Born in the late 1950’s, Irene Schlesinger was early influenced by Los Angeles culture and her grandmother’s needlework. Surrounded by maternal embroidery and taught by her grandmother as soon as she could hold a needle, Irene soon was embellishing clothing and household items for her family.

A family move to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1963 offered Irene the opportunity to hone art skills at local colleges – SFSU, Stanford and CCAC. Inspired by Folk, Surreal, Expressionist and Outsider artists, the vibrant colors, patterns and textures of her childhood are expressed through her family art tradition of embroidery. Irene combines her passion for fabric, paper, flosses and threads to create portraits, visions and stories on canvas which have been exhibited locally and throughout the United States.

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