It was a transformative experience for me when I first went there with Kate Sutlive in October, 2023.

"Z: Zuni Café, San Francisco"
Created with dyes on silk.

Late one evening in 2023, I stepped into Zuni Café with my daughter, @kate_squared_ . What a magical moment! The grand piano was playing, the lights were sparkling off the wine bottles and polished glasses, and the slender antique glass windows opened the interior space to the outdoors—both upstairs and downstairs in the triangular building. There was a large Robert Mapplethorpe flower photograph on the wall, and a striking photo by Dawoud Bey from the Birmingham Project . To say the least, I was impressed.

It may seem strange that with all of that architectural beauty, that I chose to sketch the table we sat at to describe this café / restaurant. I felt the need to capture the feeling of that special place with our drinks on the tiny square table and the ethereal surroundings.

This is actually the first painting I created for this San Francisco series; the scene felt very familiar to me, and it is a child of my café series prints that I exhibited in Paris.

By sharing this tableau, I was bringing the experience down to the personal level—the level of what we ate and drank there, the conversation we had, the laughter, and the tinkling of silverware. My desire is to bring you into this scene, too.

"San Francisco / Paris / New York City," solo exhibition by René Shoemaker, currently on view at the Michelle Thomas Fine Art Gallery, 40 29th St, San Francisco, CA USA

Zuni Café
1658 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

415-552-2522