Barbara Grossman, Blues Trio, 2015, 26×20″ charcoal
I was interested in learning some new language to talk about what is so captivating about Charity Baker’s drawings and paintings. Charity gave me a list of her teachers, Barbara Grossman was one of them.
Barbara Grossman, Islamic Tiles, 2016, 28 x 30″ oil on linen
Barbara Grossman’s artworks are impressionistic, abstracted, full of color and pattern. Instead of drawing with focal points and perspective, she describes space in a more abstract or impressionist way. In these works, you’ll see that Grossman creates interest by leading us through the composition via pathways and a variety of marks that maintain their intensity all the way through and to the edge of the composition. Pathways to the edge of the rectangle can function as a powerful tool to hold us in a drawing and painting; tools that in the process of trying to render the figure, I often neglect. I frequently emerge from a drawing session with a drawing of a face or figure, without the impact of a full composition. This is most often a mistake of a desire to get it “right” and hyper-focus on the features of the face and form. It’s something I am working diligently to change, especially now that I’m seeing the student works that implement the strength of these tools, and notice how impactful they are.
Barbara Grossman studied art and music at Yale, and in the drawings below you’ll see making music as a theme. In these artworks that describe both the experience of making music and the experience of making art, notice how the shapes, marks, and pathways hold us in the frame, and lead us around the composition, continuously giving us something new to discover in the work.
Barbara Grossman, Trio Singing, 2015, 30 x 22.75″ charcoalBarbara Grossman, Trio Rehearsing, 2005, 26×20″ charcoal and conteBarbara Grossman, Duo Andante, 2005, 26×20″ charcoal and conteBarbara Grossman, Trio – Vermillion 2002, 30 x 26″ charcoal Barbara Grossman, Trio – Blue 2002, 30 x 22″ charcoalBarbara Grossman, Duo – Bright Red, 2002, 30 x 22″ charcoalBarbara Grossman, Trio – Naples Yellow, 2002, 30 x 22″ charcoal
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”9204″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”][vc_column_text]How old is this sculpture, and who do you think made it? (Answer will be posted tomorrow) [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
“Sketchbooks are a place for experimentation, self reflection, technical practice, and developing an artistic identity,” says Keith Pfeiffer, official sketchbook class instructor. (To be cheeky, we called it Advanced Doodling.) I asked Keith what his favorite sketchbook was. Here is what he said: “My favorite sketchbook is Moleskine sketchbook 9×12. The paper is smooth enough for clean …
[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]I’m not really sure how I landed on these, but here they are: “Indian Composite Animal Paintings” from about 1750-1850. I don’t know much about them other than that they’re Hindu. I read that they’re about inter-relatedness of all beings. I’m not sure about the spiritual message, but …
My last post containing a list of frustrations for painters included a picture of Susan Rothenberg. She was painting from her table that was so encrusted with accumulated paint that it resembled the cascade mountains. This post with the picture of Rothenberg bounced back with a note from a League friend. She asked me if …
8 Drawings by Barbara Grossman
I was interested in learning some new language to talk about what is so captivating about Charity Baker’s drawings and paintings. Charity gave me a list of her teachers, Barbara Grossman was one of them.
Barbara Grossman’s artworks are impressionistic, abstracted, full of color and pattern. Instead of drawing with focal points and perspective, she describes space in a more abstract or impressionist way. In these works, you’ll see that Grossman creates interest by leading us through the composition via pathways and a variety of marks that maintain their intensity all the way through and to the edge of the composition. Pathways to the edge of the rectangle can function as a powerful tool to hold us in a drawing and painting; tools that in the process of trying to render the figure, I often neglect. I frequently emerge from a drawing session with a drawing of a face or figure, without the impact of a full composition. This is most often a mistake of a desire to get it “right” and hyper-focus on the features of the face and form. It’s something I am working diligently to change, especially now that I’m seeing the student works that implement the strength of these tools, and notice how impactful they are.
Barbara Grossman studied art and music at Yale, and in the drawings below you’ll see making music as a theme. In these artworks that describe both the experience of making music and the experience of making art, notice how the shapes, marks, and pathways hold us in the frame, and lead us around the composition, continuously giving us something new to discover in the work.
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[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”9204″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”][vc_column_text]How old is this sculpture, and who do you think made it? (Answer will be posted tomorrow) [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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“Sketchbooks are a place for experimentation, self reflection, technical practice, and developing an artistic identity,” says Keith Pfeiffer, official sketchbook class instructor. (To be cheeky, we called it Advanced Doodling.) I asked Keith what his favorite sketchbook was. Here is what he said: “My favorite sketchbook is Moleskine sketchbook 9×12. The paper is smooth enough for clean …
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[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]I’m not really sure how I landed on these, but here they are: “Indian Composite Animal Paintings” from about 1750-1850. I don’t know much about them other than that they’re Hindu. I read that they’re about inter-relatedness of all beings. I’m not sure about the spiritual message, but …
Susan Rothenberg dies at 75
My last post containing a list of frustrations for painters included a picture of Susan Rothenberg. She was painting from her table that was so encrusted with accumulated paint that it resembled the cascade mountains. This post with the picture of Rothenberg bounced back with a note from a League friend. She asked me if …