in Dzodze, Ghana. She is pictured in her sacred hut with the deity Togbui, taking the form of the painted mound. Dashi invited us for a blessing inside the shrine. Togbui is syncretized with the Lukumi Babuluaye, deity of sickness and health. Dashi had to obtain special permission from Togbui to allow me to paint this picture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1609828367965-HBOTFT25E4J5BVM45VW5/Dashi+at+the+Nubuke+in+Accra%2C+Ghana72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Photo by SM, 2013, Accrá, Ghana This is Dashi, high priestess of the traditional village of Dzodze, Ghana, standing in front of her portrait at our installation at the Nubuke Foundation in Accrá, Ghana. Dashi and many of the spiritual practitioners from Dzode attended and performed at the opening of the exhibit. They were thrilled to see themselves in paint, video and photography. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605762464014-AC0NICKQ6YIN2I2KYP6K/The+Women+of+Dzodze+72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin - The Women of Dzodze (Copy) The Women of Dzodze Print available 2010, Acrylic on Canvas, 67” X 54” This painting shows Dashi, a priestess in Dzodze, Ghana, with two other women, looking at photos from Perico, Cuba. Our project established communication between the two communities in order to illuminate specific aspects of spiritual culture from the Volta Region that had been saved in Cuba. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605762440025-MTUT7QVIYKS3VPFNKFY9/Robinson%27s+Evidence72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Robinson’s Evidence 2013, Acrylic on Canvas, 67” X 54” Reynaldo Robinson was the keeper of a shrine for his father, who is still known as Difunto Justo Zulueta, (Justo Zulueta RIP), in Perico. Robinson lived in the two room shrine. The other room is depicted in “Robinson’s House”. In this painting Robinson is looking at photos we brought from the Volta Region of Ghana/Togo which illustrate aspects of the spiritual traditions that are also practiced in Perico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1552950902261-PJZT83AJKVYZGI79L9T1/Adgodogou.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Afeli, Guardian of the House, Adjodogou, Togo 2015, Acrylic on Canvas, 72” X 53”, This image haunted me until I finally painted it, two years after I was actually in the village. I was impressed by the orderly atmosphere, where everyone seemed to have their role in the functioning of the village. We visited small farms and coconut groves surrounding Adjodogou, and we were able to see sacred drums and danced ritual. Afeli is a protective deity represented by the mound in the foreground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1552950229730-Q4COHSHR7MOJ0XPPU1J2/All+Shall+Pass+72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin All Shall Pass 2014, Acrylic with Metal Leaf on Canvas, 72” X 54” This image depicts a ritual we were invited to attend in a village outside Accra, Ghana. Everyone was required to wear ”cloth”, or, to wrap themselves in traditional cloth. The dancer has covered his head to protect himself from spirits that might come down. He is lighting gunpowder in order to change the atmosphere to invite the deities to make an appearance. The phrase “All Shall Pass” was written on the wall. For the painting, I intensified the warm red color of the wall, and isolated the dancer who was lighting the gunpowder. In reality, the space was crowded with participants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1636390791487-A7D8B5TG9F5U7KYJ1EVU/Maria+Eugenia+Prepares+the+Awan72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544230022470-PATDJIERDF35ZCS3H958/Ahi+Vive+Agguiday72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin - Ahí Vive Aguidday (Copy) Ahí Vive Aguidday 2010, Watercolor and Sumi Ink on Rag Paper, 22” X 17” The original 20 “Illumnated Manuscripts” have been acquired by the Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami Library. Individual pieces are available in pigment print format on 100% rag paper. The text in this piece is an excerpt from an interview with Hilda Zulueta in which she tells of beings that live in three sacred wells in Perico, Cuba. The wells as have been sealed, and Hilda describes some of the negative things that happened as a result. “A statue of Christ the Savior was knocked down, a plane crashed, and many people died because the wells were sealed and no one was feeding those beings”, she said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544230036759-DZL99R1U5UBCD3XKPS65/The+Cockroach+Manuscript72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin The Cockroach Manuscript 2010, Sumi ink and Watercolor on Paper, 22’ X 17” Hilda Zulueta tells the story of how enslaved Africans brought their deities to Cuba. She talks about a lagoon that was transformed into a sacred dwelling place for Oddu Aremu. She relates a local myth about Justo Zulueta being pulled mysteriously into the lagoon and emerging with the deity and its favorite herbs. The people then knew that Oddu Aremu lived in the lagoon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544230030406-7XWWVIHNSTDUUCLE06Q5/Casa+de+Prieto72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Casa de Prieto 2010, Watercolor and Sumi Ink on Rag Paper, 22” X 17” Prieto Angarica presides over Sociedad Africana in Perico. In this manuscript Prieto and other people present at the interview describe how their lives depend on the continuation of traditions practiced by their ancestors. Prieto talks about the mystery of the drums, and how in celebrations for the deities, the drums can be heard all the way to the refinery (España). But when they play for ‘eggun’ (ancestors), the drums cannot be heard, although they are played the same way. “They remain silent because we are playing for Eggun”, he said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605762423786-RK7WII26BR7YXCAWCD3R/Offering+for+Hilda+72X7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Ofrenda Para Hilda 2010, Watercolor, Sumi Ink, and metal leaf on Paper, 22” X 17” This started out as a story told by Hilda Zulueta about her reluctance to fall into trance during ceremonies. In this case the artwork took another path and became an offering for Hilda, which obscured some of the text. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605762537825-VJRPFFIEJOQUD9B7R1FM/Ma+Florentina%27s+Dress72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Ma Forentina’s Dress 2010, Watercolor, Ink and metal leaf on Paper, 22” X 17” This manuscript contains fragments of a story told by Hilda Zulueta about how her memories of Arará are fading due to age. The actual dress can be seen in Museo Barredo Guerra in Perico. It belonged to Ma Florentina, a Dahomean princess taken as a slave to harvest sugar cane at Central Esapña, a refinery near Perico. A print of this manuscript was gifted to the museum and hangs beside the dress in the museum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605762670873-7MM6BSQ54IZARIK4JEOM/Ceiba+and+Baobab72x7.