ABSTRACTPAINTER
ARTISTS
DONNA GRANT GRANDE,
ABSTRACTPAINTER
THE FORCE OF ENERGY AND POWER
PICTURE THIS: Istartedpainting at ageseven watching John GnagyonTV; he wasa Hungarian artist who taught people how to draw. At the Fashion Institute of Technology, I majored in design. After I had kids, I studied art at Montclair State, and witha Japaneseartist who did sumi painting at the ArtStudents League in New York. THE PROCESS: I might start with a concept, then build layers on the canvas using acrylic paint, sand and paper. Or Icould startwithoil paintsand no concept, and go straight intobrushwork.
SOURCES OF INSPIRATION: I spent four years working on 10 paintings based on rituals conducted at Varanasi, a city in India where people make pilgrimages to the Ganges River. An amazing number of people go into the water before dawn, and at dusk. The Pilgrimage of Enlightenment is based on earth, air, water and fire. I created conceptbased abstractions of what I experienced. Fire is the first one of that series.
THE EFFECT OF THE ABSTRACT: I will look at GerhardRichter or Joan Mitchell’ s work and feel athrill of excitement. I feel the force ofenergyand power, and withthe latter’ s work, a strong emotional connection. A lot of people are afraid of abstractart because they don’ t understand it. You have to be receptive, and not afraid of it.
Donna( Grant) Grande’ s artwork may be seen at the law offices ofAshenfelter, Slous, McDonough & Trevenen in Montclair. ➤
32 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE FALL 2016