Sheila Grabarsky

Sheila Grabarsky is a an abstract painter living and working on the New Jersey shore. She is known for her bold and expressive gestural abstract paintings. A juxtaposition of contrasting colors, loose brushwork and spontaneity characterize her work.

Grabarsky achieves a medley of sumptuous, tactile surfaces by applying layers upon layers of fresh paint and dried acrylics from her palette – what she refers to as “palette skins”. She also applies papers, plastic resin pellets, gels, wax and even jewelry hardware to her paintings to add reflection, depth and texture.

The artist’s widely recognized “Garden” paintings transcend the literal depiction of her chosen subject matter. They engage viewers on an emotional level, provide a personal connection to nature and provoke a visceral response.

Sheila’s animated paintings have been compared to those of Vasily Kandinsky, the Russian painter and art theorist, referred to as “the father of abstraction”. And, like Kandinsky, the essence of inner beauty and the potency of the human spirit are key factors in her art.

The energetic artist embraces different genres of music which accompany her in her studio and invigorate her canvases with an undulating rhythmic movement. Her art is in many private collections, has been featured on music CD covers, and was selected as the background for a collaborative J&J/Rutgers video.

– Renee Phillips, Manhattan Arts International