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Ceiba and Baobab 2010, Watercolor and Sumi Ink on Rag Paper, 22” X 17” Reinaldo Robinson tells a story in 2006 about how enslaved Africans kept as close as possible to their traditions, but they made substitutions, using plants and trees available in Cuba. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1609826319552-642A5IB4UHG0EKECUOCN/Catalina+Frequete.jpg Galleries - Secrets Under the Skin Catalina Frekete 2010, Watercolor and Sumi Ink on Paper, 22” X 17” This is a story about Catalina Frekete, told by her great grand daughter. Catalina Frekete was an enslaved African woman who lived in Perico. She was very tall and strong and worked hard raising pigs and cutting cane in order to buy her children’s freedom. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/day-of-the-dead-installations-x7nea monthly 0.5 2025-07-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1748149267203-KR2RFG5QMOMMCNL0IAAO/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - Earthly Treasures, 54" X 40.5, 2024 Acrylic on canvas (Copy) Earthly Treasures 54" X 40.5, 2024 Acrylic on canvas Earthly Treasures was part of an installation I did at South Broadway Cultural Center in Albuquerque in 2024. The installation contained images of my deceased family members, while the painting is situated on the ruins of an imaginary site full of personal items. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1748150174171-X8K311WLU775MO8QG49F/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - Earthly Treasures Installation, 2024 (Copy) Earthly Treasures Installation, 2024 My Day of the Dead installation at South Broadway Cultural Center, Albuquerque, included images of my parents and grandmother, a dear friend recently departed, and a 3 dimensional skeleton that had been made from a plaster cast of my own body. Of course, there were offerings of wine, chili, salt, sugar and spices. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1700074296592-3JLQVMC7U3L5GX6IQHLA/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - Cenote installation at Davies Symphony Hall, November 2023, curated by Martha Rodroguez-Salazar. (Copy) Cenote installation at Davies Symphony Hall, November 2023, curated by Martha Rodroguez-Salazar. This 2023 interactive installation was an embellished version of my 2022 Water Altar. It became a cenote, complete with spirit quetzal birds and objects thrown in as offerings to Chaac, including a full sized skeleton painted on a plaster cast of my own body, only visible if you looked inside the altar. Visitors were invited to leave a note (on a post-it) with an offering for Chaac and a request for something they would receive in return. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1748271818751-RR0JM3P8UHSW8KUC3C39/image-asset.jpg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - Cenote, 2023 (Copy) Cenote, 2023 This is the back panel of the Cenote installation. It was shown in 2022 with the Marigold Project, at the Exploratorium and La Raza Park. For 2023 it morphed into a Cenote, in which precious objects, including a skeleton (from a plaster cast) have been offered to Chaac the rain deity, in hopes that he might provide rain to grow maize. The photo shows the piece under construction, but some photos from its last iteration can be viewed in this gallery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695703785187-K8KGY3C74YOAYAA6J5OW/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - Inner panel of Water Altar, 2022, Plywood and latex paint, 8' X 8' X 2'. (Copy) Inner panel of Water Altar, 2022, Plywood and latex paint, 8' X 8' X 2'. As viewed through the front panel cut-out. The reverse side of the front panel is painted yellow, enabling outdoor daylight to turn the image various shades of green as the sun illuminates the panel throughout the day. This panel has been modified for its 2023 debut as a cenote. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1748322033593-JJJ8OQDB7A0SXM4KM80G/image-asset.jpg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - The artist crowned. (Copy) The artist crowned. In At La Raza Park, San Francisco, people were photographed in front of the piece so that they appeared to wear a crown of light. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695704072387-UXGBITLRE5YEZOLF5JFZ/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - Water Altar at Night, 2022 (Copy) Water Altar at Night, 2022 In At La Raza Park, the altar became a chapel. Inside, between the two panels was a reflecting pool with candles and marigolds. When darkness fell, lanterns were installed inside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695702376220-940XJT8SPQDHNF84S5HG/Installing+Air+Altar72x8.jpg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - Altar for Air, 2023 8'X4' plywood panels and mixed media. Photo by Ingrid Becker (Copy) Altar for Air, 2023 8'X4' plywood panels and mixed media. Photo by Ingrid Becker Altar for Air (shown under construction) was one of six altars installed at the Exploratorium for Día de los Muertos 2023. Curated by Rosa deAnda of the Marigold Project. To be installed at La Raza Park on Nov. 2. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695703178658-J75OURORBUGIXJUDBHUA/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations - Altar for Air (Copy) Altar for Air The Air Room was meant to be shimmering and cool. The Mayans used wind in their rituals, believing it to be the sacred breath of God. