Beside the rumbling traffic on Valencia Street, tucked in next to a parklet, stands a painter and their easel. They prop a palette on their hand as delicately as a tray of flutes, dabbing oils on the canvas.
Jirsa affectionately calls their spot on Valencia between 18th and 19th streets the “rainbow corner,” because of the multi-colored panels that wrap around the seating outside Gola restaurant.
Jirsa finds a corner like this three days a week. Although they live in Oakland, the Mission and the Castro have always inspired Jirsa’s art, making regular appearances in pieces that depict the neighborhoods’ bars, parks, and Victorians. One painting even showcases a colorful fire hydrant in front of the 500 Club.
What others may see as mundane or trivial, Jirsa finds worth painting and celebrating. On a recent cloudy day, they painted the Pirate store at 826 Valencia St. and the Paxton Gate collectibles shop next door.
Among the galleries they’ve been featured in, like City Art and Harvey Milk Plaza, they are best known for their oil paintings of local bars, and recently published a catalog, showcasing dozens of those paintings.
Jirsa also loves to apply their art to clothing — paired with the rainbow skirt, they boast a hat painted with orange flowers, and a sweater with one of their favorite prints applied to the center.
Originally from South Dakota, Jirsa says, “I’ve been everywhere,” including stints in Florida, New York and elsewhere in California. Jirsa originally moved to San Francisco in 2000, in what they call a first “failed attempt at living in San Francisco.” The weather was too cold, “not the California weather I had dreamed of.”
Jirsa left and went to New York University to study political science, a time that ultimately served to reaffirm their true passions. In 2020, Jirsa gave San Francisco another chance. This time, they stayed.
“Here has the most magical weather that I just didn’t understand then!” they exclaimed, dabbing paint on the canvas.
When Jirsa isn’t painting or creating clothes from their art, they roller skate. They once skated from Oakland to Los Angeles in two weeks, 10 hours a day. “It was definitely the workout of a lifetime,” they said.
As Jirsa paints, curious pedestrians peer over their shoulder to catch a glimpse of the canvas, now showing an outline of the Pirate Store and Fellow cafe. But the painter hardly notices, intent on the work in front of them.
