Shop Available Works by Val Rossman

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Artist Statement

My work is a blend of careful planning and unpredictable interruptions. For me this is an apt metaphor for life. As much as each of us tries to script our lives there are often “curve balls” that take us by surprise. This concept is incorporated into visual representations which consist of multiple layers of painted shapes, empty spaces and a variety of marks to create a lush and deep surface. I am intrigued by the process of using accidents which morph into something more important. I want to lose myself in the world of creating as I jump, glide, and saunter around the surface and beyond.  

My love of color has always been a driving force in my work. I continue to pursue this love and create places of pure joy and exuberant aesthetic relationships. This applies whether I am using acrylic paint or soft chalk pastels.The dialogue between seemingly random gestures, textures, and shapes provide a visual adventure. My process is dynamic and “in the moment”….a conversation with the piece. I believe that the journey is as important as the destination.

In my art practice it is my wish to look both outward and inward to assert the importance of beauty, joy and quietude – these are all qualities that are much needed in our world!  

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Artist Biography

Val Rossman’s career as a professional artist has spanned over 40 years. She has had more than 28 one-person shows and been in numerous group shows in Philadelphia, Delaware, New Jersey, Florida, Vermont and New York. She has won several prizes, including the Award for Excellence at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, and at the Cheltenham Art Center Annual Painting Show.  

In addition to her studio practice she currently teaches at Wayne Art Center and Woodmere Art Museum. She has lectured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, did a demonstration at the Barnes Foundation and led a workshop at the River Arts Center in Vermont. She received the artist in Wilderness Grant in Aspen, Colorado. Her work has also been seen on Bravo Cable Television.

Rossman’s work has been collected by both individual and corporate clients in the U.S. and abroad. Some of these include Blue Cross of Greater Philadelphia, AT&T, United Pacific Life Insurance, MasterCard International, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Bank, Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, Hebrew University and Lankenau Hospital.

Rossman has been creating drawings and paintings in her studio in Philadelphia for the last 40 years. Her work has gone through various stages, however, her wonderful sense of color combined with a lyrical and often whimsical mentality have always infused her drawings and paintings with a lush and personal aura. The combination of rich and unexpected hues and gestures with sometimes questioning formats give the work an unforgettable presence. Her work is a blend of careful planning and unpredictable interruptions; an apt metaphor for life. She is intrigued by the process of using accidents which ultimately morph into something more important.  

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Education

1976
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
MCAT

1974
Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA
BFA

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Grants and Awards

2015
Art in the Wilderness, Aspen, CO

2012
Vermont Studio Center Residency

2009
Vermont Studio Center Residency

1994
Award for Excellence in Drawing, Artists Equity Triennial, Philadelphia, PA

1992
Bravo Television Competiton, National Arts Club, New York, NY

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Residencies

2012
Vermont Studio Center Residency, Johnson, VT

2009
Vermont Studio Center Residency, Johnson, VT

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Bibliography

2017
Lear, Len, Chestnut Hill Local, March 2017

City Suburban News, February 2017

2016
Jenkins, Mark, "Holiday Group Show," The Washington Post, Longview Gallery, January 2016

2011
Donohoe, Victoria, "Project Shows How Art is Made," Philadelphia Inquirer, October 2011

Guthrie, Margaret, "Main Line Art Center Connects," Flying Kite, January 2011

Awodey, Marc, "Hue for Two," Seven Days, February 2011

2010
Donohoe, Victoria, "Color at Rosenfeld," The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 2010

2007
Dormont, Linda, "Steel Gardens," Art Matters, April 2007

2005
Sozanski, Edward J., "Memorable Encores," The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 2005

Rovner, Ruth, "Exercising Her Artistic Imagination," Main Line Times, January 2005