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1696045702281-0HC49SEP3W1IJF5F7CK6/air+altar.jpg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations On the table sits a large silver plate, apparently empty, but filled with air. White spirit quetzal birds adorn the inner space, while fans adorn the outside walls. Everything refers to air. An electric fan was installed above to create a light wind inside and keep the curtains in constant motion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1696045702030-UV1YZ8OKU5T7C5DX8FD0/Cloud+panel.jpg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations These are the inner walls of the Air altar under construction in my studio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1696045703842-RYUGC9URUMRSAXA9U23F/Wind+Breath+of+God.jpg Galleries - Day of the Dead Installations These are the outer walls of the Air altar. The clouds contain the Mayan glyph for wind. https://www.susanmatthewsgallery.com/artists/emily-london-axkkp monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1748150693410-5EGHVIFU96ZAWLKFUPE0/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - The Stash, 26" X 20",Acrylic on Canvas, 2025, In the collection of Mady and rob Kimmich (Copy) The Stash, 26" X 20",Acrylic on Canvas, 2025, In the collection of Mady and Rob Kimmich There is a place in Sandoval County, New Mexico, called Ojito Wilderness. It is full of dried things, dead things, and living rocks. As in many of the places I have hiked in New Mexico, it is filled with evidence of human occupation. Occasionally part of a stone wall shows itself, a few pot sherds baked in the sun for a thousand years, a mound that indicates a structure covered by a millennium of wind and sand. There is a continuity in the cultural artifacts of then and now, which is indicated by the necklaces placed on the stone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1748150693410-5EGHVIFU96ZAWLKFUPE0/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - The Stash, 26" X 20",Acrylic on Canvas, 2025, In the collection of Mady and rob Kimmich (Copy) (Copy) The Stash, 26" X 20",Acrylic on Canvas, 2025, In the collection of Mady and rob Kimmich There is a place in Sandoval County, New Mexico, called Ojito Wilderness. It is full of dried things, dead things, and living rocks. As in many of the places I have hiked in New Mexico, it is filled with evidence of human occupation. Occasionally part of a stone wall shows itself, a few pot sherds baked in the sun for a thousand years, a mound that indicates a structure covered by a millennium of wind and sand. There is a continuity in the cultural artifacts of then and now, which is indicated by the necklaces placed on the stone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1748183902337-ZC8QZ46FS32EWJVF72QO/image-asset.jpg Galleries - New Work - Dawn on the Fourth Mesa, Acrylic on canvas, 45" X 34", 2024 (Copy) (Copy) Dawn on the Fourth Mesa, Acrylic on canvas, 45" X 34", 2024 There is a remote place in Central New Mexico called Cuba Badlands. It is full of the most astonishing landforms. This paintings is true to the dawn I experienced, except that I added petroglyps to the rocks. This series shows the presence of humans, dating from thousands of years ago to the rusted cans of recent visitors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/947da5a0-8de0-4c25-8e8f-b69110cb9983/Nogales+Cliff+Dwelling72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work Nogales Cliff Dwelling, 2025 20" X 26", Acrylic on canvas In a remote canyon in the Santa Fe National Forest, the mysterious Gallina people built stone dwellngs and towers between 1100-1275. This painting is a depiction of the Nogales Cliff Dwelling, a well preserved example of their architecture. Because it is in a rock shelter a lot of the stucco is still visible. You can even see fingerprints left by the people who built the walls. Although the spiral is a ubiquitous symbol in rock art all over the Southwest, the spiral on this wall is recent graffiti. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1721607872660-NT63YAAZQTS4SZEVFMC8/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Lingering Histories, Acrylic on Canvas, 45" X 33", 2024 (Copy) (Copy) Lingering Histories, Acrylic on Canvas, 45" X 33", 2024 A conglomeration of images including petroglyps from Three Rivers, Tularosa NM. I have added Jack Smith into the images pecked in stone because adding a contemporary image to an ancient scenario seems to put everything in the perspective of geologic time. The grid symbolizes the building of cities. You could be looking at Albuquerque or an ancient Anasazi city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/b75586b3-590a-490b-a06a-32ac987210c0/Pecos+72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work Pecos, 2025, 20'"X 26", Acrylic on canvas Pecos is a site that contains the remains of two huge Spanish adobe churches and numerous stone walls, rooms and kivas of the Ancestral Pueblo people. It was a dynamic crossroads and marketplace for Plains tribes, Ancestral Pueblo people, Spanish, and even French traders, until the 1680 revolt, when the Pueblo people expelled the Spanish. The knotted cords in the foreground commemorate the communication system utilized to count the days leading to the revolt. One knot was untied each day and when last knot was untied the revolt would take place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1721607663281-SOPPKB7FDOHSE8V1F3CN/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - The Road to Marfa (Copy) (Copy) The Road to Marfa Acrylic on Canvas , 23" X 38", 2024 Just beyond the road you will find the magic of the desert but almost never without the influence of humans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/bfd7c528-d6eb-47c8-92e8-ae6ef75a00ac/Gallina+Stones72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work Gallina Stones, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 20" X 26" This painting is an interpretation of a stone structure set in place by the Gallina people a thousand years ago in what is now the Santa Fe National Forest.. The six burnt trees refer to poles visible in the Nogales cliff dwelling above. Very often when village sites were abandoned they were burned. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1748183902337-ZC8QZ46FS32EWJVF72QO/image-asset.jpg Galleries - New Work - Dawn on the Fourth Mesa, Acrylic on canvas, 45" X 34", 2024 (Copy) Dawn on the Fourth Mesa, Acrylic on canvas, 45" X 34", 2024 There is a remote place in Central New Mexico called Cuba Badlands that is full of astonishing landforms. This paintings is true to the dawn I experienced, except that I added petroglyps to the rocks. This series shows the presence of humans, dating from thousands of years ago to the rusted cans of recent visitors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1701365288465-BJ8IU2UPCHRBWBLERXEJ/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - El Bosque (Copy) (Copy) El Bosque 34” X 54” 2023 Acrylic on Canvas, Available “El Bosque” is what they call the cottonwood forest along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1721607872660-NT63YAAZQTS4SZEVFMC8/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Lingering Histories, Acrylic on Canvas, 45" X 33", 2024 (Copy) Lingering Histories, Acrylic on Canvas, 45" X 33", 2024 This painting combines a view of Albuquerque from the Sandia foothills with petroglyps from Three Rivers, Tularosa NM. All of the petroglyps are accurate except the portrait of Jack Smith that I added into the ancient images pecked in stone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695743960487-9OB59EH18F5COP56Z7XB/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Badwater (Copy) (Copy) Badwater 42” X 32”, Acrylic on canvas Badwater is a salt pan in Death Valley. I stood at this eerie and beautiful place on New Year’s Eve, 2022, at dusk, as a storm was approaching. