James Del Grosso November 5, 2010

Light is the predominant element in James Del Grosso’s paintings. It is a light that reveals the solidity of his forms and the clarity of his painstaking application of glaze upon glaze. There is drama in his use of light and the mundane objects of the domestic still life are given monumentality. A hard, heavy wrench becomes a standing colossal statue, while a single, ordinary onion becomes a graceful, delicate form.

Del Grosso begins his work by arranging objects, such as an apple and some grapes, by a window with natural light. He prefers a single light source because it shows the most weight of objects and creates the most dramatic effects. Simplicity of both objects and composition is important to keep the viewers within themselves. He doesn’t want to disturb the viewer by ambiguity, complicated arrangements, or unfamiliar objects. Form and light are the unquestioned subjects. The artist uses a camera to help him see objectively and to record close-up details. Looking through the lens separates Del Grosso from what he’s looking at and helps to see what is there rather than what he thinks is there. Many different arrangements are captured before he finds the one he will work into a painting. Del Grosso works quickly on a painting, and within a few days, he has it looking almost finished, to other people, but at this point it’s only the beginning of many more hours of slowly clarifying the images. Using thin washes or glazes of color, he adds one upon the other to achieve the desired effects. It is a time consuming process and helps the artist to think slowly. The goal is to give a clear and large-scale experience of simply seeing.

Del Grosso has received numerous awards and has participated in shows across the country and abroad. Del Grosso currently lives and works in New York.

For more information on the artist and his work, please contact BJ Kocen at glave kocen gallery at 358-1990 or email [email protected]

Official Website: http://www.glavekocengallery.com