Walls, Wanda, "Inside the Spectrum of Color," Art Matters, January 2005

2002
Sozanski, Edward J., "Pastels at Rosenfeld," The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 2002

1995
Sadler, Robert H., "The Artist As Athlete," The Jewish Exponent, October 1995

1992
A Women's Personal Journal, Running Press, 1992

"Artsbreak," Bravo National Television Network

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Collections

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

Blue Cross of Greater Philadelphia, PA

American Telephone and Telegraph

United Pacific Life Insurance

Schnader, Harrison, Segal and Lewis, Philadelphia, PA

Yasuda Corporation, New York, NY

Arco Chemical Corporation

Community College of Philadelphia, PA

Barrack, Rodos, and Bacine, Philadelphia, PA

MasterCard International Headquarters, Purchase, NY

The Vanguard Group World Headquarters, Valley Forge, PA

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Bank, Rockefeller Center, NY

Zuckerman Honickman Corporation, Philadelphia, PA

Lankenau Hospital, Wynnewood, PA

Bernstein Global Wealth Management, Philadelphia, PA

Westin Hotel, Philadelphia, PA

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Professional Experience

2016 - present
Instructor, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA

2016 - present
Instructor, Woodmere Art Museum, Chestnut Hill, PA

1994 – 2016
Instructor, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

2003
Visiting Instructor, River Arts, Morrisville, VT

1992
Visiting Lecturer, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA

1976 - 1982
Art Therapist, Einstein Medical Center and Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

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Gallery Representation

Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

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Exhibitions

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Solo

2025
The Hues That Guide Us, The National, Philadelphia, PA

2024  
Slow/Fast/In Between, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Bedford, PA

2022  
Unexpected Interference, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2019  
Color Works, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2017
Making A Mark, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2015
Hues and Gestures, West Branch Gallery, Stowe, VT

Earth Air Color, Paintings and Drawings, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2013
Paintings on Aluminum and Pastel Drawings, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2011
Recent Paintings and Drawings, Windsor Whip Works, Binghampton, NY

Extravagant Color, West Branch Gallery, Stowe, VT

2010
Acrylic on Metal and Pastel Drawings, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2007
Recent Work, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2005
Recent Work, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2002
New Pastel Abstractions, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2000
Recent Drawings, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1998
Mixed Media Monoprints, Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Wilmington, DE

Recent Work, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

1997
Mixed Media Monoprints, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1995
Pastel Drawings, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1994
Pavilion Gallery, Mount Holly, NJ

Kirkbride Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1992
New Paintings, Gross-McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1989
New Work, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1988
Pastel Abstractions, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1987
New Work, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1986
Glassboro State College, Glassboro, NJ

1982
Woodmere Art Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Temple University, Sugarloaf Conference Center, Philadelphia, PA

1981
New Paintings, Scherer Gallery, Marlboro, NJ

1980
Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

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Group

2021
Short & Sweet, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2021  
ReFresh, Longview Gallery, Washington DC

2020  
Cross Pollination, Tyler School of Art and Architaecture, Philadelphia, PA

2018  
Abstract Gallery Artists, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Fragile, West Branch Gallery, Stowe, VT

The Physicality of Paint, InLiquid, Philadelphia, PA

2017  
Solid and Real Things, Gross McCLeaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2016
On Paper, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2015
Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY

2014
Outer Limits, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA

Jewels and Treasures, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

Small Works Show, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2013
Abstact Invitational Show, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA

Louisa Gould Gallery, Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Art of the State: Pennsylvania ’13, the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA

2011
C3: Create. Connect. Collect, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

2010
Small Works Show, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2009
Landscape Revisited, West Branch Gallery, Stowe, VT

Small Works Show, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2008
Red Dot Art Fair, New York, NY

2005
Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, NJ

Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA

2004
West Branch Gallery, Stow, VT

The Philadelphia Foundation

1998
Pastel Invitational, The American College, Bryn Mawr, PA

1996
Art of the State: Pennsylvania ’96, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA

1994
Artists Equity Triennial, Philadelphia, PA
Award for Excellence in Drawing

Annual Awards Exhibition, Cheltenham Art Center, Cheltenham, PA

1992
Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, New York, NY

Bravo Television Competition, National Arts Club, New York, NY

Members Gallery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA

1988
Philadelphia Drawing Competition

Works on Paper, Beaver College, Philadelphia, PA