Incollect Magazine - Issue 10

Incollect Magazine 85 Spanierman Modern Artist: Susan Grossman “The quality of execution in Susan’s work is reminiscent of the great Impressionist landscape painters such as John Singer Sargent or William Merritt Chase, without feeling at all old-fashioned or out of date,” says Gavin Spanierman, owner of Spanierman Modern in New York. “I also think her decision to use a very limited and minimalistic palette makes her drawings feel current and contemporary,” he says. “People are always awestruck when they learn that they are charcoal and pastel drawings and not paintings because they have so much weight and depth to them,” Spanierman says. He also admires the way the artist uses the atmospheric nuances of cloud formations, a ripple in water, the curl of a crashing wave, or the sheen on a sidewalk to convey the passage of time and movement. “It makes one feel as though the artist has captured a fleeting moment.” Grossman begins with reference photographs of her subjects and locations. Returning to the studio, she draws directly from the source imagery before “allowing the artistic process to take over and create her own narrative world,” Spanierman explains. Elements of original locations are repositioned, invented, or eliminated to create a sense of mystery, even strangeness. “Her open and non-specific narratives leave the viewer with a sense of unease as it is clear that much of what is happening here is only implied throughout the image. The viewer walks away without any sense of resolution,” he says. Formation, 2023. Charcoal and pastel on paper mounted on board, 31 x 34 inches. Gaze, 2024. Charcoal and pastel on paper mounted on board, 46 x 50 inches.