Collection: Barbara Straussberg

Artist Statement / Education:

As an artist, my materials and how I use them, are the essence of my art. I am always looking for new ways to apply the paint. Painting and drawing work in unison to form a complete and truthful painting. The act of painting is a personal journey to find out how I can more fully express my response to my surroundings. Subconsciously, I draw from nature and the world around me to record in a personal language what I see and feel through paint. Color is my primary form of expression, but I also rely on line, form, surface texture, pattern and collage.

The process of painting is what interests me – the steps I go through to build up the paint and break it down. I am also concerned with how the elements of the painting play out against each other in an opposing dynamic. For example, what happens if you put a chalky white texture next to a dark transparent field of color? Or, how can a scratched line dashing through a painted line create a new expressive form? When I work, I think about the quality of the painted surface such as: dark against light, smooth versus rough, transparent or opaque, and bold versus subtle.

Along with my paintings, I produce a series of works on paper which inspire and inform my paintings. There is a unique dialogue between the two forms, which is integral to the development of my entire body of work. Since switching from canvas to wood, I deal primarily with different ways to texture the paint. I employ a variety of techniques in applying the paint such as dripping, rubbing, and scratching. The tools I use to paint can be as simple and immediate as my fingers and paper rags. I am ultimately concerned with my relationship to the painted surface.

These are just a few of the abstract principles that dictate the direction of my work. They are constantly evolving and forever motivating me to continue with my art.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Painting Major, 1993.
The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Distinction in Art History, B.A, 1983.
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 1979-1980.