About

Artist's Statement

I was fortunate as a child in a couple of ways. My grandfather was an abstract expressionist and we had a close relationship. He lived in a fire engine red colonial house with black and white trim, had a gallery and a separate studio building on his property. I spent many days there watching him work, discussing his work, and experiencing the way he lived his life as an artist.

The second beloved connection and experience was Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute in Utica, New York, my home town. I attended art school there from the age of five, in a beautiful historic carriage barn on the grounds of the estate of the three founding families. During high school Phillip Johnson designed a stunning museum on the property which transformed the complex. And now, some 50 years later, the Institute has paired with Pratt and one can obtain a degree from Pratt at their northern campus.

Art was instilled in my being. I saw, and see my world in compositions, in color schemes, in design with both sensitivity and emphasis on focal points. I enjoy the intricacy of both natural design and architectural design. I strive to make paintings which showcase the the impact of my subject matter as I have experienced the subject from my perspective and my interpretation. The work can be botanically realistic or semi-abstract or a color explosion. I want the eye of the viewer to follow a planned direction and dwell in one area and then another. This “trip” is pleasant for me and is meant to be shared.

Currently my medium of choice is watercolor. For the last eight years, I have been learning and investigating the qualities of this transparent medium. Prior to that I had painted large acrylic works since my undergraduate studies and for my Masters degree at Hunter College. At that time I painted on canvases stapled to a wall, or stretched, very large work. That influence and my penchant for large work quickly led me to use full sheets of 300 weight watercolor paper. The paper is more forgiving for the techniques and treatments which watercolorists may employ. Developing new ways to experiment with the medium using collage, breaking up the pictorial space, adding adjacent abstract color strips and using new materials are some techniques I have been working with. I believe I will always prefer the impact of a larger scale.

Enjoy. An artist always grows his craft.

Inspirations

As much as I love to paint and must paint, many other interests also enrich my life. My gardens which I tend, give me pleasure and are one of my inspirations, photographed as reference for paintings. Photographing during my foreign travels has given me a world of subjects, colors, and compositions, yielding an enhanced understanding of other cultures. Gourmet cooking is one of my joys; I paint my ingredients. I paint friends, gatherings, and critters. My environment is important to me and I want the awe of what we experience to shine. My life is full of interests, activities, friends, family and my canine companion.

Education

  • BS in Art Education, SUNY Buffalo
  • MS in Art Education, major in painting, Hunter College
  • Interior Design Certification, New York University
  • Further course studies in Art/Design: New York University, Pace, The New School, The China Institute, School of Visual Arts, SUNY New Paltz

Watercolor Shows

One Man Exhibits:

  • Pound Ridge Library Schaffer Room
  • The Keeler Tavern Art Barn, Ridgefield, CT

Works Shown Locally:

  • Onatru Farm, The Presbyterian Church, South Salem, NY
  • Ridgefield Library, Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Keeler Tavern Art Barn, Ridgefield, CT
  • The Carriage Barn, New Canaan, CT

Many of my pieces are in private collections around the country: in Maine, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Arizona.

Contact Information

Contact me and we will work together to create your masterpiece.

esrossartist@gmail.com