Susan Costes
Artist Statement
My paintings are small fragmentary passages of spontaneous moments of time, real or imaginary or a combination of these. Emotionally I am trying to connect to our similarities as humans, our reactions, loves, fears and everyday situations. Because they are figurative, they are relatable on a visceral level, through mood, gesture, and relationships, which in turn generates a feeling of intimacy.
As I paint, the in-between spaces of our lives which we see but do not notice, becomes more apparent. A mood or feeling takes over as I try and express this and communicate to the viewer via emergence and disappearance, line and no line, transparent and opaque, realism and abstraction, all coexisting in an attempt to see beyond the surface, both literally and figuratively, exploring the power of paint, color, texture and line.
I invite you to examine the work, the tension between realism and abstraction, give the characters voice and share in these unwritten stories. www.SusanCostes.com
Biography
EDUCATION
Ceramics 1972-1975 Berkeley
Art classes Oregon State University 1977-1980
Photography Cabrillo College 2000-2003
Printmaking Cabrillo College 2003-2006
3Dimensional Art and Design Cabrillo College 2014
Figure Painting Cabrillo College 2016
Painting Cabrillo College 2019
Printmaking Monterey Peninsula College 2014-2019
Figure Drawing Monterey Peninsula College 2015-2018
Figure Sculpture Monterey Peninsula College 2019
Abstract Painting Cabrillo College 2025
Numerous online workshops
EXHIBITIONS
Chemers Gallery Representation, Tustin, Ca current
Open Studios Santa Cruz, Ca juried Oct 2025
West Portal Gallery San Francisco “Resonant Forms” 4 person show juried Aug 29-Nov 14 2025
Jag Gallery Key West Florida “Poolside” juried 7/25-8/25
San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center “Lions and Tigers and Bears” juried 9/25-10/25
Gallerium “Food Story” Publication juried 9/25-11/25
Viridian Gallery NYC “International” juried First place 7/25
New Museum Los Gatos “Greater Bay Area Open 2025, Breaking Through” juried 8-25-1125
Triton Museum Santa Clara, Cal “Salon Show” Juried 7/25-9/25
Exhibizone “Solo show” juried 6/25-8/25
Chemers Gallery Tustin, Ca “Figuration” juried 2nd place 5/25-6/25
Covet Gallery Oceanside,Cal juried 2025
Oswalds One person show 3/25-4/25
KBM Gallery New York “People Places and Things” juried 6/25-7/25
Santa Cruz County Building One Person Show juried 5/25-7/25
Exhibizone “Seasons” juried 6/35-7/25
KBM Gallery New York “Summer Loving” juried 7/25-8/25
O'Hanlon Center for the Arts Mill Valley Ca “Blue” juried 10/24-12/24
Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art Washington, D.C. “Subconcious” juried 11/24-12/24
Gallerium and The Book of Arts “Children of Men” Juried Exhibition, 10/24-12/24
Covet Art Gallery Oceanside Ca “Home Grown” juried 11/24-12/24
O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Mill Valley Ca juried “Blue” 10/24-12/24
Epperson Gallery Crockett, Cal “Abstract Dimensions” 8/24-10/24
Open Studios Santa Cruz juried 2024
Gallerium “Portraits” juried 8/24-10/24
Sebastopol Center for the Arts Sebastapol Ca “The Art of Food” juried 9/24-11/24
Exhibizone “Kingdom Animalia” juried 8/24-10/24
Modern Visual Arts Gallery Bethlehem Pa “The Pleasure of Small Art” juried 8/24-1/24
Observica “Elite” juried 9/24-11/24
Gallerium “Unreal” juried 8/24-10/24
Covet Art Gallery Oceanside Ca “Mania” juried 7/24-9/24
Triton Museum Santa Clara Ca “Salon Show 2024” juried 7/24-9/24
Mad River Valley Arts Waitsfield Vermont “Wild Pink” juried 7/24-9/24
Arc Gallery San Francisco juried 4/24
Gallerium “Animals of the Planet” juried 4/24-5/24
ShockBoxx Gallery Hermosa Beach Cal “Finger Lickin Good” juried 4/24-5/24
“I Want to Believe “Exhibition and Publication juried 3/24-5/24
Transmission gallery Oakland, Ca “Pint Size” juried 3/24-4/24
Sasse Museum of Art Pomona, Cal juried Feb 2024
Whosmuseum Pomona, Cal juried Feb 2024
Gallerium “People” juried 2/24-4/24
HMVC Gallery New York “Connections” juried 2/24-4/24
Las Laguna Art Gallery Laguna Beach Ca “Small works” juried 10/23-11/23
The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts Texas “Contemporay Portraits” National juried 11/23-12/23
KBM Gallery New York “zBest of 2023” juried 11/23-1/24
Gallerium “Melancholy” juried 11/23-
Open Studios Santa Cruz Ca juried 10/23
Artistonish Magazine juried 10/23
Triton Museum Santa Clara Ca “Salon Show 2023” juried 7/23-9/23
New Museum of Los Gatos Ca Juried 8/23-10/23
Santa Cruz Fair juried 9/23 Honorable Mention
Iveta Cafe and Gallery solo show juried 7/23-9/23
Las Laguna Art Gallery Laguna Beach Ca “Celebrate Art” juried 1/23-2/23
Coastal Art League Half Moon Bay, Ca “Painting” juried 5/23
Santa Cruz County Building One Person Show juried 5/23-7/23
Sanchez Art Center “ Left Coast Juried” 1/23=2/23
ShockBoxx Gallery Hermosa Beach Ca “Unloveable” juried 1/23-2/23
Terravarma juried Jan 2023. Honorable Mention
San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center “Human Form and Figure” juried 8/22-10/22
Open Studios Santa Cruz Juried10/22
Las Laguna Art Gallery Laguna Beach “Women in Art” juried 6/22-7/22
Arc Gallery juried San Francisco June 2022
Axis gallery Sacramento juried 6/22-7/22
Gallerium “Emotions” juried 6/22
Coastal Art League Half Moon Bay California juried 5/22
O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Mill Valley,Cal “It’s OK to Laugh” 4/22-5/22
Gallerium “Femina” juried 3/22
Ellington White Contemporary North Carolina “feminist Insight” 2/22-3/22
San Fernando Valley Arts “In the Abstract” juried 2/22-4/22 Honorable Mention
Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts New Jersey “Unmasked, Contemporary Portraiture” juried 5/22-7/22
Iveta Cafe and Gallery solo show juried 7/22-9/22
Art Fluent “Within” juried 4/22-5/22
San Diego Museum of Art Juried 3/22-4/22
New Museum of Los Gatos juried 8/21-10/21 Third Place
Las Lagunas Art Gallery Laguna Beach Cal “The Second Half” juried 5/21-6/21
Axis Gallery Sacramento 16th National juried 6/21-7/21
Red Bluff art Gallery “Cats and Dogs” juried 11/21-1/22
Exhibizone “Diversia “ juried 6/21
California Art League 2021 juried Honorable Mention
4th Street Fine Art Gallery Berkeley Cal “Embrace” juried 11/21-12/21
Coastal Art League 2021 juried 3rd place
Iveta Cafe and Gallery solo show juried 7/21-9/21
Womens Art Gallery, San Francisco juried, Sept, Nov, Dec 2019, Feb May June, July 2020, Feb 2021