◄123►

A passion for color and shape drives my paintings; I find the variations and interactions endlessly absorbing. In the current Shapes & Variations series I use traditional gouache, which allows rich surface mutation and immediate drying, a perfect combo for improvisation.
I begin painting with a random ‘found’ shape, or a stroke of seductive color, or a texture pressed into the surface. Through a sequence of intuitive choices and accidentals, I respond to what unfolds.
As I enhance some shapes and obscure others, a dynamic tension develops. Shapes meet, interact, and collide in a dance that takes on personal significance. During the past pandemic year, these ‘relationships’ created a world of escape, hope, and pleasure.

Born in New York, Gail Salzman has lived in northern Vermont for 50 years. She has been drawing and painting most of her life. After completing her BA degree in Fine Art from Indiana University at Bloomington, Gail studied painting at Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture and at New York Studio School, NYC.
Salzman’s paintings have been widely exhibited throughout the East Coast. Recent solo shows include New Paintings: Unknown Time & Place, 2018 at Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne VT, and Soundings, 2013 at BCA Center in Burlington VT. Invitational exhibits include those at the Vermont Arts Council, Drawing Room Gallery in Cos Cob CT, BCA Center and Fleming Museum in Burlington VT, among numerous others.
Salzman received a Painting Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) early in her career. In recent years, Salzman was awarded several grants from Vermont Arts Endowment Fund and Vermont Arts Council, as well as residencies at Virginia Center for Creative Arts and Vermont Studio Center. Her work is represented in permanent collections of University of Vermont Medical Center, Hotel Vermont in Burlington, Wake Robin Community in Shelburne VT, and in private collections throughout the USA and Canada.
Gail Salzman teaches advanced painting, experimental drawing and studio workshops at Burlington City Arts.