Did you know that Sacramento County sponsors bi-annual art exhibitions in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, located at 700 H Street? The next time you attend a meeting in the Board Chambers, be sure to check out the rotating art on display. Sympathetic Gestures: the artwork of Susan Tonkin Riegel is on display now through June 2020.
Born in San Francisco, Riegel is a mixed-media artist living in the Sacramento area. Her work stems from her imagination and unconscious world of dreams. She was greatly influenced by professors Elmer Bischoff and Joan Brown during her undergraduate work at University of California, Berkeley. She attended graduate school at California State University, Sacramento.
Riegel taught for many years as a professor of art at Sierra Community College and American River College.
“My artwork springs directly from my imagination. My process is intuitive and instinctual as I connect with inner energy that wants to emerge,” said Riegel. “I am drawn to the language of symbols, archetypes, fragmented words and simple marks, as they contain a quality of mystery.
“This body of work was fabricated on wood panels using acrylic paint, pastels, graphite and fragments of thin inked calligraphic paper from China.”