Way back in the day when SSB was just starting, David Ross (then curator at Long Beach Museum of Art), who lived in front of my little house in Venice, asked if I could put up a friend who was coming to LA. This tiny house had two tiny bedrooms. I was asleep and when I awoke the next morning, I peeked into the second bedroom and instead of one person, there were two: Richard Mock and Paul Schimmel! Now Richard was a “big” man in every way; a real presence. Living in such close quarters, the three of us had a ball. I got to know Schimmel who went on (several years later) to become the legendary MOCA curator, and Richard did a benefit for SSB at Otis Art Institute’s gallery entitled “Your Portrait.” He set up his easel in the gallery and for $100 painted people in situ. As each painting was finished, it was hung on the wall. and the exhibition grew daily. People loved it! His fluid, bold style; his irreverent humor; the energetic exchange of sitting for the portrait—all contributed to a peak experience for the sitters and viewers alike. And it’s a perfect example of what SSB has always been about: DIRECT EXPERIENCE with art and artists—unmediated and so real. —Susan Martin, co-founder, SSB
Get the scoop on The Cutting Edge an exhibition of his spectacular linocuts at The Kentler International Drawing Space HERE. Through July 25, 2021 in Red Hook!
