NEW PAINTINGS FROM THE BEACH SERIES

In her new work, Marshall Crossman continues to explore the boundary between abstraction and figuration. In New Paintings: From the Beach Series, Crossman paints people at play in the ocean. This traditional subject matter is revisited in an unsentimental manner. The movement of the waves and the vigor of the figures is expressed through thick application of paint. In the water, formal qualities become dissolved and distorted. “I strive to work on that thin line between reality and abstraction, where I search for an unedited glimpse of life,” Marshall states. Crossman shifts between large and small canvases, characteristically using wet on wet application of oil paint to create rich, expressive strokes of color. This manner of painting, coupled with her subject depict a moment that is simultaneously personal and faceless, specific and universal.

Marshall Crossman received her BFA in 1973 from Colorado State University. Her work is included in national and international collections. Marshall currently resides in the Bay Area. This is her third solo show at the Dolby Chadwick Gallery.