Val Rossman
A Relative Matter
2015
Acrylic on dibond
24" x 24"
Courtesy of Gross McCLeaf Gallery

About the Work:

Color?..I think in color and remember in color. CoIors are my way of accessing places, people, experiences and feelings. I recall rooms from my childhood, which are glimpsed through the colors in the paintings. I try to make sense of the world by creating balance in my paintings using color harmonies.? sometimes muted and at other times bold. My art is a chaotic blend of chance and careful planning which is an apt metaphor for life. Each painting is a map leading to an adventure of color, mark and space.

These paintings have multiple layers and I never really know when one will be completed until the very end. While painting I feel like I am traveling through and around the painting being directed by something within the work's magic. When a painting is complete every shape, color, mark and texture has a sense of belonging to the whole. The balance between the expressionistic marks in unexpected places and the slicker geometric shapes is necessary in creating a complex surface. The individual shapes teeter against one another and push and pull with each other. It's interesting how sometimes the smallest mark or line will make a big difference in the total painting. Juxtaposing the line of colored rectangles remind me of a child's board game and provide avenues of moving from place to place within each painting. I love that there is a sense of whimsy even though the work is filled with hard edges.

About the Artist:

Val Rossman has been working as a professional artist for over 30 years. During her career she has had more than 21 one-person shows and been in numerous group shows in Philadelphia, Delaware, New Jersey, Florida and New York. She has won several prizes, including the Award for Excellence at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, and at the Cheltenhan Art Center Annual Painting Show. In addition, she has been on the faculty of Main Line Art Center for the past 20 years as a teacher of abstract art. She has lectured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and done a workshop at the River Arts Center in Vermont. Her work has also been seen on Bravo Cable Television.

Rossman's work has been collected by both individual and corporate clients in the U.S. and abroad. Some of these include Blue Cross of Greater Philadelphia, AT&T, United Pacific Life Insurance, MasterCard International, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Bank, Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and Hebrew University.

Val Rossman has been creating drawings and paintings in her studio in Philadelphia for the last 30 years. Her work has gone through various stages, however, her wonderful sense of color combined with a lyrical and often whimsical mentality have always infused her drawings with a lush and personal aura. The combination of rich and unexpected hues and gestures with sometimes questioning formats give the work an unforgettable presence.

InLiquid, valrossman.com

Donated By The Artist