Artists Create Fellowship, Paintings at Richmond Studios

Photo: Maureen McGettigan

Elizabeth Fracchia (left to right), Susan Marineau, Elizabeth Barlow and
Susan Bostrom-Wong are members of the Park Presidio Art Association.

By Dmitry Kiper

"Is there a new SOHO brewing in the Richmond?" Susan Marineau asks, jokingly.

On Eighth Avenue, near Anza Street, Marineau shares an art studio with fellow painter and friend Susan Bostrom-Wong. Right next door is another studio, where Elizabeth Barlow and Elizabeth Fracchia share a space. The two Susans have been sharing the studio for nearly three years and the two Elizabeths have been sharing theirs for a year.

The fact that their studios are side-by-side is no coincidence.

Bostrom-Wong and Marineau met at a San Francisco City College art class five years ago and in 2002 decided to open an art studio in the Richmond District.

"I wanted to find a studio in my neighborhood so we could be close to where we live," says Bostrom-Wong. 

After two years in their studio, Bostrom-Wong and Marineau noticed that there was going to be a studio for rent next door when a barber retired after 35 years in business.

"We thought it would be fun to have artists next door," says Bostrom-Wong, "so we asked our landlord if he would be interested in renting the space to artists."

After getting an enthusiastic "yes," Bostrom-Wong and Marineau, who are both members of the Park Presidio Art Association, asked a friend in the association to help them find two artists who would be interested in renting the studio.

When Barlow and Fracchia looked at the place, it was love at first sight.

"We took it that day!" says Barlow, excitedly. 

By sharing a common space, the women have benefited as artists. They insist that it is "not a social club," but a place to work. However, if they are in the studio at the same time, they sometimes have lunch together and provide constructive criticism. Bostrom-Wong says that input is usually given when asked for and they look out for each other as artists.

"It's nice to have another pair of eyes," Barlow said.  

They acknowledge that they may have some artistic influence upon each other, but they emphasize the differences in their approach.

"We all paint completely differently, and I think it's great," says Barlow, "If we'd all paint the same -"

"We'd begin to worry," Marineau breaks in, laughing.

Their styles are indeed different. In a painting from her "Emerging Figures" series, Bostrom-Wong creates a light genderless figure emerging from a dark background of red and blue. The painting has a Nathan Oliveira style and the intensity of Edward Hopper. She says the figures are a metaphor for the acquisition of a greater self-awareness.  

In her "Angels" series, Marineau paints golden angels on a black background using a mixed media on wood technique. By leaving certain areas black, she creates shadows and insists that the viewer sees more if they do not see everything.

In her realistic paintings of fruit, Barlow creates a sensuality that is rarely associated with fruit. In "Lemons," she paints two lemon tips touching in front of a black background.

Fracchia's "Old Friends" is a painting of two hats lying on a red surface. A gray hat, bathed in sunlight, is slightly touching a burgundy hat.

Although they describe themselves as "women who are creating a second career in their lives," they all - with the exception of Bostrom-Wong, who retired from her practice as a Jungian psychoanalyst in May - have other jobs. Marineau, whose first career was in marketing, now works for The Women's Foundation of California. Fracchia is a hair-stylist and Barlow is an assistant to the director at the San Francisco Opera.

They appreciate the peace and quiet they get in their Eighth Avenue studios, but neighbors and people passing by have taken notice - so much so, that they must sometimes lower their blinds when working to avoid distractions.

"The neighbors have been friendly," says Bostrom-Wong. "They have even bought some of my paintings."