2022 - "Unexpected Interference"

May 4 - 28, 2022

Gross McCleaf Gallery | 127 S. 16th Street, 2nd floor | Philadelphia, PA. 19102 | 215-665-8138

www.grossmccleaf.com | Hours: Tuesday- Saturday 10-5

2019 - "Color Works"

November 1 - 30, 2019

2017 - "Making a Mark"

March 1 - 31, 2017

Val Rossman's paintings and drawings are a blend of chance and careful planning; a process which the artist considers an apt metaphor for life. She says of her recent work, 

"Each painting or pastel drawing is a map leading to an adventure of color, mark, and space. The making of the mark whether expressive, aggressive, lyrical or exuberant is crucial....I embrace the unpredictable interferences as interruptions to the luscious color and controlled lines. Taking risks as part of my creative process energizes my work and keeps it fresh and exciting."

Many of the atmospheric, nature-inspired pastels in the current exhibit are the result of a recent residency (Art in the Wilderness) in Aspen, Colorado which brought the artist directly into contact with an unfamiliar and untamed landscape. However, Rossman's primary interest is in capturing the feeling of a particular location, not the actual observation. In the pastels, soft but intense background colors recede into indefinable depths and are criss-crossed by subtle marks that bring the viewer back to the surface - marks that are reminiscent of jet-trails or cirrus clouds.

In addition to the pastels, Rossman is showing a series of bold, calligraphic acrylic paintings in which the expressive gesture of the artist is dominant. The paintings have an urban, graphic quality to them - reminding the viewer of the artist's roots at Tyler School of Art in the 1970's and the influence of other abstract painters such as Klee, Kandinsky, Frankenthaler, and Mitchell. 

Regardless of the medium, there is always a sense of spontaneity in Rossman's work - the pastels and paintings seem controlled but are never overworked. She says of her process, 

"My work always starts out very scribbly and free.... As I work, there is a conversation between me and the piece...with questions asked and answers given. It is very intuitive and organic. I love that process! I always know when a work is finished because it just feels like everything is in the right place. It is as if the work just grew out of the surface and always existed like that. There is nothing that is nudging at me to say that it doesn't belong. There is a perfect harmony within the piece."

My paintings and drawings are on view at these locations:

Gross McCLeaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Past Exhibition History:

2015 - Works on Paper and Acrylics on Aluminum, West Branch Gallery, VT

2015 - Earth, Air Color, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2014 - Finding A Balance, Greisling Law, Philadelphia, PA

2013 - Acrylic on Aluminum and Pastel On Paper, Rosenfeld gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2011 - Annual Small Works Show, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2011 - 3C: Create. Connect. Collect, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

2011 - Recent Paintings and Drawings, Windsor Whip Works, Binghamton, NY

2011 - Extravagant Color, West Branch Gallery, Stowe VT

2010 - Acrylic on Metal and Pastel Drawings, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa

2009 - Landscape Revisited, West Branch Gallery, Stowe, VT

2008 - Red Dot Art Fair, New York NY

2007 - Recent Work, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2005 - Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, NJ

2005 - Paintings and Drawings, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia,PA

2004 - The Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia, PA