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1721607663281-SOPPKB7FDOHSE8V1F3CN/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - The Road to Marfa (Copy) The Road to Marfa, 2024 Acrylic on Canvas , 23" X 38" Just beyond the road you will find the magic of the desert but almost never without the influence of humans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695699586072-NKSH2MZ0R6AOJ0Q90CD6/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Mojave Road (Copy) (Copy) Mojave Road 42” X 32” Available in Pigment Print In the Mojave, from the road, looking off at a dry lake. The light in the sky in not an exaggeration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1701365288465-BJ8IU2UPCHRBWBLERXEJ/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - El Bosque (Copy) El Bosque, 2023 Acrylic on Canvas, Available in pigment print “El Bosque” is what people call the cottonwood forest along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695699934159-ZYBFAIAOUWC5JKYY1LEJ/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Cedar Canyon (Copy) (Copy) Cedar Canyon 43” X 33”, Acrylic on Canvas, 2023 Available in Original and Print Cedar Canyon is in the Mojave National Preserve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695743960487-9OB59EH18F5COP56Z7XB/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Badwater (Copy) Badwater, 2023, 42” X 32”, Acrylic on canvas Badwater is a salt pan in Death Valley. I stood at this eerie and beautiful place on New Year’s Eve, 2022, at dusk, as a storm was approaching. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695700166259-WFK7WO5VK5CNMQBU6CUM/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Tomb for Gina Mahsa Amini (Copy) (Copy) Tomb for Gina Mahsa Amini 42” X 32”, Acrylic on Canvas Available in original and print This is a reaction to the death of Gina Mahsa Amini in 2022. It is an imaginary image of Iranian women’s traditional position in society and family, the throwing off of the veils, fires in the street, and the cooling waters of hope and change. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695699586072-NKSH2MZ0R6AOJ0Q90CD6/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Mojave Road (Copy) Mojave Road, 2023 42” X 32” Available in Pigment Print I saw this landscape while driving out in the Mojave Desert. Any sky you can dream up, nature can top it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1637790290379-K8YD7Z0NFJX3YMMPEXIC/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Under the Rug (Copy) (Copy) Under the Rug Acrylic on Canvas, 41” X 27”, 2019 Pigment prints available. This painting was on view through January 2021 at the DeYoung Open, a comprehensive showcase of Bay Area contemporary art. It started out as a grudging complaint about how people often shove controversial and interesting facts and ideas under the rug, preferring to see only the pristine white couch, a symbol of everything right in life. It was also a response to having been displaced from my live/work studio of 24 years. The objects under the rug are my possessions, now in storage. As hurricanes and floods appeared in the news, I flooded the foreground, and the painting morphed into a more universal image representing displacement of people all over the world as a result of climate change. The white couch can now be read as a symbol of safety and serenity in the midst of global chaos. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695699934159-ZYBFAIAOUWC5JKYY1LEJ/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Cedar Canyon (Copy) Cedar Canyon, 2023 43” X 33”, Acrylic on Canvas Available in Original and Print Cedar Canyon is a complicated landscape in the Mojave National Preserve. This painting shows some of the variety found in the Mojave desert in spring. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1642221389908-OG7NHLO6O5QOD1H1V4LE/Layover+72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work - Layover, 42" X 27", Acrylic on canvas, 2021 (Copy) (Copy) Layover, 42" X 27", Acrylic on canvas, 2021 The deserts were once inland seas. Dry lakes fill up in winter. Pelicans don’t go inland, so what are these guys doing out there? Are they sitting in puddles or are the puddles really mirages? The flags implicate politics in the water crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1695700166259-WFK7WO5VK5CNMQBU6CUM/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Tomb for Gina Mahsa Amini (Copy) Tomb for Gina Mahsa Amini, 2022 42” X 32”, Acrylic on Canvas Available in original and print This is a response to the death of Gina Mahsa Amini in 2022. It is an imaginary image of Iranian women’s traditional role in the architecture of society and family, the throwing off of their veils, fires in the street, and the cooling waters of hope and change. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1665784542298-RZ7TCREIB15E1CNC2GI5/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Among Friends, 42" B 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 (Copy) (Copy) Among Friends, 42" B 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 Available This is a depiction of the January 6 insurrection at the capitol. The central image remains white, as a symbol of democracy. In the foreground people are pulling apart the barriers as if there were no method to their madness. If this had been painted in 1968 it may have been interpreted as a protest against the Vietnam war. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1637790290379-K8YD7Z0NFJX3YMMPEXIC/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Under the Rug (Copy) Under the Rug, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas, 41” X 27” Pigment prints available. This painting was on view through January 2021 at the DeYoung Open, a comprehensive showcase of Bay Area contemporary art. It is a grudging complaint about how people shove controversial facts and ideas under the rug, preferring to see the pristine white couch, a symbol of everything right in life. It morphed into an image of eviction from my live/work studio of 24 years. As hurricanes and floods appeared in the news, I flooded the foreground, and the painting came to represent displacement of people all over the world as a result of climate change and war. The white couch could also be read as a symbol of safety and serenity in the midst of global chaos. