Sally Storch

Sally Storch’s life—growing up in Newport Beach, becoming a sorority girl at USC, living in a gracious Pasadena colonial—may seem as conventional as a Talbots suit. But this hometown girl wears overalls, not suits, and she spends her days painting with passion, vision and dedication. Artistic blood runs in Sally’s family—great-aunt Bertha Rihani was an Arabian princess who lived and painted in Paris in the ‘20s, hanging out with Matisse and Kees Van Dongen. Sally studied drawing and painting at SC, taught art for a while to make a living, and then devoted herself to painting full-time alongside her husband, Richard Bunkall. The two found artistic and financial success, produced three sons (twins Henry and John and little brother George), and then were hit by a Mack truck: Richard developed ALS, slowly declined, and died in 1999, when the boys were 8 and 5.

Through it all, Sally kept painting, and today her pieces are more in demand than ever. Art historian Stephanie Retsek wrote, “Her use of the warmth and light of Los Angeles as well as its architecture elicit the nostalgic feeling of a different era… Pasadena offers this ideal of the city: a self-contained town where the look of the past is easily seen in the present.” Adds Elaine Dines-Cox, curator at the Laguna Museum of Art, “The characters that people Storch’s paintings are alone but not lonely. She uses romantic light and deep shadow, but is never melodramatic.”

On a cold December night, Sally talked about her life and work by the Christmas tree in the Madison Heights home she shares with husband Ray Turner (another accomplished painter, and Bunkall’s best friend), while her sons popped in on occasional homework breaks.

1. Many of your recent paintings are set in restaurants. Do you paint when you’re hungry?

No, and that’s because the paintings aren’t about food. I paint restaurants because they’re public places. I love it when someone goes into a restaurant alone, maybe with a book. People are drawn to where other people go. And when you’re out where other people are, anything can happen at any moment. That’s sort of what my work is about—that sense of possibility.

2. How did you and Richard Bunkall meet?

When I was just starting out I was an exhibitor at the Laguna Festival. I was walking through the festival with my mother, and—this is embarrassing, but it’s true—I just died when I saw Richard’s paintings. I didn’t know who he was, whether he was young or old, straight or gay, but I said to my mother, “I’m going to marry that guy.”

3. What does Pasadena bring to your artistic process?

When I first started painting, Pasadena has this timeless feeling to it, and that resonated with me. I wouldn’t paint Newport Beach, for instance. It’s not about nostalgia; it’s more that this timeless setting is a good vehicle to tell a story. My recent paintings are narratives based on want ads I’ve collected from old newspapers—things like, “Lost in Ladies’ Room at Penn Station: one pearl earring.” I’m telling the stories of those people in my paintings.

Also, I love that Pasadena is such a beautiful blend of the vertical and the horizontal. New York is vertical; Paris is horizontal; and Pasadena is both.

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3 Favorites 

1. Your paintings set in bistros make me long to find the perfect bistro. Do you have a local favorite?

I don’t go out much, because I have three kids! My husband is a great cook—he makes big breakfasts. And I make art and then I make dinner. When I do go out, I love the Arroyo Chop House.

2. When you’re procrastinating about painting, what’s your favorite thing to do?

I want to work, so I really don’t procrastinate. But when I find a little unscheduled time, I love to just drive around, especially at dusk. Pasadena is so beautiful at dusk, and I love to drive across the bridges, and take detours down the side streets, and just explore. That’s my secret pleasure.

3. You’ve had a few shows in Laguna, so you must spend some time there—what would you tell friends to do in Laguna besides see your new show?

Well, you can go to the Cottage for pancakes, and watch the basketball players on Main Beach. And, of course, spend time at Sue Greenwood’s gallery—it’s fantastic. But I must confess: After I deliver paintings, I turn around and go right back to Pasadena. I love it here.

Riddle at Midnight, by Sally Storch

Ed. note: Sally’s current show is at Sue Greenwood Fine Art, www.gcgallery.com, through December.

 — by Colleen Dunn Bates