I am a painter of thoughts trying to understand life through oil paint.
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY., B.F.A., 1979
Todd Groesbeck earned a BFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. An accomplished graphic designer and commercial illustrator, he is also an American Realist painter. Todd works mostly with oil paints in his home studio, painting candid examinations of everyday, working-class American life. Todd’s favorite subjects are the land and buildings near his home in Western Maryland.
Todd paints out of necessity. He finds it absolutely essential to express the moods and feelings he has felt from the different places he has been and the many people he has met. Ideas for paintings occur at odd and often unexpected times. Todd will get an idea for a piece and circle around it for a while until he comes up with an approach that he wants to explore; this process is ongoing and almost constant.
Todd’s artwork serves more as evidence of where he’s been rather than of works of art he has created in his studio. All of his ideas and aspirations are captured forever on canvas with the hope that it strikes a chord with the viewer.
Todd Groesbeck deftly captures the essence of Americana, a subject most of us see - and overlook - every day. His subjects, gritty and not particularly aesthetic, are transformed under his skilled hand. He breathes new light, both literally and figuratively, into his subjects and scenes, using a painterly approach to illuminate the ordinary.