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1665783382464-HHTQZE6S8AGJHXACS6XP/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Pysanky for Ukraine, 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 (Copy) (Copy) Pysanky for Ukraine, 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 Available This is a depiction of a Pysanky easter egg. Decorating eggs in complicated wax resist patterns and colors, often using traditional designs, is a folk art in Ukraine. In this image the egg is a symbol of the Ukrainian spirit rising above the ruins of their cities and towns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1642221389908-OG7NHLO6O5QOD1H1V4LE/Layover+72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work - Layover, 42" X 27", Acrylic on canvas, 2021 (Copy) Layover, 2021, 42" X 27", Acrylic on canvas, The deserts were once inland seas. Dry lakes fill up in winter. Pelicans don’t go inland, so are they sitting in puddles or are the puddles just mirages in the desert? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1665784088232-K51O9BE9842QBD5S7GTD/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - The Call, 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 (Copy) (Copy) The Call, 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 Available This is a commemorative portrait of Papo Angarica, an important person in the traditional cultural life of Pedro Betancourt, Cuba. It was originally done for a show in the museum there, but the show was cancelled. It shows Papo Angarica being called by his ancestors, as if their fingers were leaving marks in the sand as they pull him toward them. Papo passed away a week after I met him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1665784542298-RZ7TCREIB15E1CNC2GI5/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Among Friends, 42" B 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 (Copy) Among Friends, 2022 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas This is a depiction of the January 6 insurrection at the capitol. The central image remains white, as a symbol of democracy. In the foreground people are pulling apart the barriers as if there were no method to their madness. If this had been painted in 1968 it may have been interpreted as a protest against the Vietnam war. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1637789552991-9MKQ4SHD2FPQWK4RUQAK/The+Flood+72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work - The Flood (Copy) (Copy) The Flood Available 32” X 44”, Acrylic on canvas, 2017 This painting is an imaginary depiction of the floods and devastation brought by hurricane María to the Caribbean, especially Puerto Rico in 2017. The waters rise and enter a colonial era courtyard, dragging memories, clothing, and architectural elements from outside to inside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1665783382464-HHTQZE6S8AGJHXACS6XP/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Pysanky for Ukraine, 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 (Copy) Pysanky for Ukraine, 2022 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas This is a depiction of a Pysanky easter egg. Decorating eggs in wax resist patterns is a folk art in Ukraine. In this image the egg is a symbol of the Ukrainian spirit rising above the ruins of their cities and towns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604890196152-8Q4U2YWUH1OTLB0V360X/White+Chair72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work The White Chair 2017, Acrylic on Canvas, 41” X 27” Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. This is a depiction of a garden at the now defunct sugar refinery, “Cuba Libre”, in San Pedro Betancourt, Matanzas Province, Cuba. My friend Pupy has lived in the gardener’s quarters for most of is life. The refinery was owned by the father of Josefina Tarafas, partner of Lidia Cabrera, a well known Cuban historian who lived in the main house during the 1960s. Josefina and Lidia collected work songs that can be found today on Smithsonian recordings. The painting shows a white chair, which is an invocation to the ancestors. The rice and nine small water gourds are offerings to the ancestors which are devoured daily by local cats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1665784088232-K51O9BE9842QBD5S7GTD/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - The Call, 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas, 2022 (Copy) The Call, 2022 42" X 27", acrylic on canvas This is a commemorative portrait of Papo Angarica, an important person in the traditional cultural life of Pedro Betancourt, Cuba. It shows Papo Angarica being called by his ancestors, as if their fingers were leaving marks in the sand as they pull him toward eternity. Papo passed away a week after I met him. His friend asked me to paint a portrait of him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1664814178381-0VVUODLGF2BAG6T59SHV/Flooded%2BKite%2BFest72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - Flooded Kite Fest (Copy) (Copy) Flooded Kite Fest Acrylic on Canvas, 41” X 27”, 2017, Available This was my first attempt at a commission for the city of San Ramon, to commemorate their annual kite festival. It was rejected because the faces on the kites were too scary. That was my favorite part, so I kept the painting and continued working on it. There were hurricanes and floods in the Caribbean that year, so I recorded them in the painting. The accepted version hangs in the civic center in San Ramon. This painting is available. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1637789552991-9MKQ4SHD2FPQWK4RUQAK/The+Flood+72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work - The Flood (Copy) The Flood, 2017 32” X 44”, Acrylic on canvas, 2017 This painting is an imaginary depiction of the floods and devastation brought by hurricane María to the Caribbean, especially Puerto Rico in 2017. The waters rise and enter a colonial era courtyard, dragging memories, clothing, and architectural elements from outside to inside, inside to outside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1637791142273-01C8XNJ25IVPPPKPR56F/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Nina Menendez (Copy) (Copy) Nina Menendez 42” X 27”, Acrylic on Canvas, 2021 Print available This portrait of Bay Area Flamenco lover and promoter, Nina Menendez, was commissioned by her. She is shown hosting a flamenco party in her backyard, welcoming the dancers and musicians with a string of lights from the roof. The original painting is in her collection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604890196152-8Q4U2YWUH1OTLB0V360X/White+Chair72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work The White Chair 2017, Acrylic on Canvas, 41” X 27” Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. This is a depiction of a garden at the now defunct sugar refinery, “Cuba Libre”, in San Pedro Betancourt, Matanzas Province, Cuba. My friend Pupy has lived in the gardener’s quarters for