Lawrence Kushner

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In the imagery of the ancient Kabbalists, light is imprisoned in the gross matter of the world. In effect, this means that when the painter “gets it right,” that primal light is revealed and freed—a small  part of the world has been redeemed by the painting! The artist has seen through the “first glance” beauty into a primal light that is the source of everything, of all being. 

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I try not to "name" the things I see but to concentrate on portraying atmospheric patterns of light. That way the images can deconstruct themselves into reflections, as if, on the surface of rippling water. 

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To set paint on canvas in such a way that the eye never, ever tires; there is always another nuance, angle, perspective on the canvas. Genuine art must be inexhaustible, always something new to notice—over and over again.

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Education

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I began painting professionally almost a decade ago. During those years, I have studied privately with: Ezra Katz, Sandy Ostrow, and Verakeet Tongpaiboon. I have also participated in multi-day workshops with: Randall Sexton, Kim English, Ken Auster, Timothy Horn, Jennifer McChristian, Brian Blood, and Kathleen Dunphy.

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Exhibitions / Awards

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  • Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA, group show, Baseball, 2013

  • Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA, group shows, Tiny, 2013; 2015; 2016; 2017

  • Isaacs Gallery, Osher-Marin Jewish Community Center, San Rafael, CA, solo show,  

          Street Light, 2013

  • Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA, group shows, City Streets, September, 2014;

          August, 2017

  • Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA, group show, 94109, May, 2017

  • Foyer Gallery, Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA, solo show, 2016

  • Slate Gallery, Oakland, CA at the San Ramon Valley Conference Center, 

          featured artist, Urbanism, 2017

  • Isaacs Gallery, Osher-Marin Jewish Community Center, San Rafael, CA, solo show, 

          Painting the Light Fantastic, 2018

  • Peninsula Art Museum, Burlingame, CA, juried group show, California Art Club, 

          Art between the Lines, 2018

  • Sanctuary Gallery, St. Cyprian’s Church, San Francisco, CA, group show,

          By Your Light, 2018

  • Slate Gallery, Oakland, CA at 101 2nd Street, San Francisco, CA, group show, 

          San Francisco Views, 2018

  • Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Pacific Grove, CA, juried group show, 

          Magnificent  Migrations, California Art Club, 2019

  • Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA, juried group show, City by the Bay, 

          California Art Club, City by the Bay, 2019

  • Cathy Baum & Associates, Menlo Park, CA, at One Post Street, San Francisco, 

          solo show, CityLights: The Urban Impressionism of Lawrence Kushner, 2019

  • Harrington Gallery at the Firehouse Arts Center, Pleasanton, CA, juried group show, 

          Bay Area Parks, California Art Club, 2019

  • Corison Gallery, Tahoe City, CA, North Tahoe Arts Plein Air Open, 

          Honorable Mention, 2019

  • Juried Virtual on-line Exhibition, Our World Reimagined, California Art Club, 2020

  • Juried Virtual on-line Exhibition, Welcome to California, California Art Club, 2020

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Biography

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Lawrence Kushner was born in Detroit in 1943. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1965 and the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati where he was ordained rabbi in 1969. Kushner has authored over a dozen books on spirituality and Kabbalah (which he also designed) and has been a commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He currently serves as the Scholar-in-Residence at The Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco. Kushner and his wife have three married children and six grandchildren. He lives on Russian Hill in San Francisco where every evening the light is pure magic.