About the Artist
Susan Grabowski
Paintings, Prints and Notecards
Susan Grabowski, originally from New Jersey, spent 22 years on Cape Cod before making her way to the San Francisco Bay Area. She captures the fleeting moments in her light-filled paintings in the California plein air/impressionist style.
I’ve been a maker from my earliest years. As a child, I drew horses, made paper dolls, greeting cards, garments, cooked and baked. I could draw all the Flintstone characters, and a pencil drawing I did of Peter Tork of The Monkees was published in a teen magazine. I painted 40 murals in a hospital when I was 18. By the time I got to high school, I decided to major in art, stepping away from my high academic achievement and probably disappointing my parents. I went to Pratt Institute but quit in my second year. Since then, I have been on the journey. Always creating — my hands are never idle! I had a long career in graphic design, including my own sign company in the 80s and 90s, and a career in advertising until my retirement five years ago. I now devote much of my time to painting and have completed over 800 paintings in the last 40 years, mostly in private collections. I sell originals and giclee prints and notecards, and accept commissions.
I like to paint outdoors from life (en plein air) and about 50% of my paintings are done that way. I pack my gear and take it when I travel. Having a focus on depicting the places I visit gives added meaning, and mementos galore! Visit my website for more details on my long and varied career.
I have a Studio at Art Bias in San Carlos, and welcome studio visits. Every first Sunday of the month, the facility holds Open Studios from 12-4pm. There are 50 artist studios, and at least half the artists participate in the Open Studios.
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Susan Grabowski, a New Jersey native, spent 22 years on Cape Cod before relocating to the Bay Area in 1998. She discovered that the beauty, light and atmosphere of the Bay Area landscape changed her artist’s eye, resulting in a more colorful, “California Impressionistic” style.
Susan paints outdoors and in her home studio. She has taken her gear along to many destinations, including Belize, France, Italy, Amsterdam, Brazil, the Grand Canyon, and the islands north of Vancouver. Her exhibition history reaches back many years and she has been painting since high school. Susan studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and subsequently enrolled in workshops and classes to hone her skills. She has taught painting and given painting demonstrations.
Susan currently resides in San Mateo, CA with her husband Larry. Recently retired after a career in graphic design, Susan divides her time between painting, knitting, sewing, gardening, and cooking.
Exhibitions and Awards 2025: Oil Painters of America Online Summer Showcase 2025: Wee Art Open, California Art Supply 2025: Greater Bay Area Open, Los Gatos Art Association exhibit at the New Museum in Los Gatos 2025: Small Town Plein Air Exhibit, Coastal Arts League, Honorable Mention for "Tennessee Valley Barns" 2025: Flock, Studio Gallery SF 2025: Terrain, Studio Gallery SF 2025: Delicious, Studio Gallery SF 2025: Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout, Sale, and Exhibit 2025: In the Garden, Coastal Arts League, Honorable Mention for "Wisteria" 2024: Burlingame Plein Air Painters at the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica 2024: A Moment in Time, Coastal Arts League 2024: Delicious, Studio Gallery SF 2024: Interiors, Studio Gallery SF 2024: All About the Light, solo show, Gallery 9 Los Altos 2024: Tiny, Studio Gallery SF 2023: Tiny, Studio Gallery SF 2023: 6" Squared Online, Randy Higbee Gallery 2023: Third Place for "View from the Levee", Seasons of Beauty Plein Air, Coastal Art League 2023: Honorable Mention for "Trick or Treat", Companions and Locales, Coastal Art League 2023: Autumn Splendor, California Art Club 2023: The Wonders of Winter, California Art Club 2023: Delicious, Studio Gallery SF 2022: Tiny, Studio Gallery SF 2023: Burlingame Plein Air Painters at State Street Market, Los Altos 2022: 6" Squared Online Exhibition, Randy Higbee Gallery 2022: California Dreaming, California Art Club, at Curated by the Sea, Santa Cruz 2021: Third Place, Wellfleet Chamber of Commerce 2022 Cover Competition, "One Day In July, Newcomb Hollow" 2021: Silicon Valley Open Studios 2020: Third Place, Wellfleet Chamber of Commerce 2021 Cover Competition, "Duck Harbor" 2011: Marin County Fair Art Exhibition
This is a video showing the progression of a commissioned painting: I participated in a street painting festival several times. Here are two YouTube videos from the 2010 event: 2010 Youth In Arts Street Painting, San Rafael, CA |