most of is life. The refinery was owned by the father of Josefina Tarafas, partner of Lidia Cabrera, a well known Cuban historian who lived in the main house during the 1960s. Josefina and Lidia collected work songs that can be found today on Smithsonian recordings. The painting shows a white chair, which is an invocation to the ancestors. The rice and nine small water gourds are offerings to the ancestors which are devoured daily by local cats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604108017599-BJHMX1XR0ALE6FVER0AF/Parallels+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work Parallels Acrylic on Canvas, 36” X 24”, 2020 Original painting and pigment prints available. The figures in this image were attendees at DAK’ART, the Biennale in Dakar, Senegal. I situated them together in the surrounding desert, with a baobab forest in the background. The title, refers to their parallel lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1664814178381-0VVUODLGF2BAG6T59SHV/Flooded%2BKite%2BFest72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - Flooded Kite Fest (Copy) Flooded Kite Fest Acrylic on Canvas, 41” X 27”, 2017, Available This was my first attempt at a commission for the city of San Ramon, to commemorate their annual kite festival. It was rejected because the faces on the kites were too scary. That was my favorite part, so I kept the painting and continued working on it. There were hurricanes and floods in the Caribbean that year, so I recorded them in the painting. The accepted version hangs in the civic center in San Ramon. This painting is available. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1610563082326-RWO77RNQ2UCU8L79J3HK/Eleggua+Palmira+72x7+2.jpg Galleries - New Work Eleggua Palmira Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2019 Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. This painting was done for Carolyn Brandy’s Born to Drum women’s drum camp. The image was based on photos and memories we both had of a fantastic eleggua dancer in Palmira, Cuba. Since it was a women’s drum camp we changed the images of drummers to women! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1637791142273-01C8XNJ25IVPPPKPR56F/image-asset.jpeg Galleries - New Work - Nina Menendez (Copy) Nina Menendez 42” X 27”, Acrylic on Canvas, 2021 Print available This portrait of Bay Area Flamenco lover and promoter, Nina Menendez, was commissioned by her. She is shown hosting a flamenco party in her backyard, welcoming the dancers and musicians with a string of lights from the roof. The original painting is in her collection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605735101903-GCPDVGTQ2QY7MK86ZLBC/La+Ochun+de+Midiales+72x7+2.jpg Galleries - New Work - La Ochun de Midiales (Copy) (Copy) La Ochun de Midiales Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2016 Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. In Perico, Matanzas Province, Cuba, Midiales invited me to see her altar for Ochun. Midiales is holding her Ochun doll in her lap. Dolls representing deities are common in Cuba, and are dressed in their symbolic colors. Ochun is the deity of love and the owner of rivers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604108017599-BJHMX1XR0ALE6FVER0AF/Parallels+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work Parallels Acrylic on Canvas, 36” X 24”, 2020 Original painting and pigment prints available. The figures in this image were attendees at DAK’ART, the Biennale in Dakar, Senegal. I situated them together in the surrounding desert, with a baobab forest in the background. The title, refers to their parallel lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605734184424-3G1GWG1940T5YG6O35NY/Eva+Prepares+Casava+in+Dzodze%2C+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - Eva Prepares Casava in Dzodze (Copy) (Copy) Eva Prepares Casava in Dzodze Print available Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2019 Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. As part of the Secrets Under the Skin project, I traveled to Dzodze, a traditional village in the Volta Region of Ghana. In a sacred hut I witnessed a woman named Eva as she prepared Casava for the village. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1610563082326-RWO77RNQ2UCU8L79J3HK/Eleggua+Palmira+72x7+2.jpg Galleries - New Work Eleggua Palmira Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2019 Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. This painting was done for Carolyn Brandy’s Born to Drum women’s drum camp. The image was based on photos and memories we both had of a fantastic eleggua dancer in Palmira, Cuba. Since it was a women’s drum camp we changed the images of drummers to women! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604107998582-18BVV55MBQXILSFC46A4/Maria+Eugenia+Prepares+the+Awan72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - María Eugenia Prepares the Awan (Copy) (Copy) María Eugenia Prepares the Awan Acrylic on Canvas, 18” X 24”, 2019 Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. Every December in Perico, Matanzas Province, Cuba, a ceremony called the Awan is celebrated. María Eugenia oversees the preparation of the food that will be offered to the ancestors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605735101903-GCPDVGTQ2QY7MK86ZLBC/La+Ochun+de+Midiales+72x7+2.jpg Galleries - New Work - La Ochun de Midiales (Copy) La Ochun de Midiales Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2016 Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. In Perico, Matanzas Province, Cuba, Midiales invited me to see her altar for Ochun. Midiales is holding her Ochun doll in her lap. Dolls representing deities are common in Cuba, and are dressed in their symbolic colors. Ochun is the deity of love and the owner of rivers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543622106061-ALPB7SHROH8NDFTCB8FC/Amadou+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work Portrait of Amadou Thiam Acrylic on Canvas, 48” X 16”, 2018 This painting was gifted to Amadou during the 2018 Dak’Art Biennale Amadou Yassine Thiam is a Senegalese art dealer specializing in ancient and contemporary African art. He invited me to exhibit at Galerie Yassine Art for the Dakar Biennale, (DAK’ART), in 2016 and 2018. DAK’ART is the biggest international art event in Africa. This is a portrait I did as a gift for him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605734184424-3G1GWG1940T5YG6O35NY/Eva+Prepares+Casava+in+Dzodze%2C+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - Eva Prepares Casava in Dzodze (Copy) Eva Prepares Casava in Dzodze Print available Acrylic on Canvas, 24” X 18”, 2019 Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. As part of the Secrets Under the Skin project, I traveled to Dzodze, a traditional village in the Volta Region of Ghana. In a sacred hut I witnessed a woman named Eva as she prepared Casava for the village. