California Redwoods Susan S. Loosley arts crafts c.1900

The Sroufe family came to California in a prairie schooner in 1850 with the Gold Rush. On October 2, 1853 Susan was born in Petaluma. In 1870 the family settled in San Francisco where Susan showed a marked talent for drawing while a student in the public schools. She later studied art under some of the finest local artists and then for three years in Munich and Paris. While there she exhibited at the Paris Salon and received an honorable mention. After returning to San Francisco, the artist established a studio at 13 Pine Street. In 1892 she wed John R. Loosley and continued to be active in the local art sceSne. The earthquake and fire of 1906 destroyed her studio and many of her early works. After settling across the Golden Gate in Sausalito, she built a home at 141 San Carlos where she lived until her demise on Jan. 3, 1940. Her landscapes include local scenes and those painted on trips with her husband, a salesman, to Arizona and New Mexico. As well as oils and watercolors, she also excelled at wood carving and china painting. Exh: Mechanics' Inst. (SF), 1878-99; Calif. State Fair, 1880-1902; SFAA, 1885-97; Calif. State Bldg, World's Columbian Expo (Chicago), 1893; Calif. Midwinter Expo, 1894; Mark Hopkins Inst., 1898; Alaska Yukon Expo (Seattle), 1909; Sketch Club (SF), 1909; Sorosis Club, 1913. In: Sausalito (CA) Women's Club; CHS. Source: Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"