Jerald Melberg Gallery is pleased to present Susan Grossman: City Moments showcasing new drawings on paper in charcoal and pastel.
Her new work is sourced from scenes in Charlotte, NC and, in a departure from previous drawings, utilizes color in striking ways. This exhibition is Grossman’s fourth with the gallery.
Grossman has built a strong reputation for rendering urban scenes of New York City. We are proud to exhibit new works highlighting Charlotte and its landmarks, from the LYNX Blue Line light rail to the unmistakable skyline. For Grossman, Colored pastel is typically used minimally or to enhance her glimmering cityscapes, but plays a major role in many of these new works. Suddenly viewers are warmed by sherbet sunset hues or drawn to Technicolor taxicabs and umbrellas. These flashes of color, which the artist couples with strong compositional and perspectival effects, make the work glow with a cinematic quality.
Grossman wandered the streets of Charlotte taking her own photographs to capture scenes that ultimately inform her compositions. Once the photographs are printed, she sifts through them in her studio, selecting choice components from many images to form the resulting drawing.
The familiar, generally mundane elements of city life define this work. Commuters hustle and families stroll under umbrellas while wet sidewalks reflect street lamps and taillights Cabs, cars and trains cruise along as skyscrapers keep silent watch over the hustle and bustle of the city.
Susan Grossman earned a BA from Bennington College in 1981 and a MFA from Brooklyn College in 1988. She has taught at City College of New York, the National Academy School of Fine Arts and Wesleyan College. She will be a Visiting Critic at the New York Academy of Art in the fall of 2018.
There will be a Coffee and Conversation artist lecture led by Susan Grossman at the gallery on Saturday, November 18 at 11 a.m.
Jerald Melberg Gallery is located at 625 South Sharon Amity Road near the intersection with Providence Road. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-4. For more information about the exhibition, please contact the gallery at 704.365.3000. To view selected works online, visit the gallery web site, www.jeraldmelberg.com.