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543622398110-54ZD75GT5B0VHH412PXI/Amadou+with+portriat72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work Amadou Thiam is a collector and dealer of ancient and contemporary African art. He hosts an exhibition at Galerie Yassine during the Dak’Art Biennale in Dakar, Senegal. This is Amadou with his granddaughter, holding the portrait I did for him as a gift. I showed my work at Galerie Yassine for the biennale in 2016 and 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604107998582-18BVV55MBQXILSFC46A4/Maria+Eugenia+Prepares+the+Awan72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - María Eugenia Prepares the Awan (Copy) María Eugenia Prepares the Awan Acrylic on Canvas, 18” X 24”, 2019 Original Painting and Pigment Prints available. Every December in Perico, Matanzas Province, Cuba, a ceremony called the Awan is celebrated. María Eugenia oversees the preparation of the food that will be offered to the ancestors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605743462311-PDBEA1IJTFYGTZFQNUA8/Hunter%27s+Jury+photo.jpg Galleries - New Work - Hunter's Jury (Copy) (Copy) Hunter's Jury Sold 2012-1018, Acrylic on Canvas, 48” X 108” A few of these portraits are available as pigment prints. Hunter Pyle, lawyer in Oakland, California purchased 13 of my Oakland portraits as a representation of a jury for his conference room. (Alternate juror not shown). Please see 99 Portraits gallery on this website. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543622106061-ALPB7SHROH8NDFTCB8FC/Amadou+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work Portrait of Amadou Thiam Acrylic on Canvas, 48” X 16”, 2018 This painting was gifted to Amadou during the 2018 Dak’Art Biennale Amadou Yassine Thiam is a Senegalese art dealer specializing in ancient and contemporary African art. He invited me to exhibit at Galerie Yassine Art for the Dakar Biennale, (DAK’ART), in 2016 and 2018. DAK’ART is the biggest international art event in Africa. This is a portrait I did as a gift for him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544514034447-U2IPIJIQI8OA2J410CYQ/The+Madonna+of+30th+Avenue72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - The Madonna of 30th Avenue (Copy) (Copy) The Madonna of 30th Avenue Print available Acrylic on Canvas, 41” X 27”, 2018 Pigment prints available. This is a portrait of Lisa Valenzuela and her baby, Sella. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1543622398110-54ZD75GT5B0VHH412PXI/Amadou+with+portriat72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work Amadou Thiam is a collector and dealer of ancient and contemporary African art. He hosts an exhibition at Galerie Yassine during the Dak’Art Biennale in Dakar, Senegal. This is Amadou with his granddaughter, holding the portrait I did for him as a gift. I showed my work at Galerie Yassine for the biennale in 2016 and 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604874579207-F27794TKYU0VUYE8D8ZZ/Rene+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work René Yáñez Acrylic on Canvas, 48” X 36”, 2018 Original painting and pigment prints available. René Yáñez, 1942-1918 was an artist and independent curator in San Francisco. One of his projects was the annual Día de los Muertos show at SOMARTS Cultural Center in San Francisco, which I have participated in for many years. I painted this portrait as part of my installation in his honor the year he passed away. René was a mentor to me and many other artists. His encouragement helped me on my path as an artist and a teacher. I will always be thankful to him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605743462311-PDBEA1IJTFYGTZFQNUA8/Hunter%27s+Jury+photo.jpg Galleries - New Work - Hunter's Jury (Copy) Hunter's Jury Sold 2012-1018, Acrylic on Canvas, 48” X 108” A few of these portraits are available as pigment prints. Hunter Pyle, lawyer in Oakland, California purchased 13 of my Oakland portraits as a representation of a jury for his conference room. (Alternate juror not shown). Please see 99 Portraits gallery on this website. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605748650195-BFSEDFIIAPWBEG5B30LW/RENE+AND+SUE72x7+2016.jpg Galleries - New Work - René Yáñez and me (Copy) (Copy) René Yáñez and me I have participated in René’s Day of the Dead shows at SOMArts for many years. Here we are as I was working on my installation in 2016. René walks with all of us now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1544514034447-U2IPIJIQI8OA2J410CYQ/The+Madonna+of+30th+Avenue72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - The Madonna of 30th Avenue (Copy) The Madonna of 30th Avenue Print available Acrylic on Canvas, 41” X 27”, 2018 Pigment prints available. This is a portrait of Lisa Valenzuela and her baby, Sella. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605734345100-OT8JP8FTXQVB5KVNXCMS/suematthews_oakland+magazine+2019.jpg Galleries - New Work - Susan Matthews Goes Large for More Impact (Copy) (Copy) Susan Matthews Goes Large for More Impact In 2019 Mary Corbin wrote an article about me for Oakland Magazine: Susan Matthews Goes Large for More Impact I am pictured with my paintings in storage. After the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, a lot of landlords evicted artists in order to illegally raise rent a lease for dot com spaces. I had the law on my side, but I discovered that the law means one lawyer against the other. Please see another of Mary Corbin’s articles: Is Oakland Really Still an Artist’s City? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1604874579207-F27794TKYU0VUYE8D8ZZ/Rene+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work René Yáñez Acrylic on Canvas, 48” X 36”, 2018 Original painting and pigment prints available. René Yáñez, 1942-1918 was an artist and independent curator in San Francisco. One of his projects was the annual Día de los Muertos show at SOMARTS Cultural Center in San Francisco, which I have participated in for many years. I painted this portrait as part of my installation in his honor the year he passed away. René was a mentor to me and many other artists. His encouragement helped me on my path as an artist and a teacher. I will always be thankful to him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1610565695198-DQLI4BCYGUWB6PTSF9QZ/samples+of+5050+2019+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - Sold (Copy) (Copy) Sold Time Reveals All Things Acrylic and metal leaf on 6” X 6” panels Many of the original panels are available. Every year, Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica hosts a show called 50/50. Selected artists create 50 small pieces in 50 days. These 50 portraits constitute a snapshot of world political figures in 2019, including sports stars, dictators, presidents, pirates and activists. They have been painted in a style that suggests they are being viewed from the 13th or 14th centuries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605748650195-BFSEDFIIAPWBEG5B30LW/RENE+AND+SUE72x7+2016.jpg Galleries - New Work - René Yáñez and me (Copy) René Yáñez and me I have participated in René’s Day of the Dead shows at SOMArts for many years. Here we are as I was working on my installation in 2016. René walks with all of us now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1610564339589-GU186XCKCSGMW5OPKJER/50-50_2017%2B72x10.jpg Galleries - New Work Maps to Apps Mixed Media on Maps mounted on 6” X 6” panels, 2017 Many of the individual panels are available. Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica hosts an annual 50/50 show, in which artists are asked to do one painting a day for 50 days. In 2017 I created geometric designs on maps, once so necessary, now replaced by apps such as GPS. The entire piece is 30” X 60” but can be broken up into 50 individual pieces. (#50 is not shown) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1605734345100-OT8JP8FTXQVB5KVNXCMS/suematthews_oakland+magazine+2019.jpg Galleries - New Work - Susan Matthews Goes Large for More Impact (Copy) Susan Matthews Goes Large for More Impact In 2019 Mary Corbin wrote an article about me for Oakland Magazine: Susan Matthews Goes Large for More Impact I am pictured with my paintings in storage. After the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, a lot of landlords evicted artists in order to illegally raise rent a lease for dot com spaces. I had the law on my side, but I discovered that the law means one lawyer against the other. Please see another of Mary Corbin’s articles: Is Oakland Really Still an Artist’s City? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169778446-TKO4G7R9EIGIKTTSU8AB/5050%3A2021.jpg Galleries - New Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1610565695198-DQLI4BCYGUWB6PTSF9QZ/samples+of+5050+2019+72x7.jpg Galleries - New Work - Sold (Copy) Sold Time Reveals All Things Acrylic and metal leaf on 6” X 6” panels Many of the original panels are available. Every year, Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica hosts a show called 50/50. Selected artists create 50 small pieces in 50 days. These 50 portraits constitute a snapshot of world political figures in 2019, including sports stars, dictators, presidents, pirates and activists. They have been painted in a style that suggests they are being viewed from the 13th or 14th centuries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169262715-AN8KPAFUKTIE4FHUJ72F/5050%2B2021.jpg Galleries - New Work - Mortals and Immortals (Copy) (Copy) Mortals and Immortals These are the first 12 of 50 small paintings for Sanchez Art Center’s annual 50/50 show. Created with lyers of acrylic paint and polymer glazes applied on masonite panels covered with gold wallpaper, my portraits recall Italian portraits of the late middle ages, done in egg tempera with gold leaf and tooling on hard wood panels. Although my portraits are made with plastics and tyvek, I feel a connection with earlier artists who sat down and struggled with their materials to commit an image on a surface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1610564339589-GU186XCKCSGMW5OPKJER/50-50_2017%2B72x10.jpg Galleries - New Work Maps to Apps Mixed Media on Maps mounted on 6” X 6” panels, 2017 Many of the individual panels are available. Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica hosts an annual 50/50 show, in which artists are asked to do one painting a day for 50 days. In 2017 I created geometric designs on maps, once so necessary, now replaced by apps such as GPS. The entire piece is 30” X 60” but can be broken up into 50 individual pieces. (#50 is not shown) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169577176-1MJ8HCPWEJ12I37B1XQ3/IMG_5253.JPG Galleries - New Work - Mario (Copy) (Copy) Mario 6” X 6”, Acrylic on wallpaper on This is one of fifty 6” x 6” portraits completed in 50 days between July and August, 2021 as part of Sanchez Art Center’s annual 50/50 show, It is a portrait of Mario Chavez, the greatest mechanic on earth. His shop is called M&J Auto and is on E.12th Street in Oakland. This painting is in his collection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169778446-TKO4G7R9EIGIKTTSU8AB/5050%3A2021.jpg Galleries - New Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169657705-8GIJX0GNJQQ5STN09FMV/IMG_4813.jpg Galleries - New Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169262715-AN8KPAFUKTIE4FHUJ72F/5050%2B2021.jpg Galleries - New Work - Mortals and Immortals (Copy) Mortals and Immortals These are the first 12 of 50 small paintings for Sanchez Art Center’s annual 50/50 show. Created with lyers of acrylic paint and polymer glazes applied on masonite panels covered with gold wallpaper, my portraits recall Italian portraits of the late middle ages, done in egg tempera with gold leaf and tooling on hard wood panels. Although my portraits are made with plastics and tyvek, I feel a connection with earlier artists who sat down and struggled with their materials to commit an image on a surface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169674409-8VZ1AN3X39MH3YWUQG17/IMG_5168.JPG Galleries - New Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169577176-1MJ8HCPWEJ12I37B1XQ3/IMG_5253.JPG Galleries - New Work - Mario (Copy) Mario 6” X 6”, Acrylic on wallpaper on This is one of fifty 6” x 6” portraits completed in 50 days between July and August, 2021 as part of Sanchez Art Center’s annual 50/50 show, It is a portrait of Mario Chavez, the greatest mechanic on earth. His shop is called M&J Auto and is on E.12th Street in Oakland. This painting is in his collection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169736231-1NDYDH4CO4MHT3NLJD2R/IMG_5242.JPG Galleries - New Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169657705-8GIJX0GNJQQ5STN09FMV/IMG_4813.jpg Galleries - New Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169674409-8VZ1AN3X39MH3YWUQG17/IMG_5168.JPG Galleries - New Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/1631169736231-1NDYDH4CO4MHT3NLJD2R/IMG_5242.JPG Galleries - New Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/764a2878-c7a7-42f5-b468-33406252661e/Guadalupe+of+ABQ72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work Guadalupe de ABQ 2024, Acrylic on canvas, 39" X 25.5" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c015b7ab27e39f7fdc57397/87317612-2cbe-4e73-ba16-a52b9e8c6330/The+Warriors+72x8.jpg Galleries - New Work