Robert Goldstrom, "Kentile, After"
10" x 8", oil on canvas panel
The wide range of subject matter explored by Robert Goldstrom reveals the curiosity with which the Brooklyn based artist sees the world. His varied series feel like investigations into a wide range of subjects, from familiar city scenes of Brooklyn to fanciful dovecotes to dream-like aquariums. Each series is composed of numerous paintings, each a closer look at the larger theme. His paintings of the downtown Brooklyn clock tower alone number over a hundred, each a close look at the nature of light and atmosphere at different times of day. Goldstrom describes his process:
"It starts with something I see triggering a feeling that I cannot ignore. Then I create studies, that sometimes lead to finished paintings, sometimes not. Occasionally, the finished paintings come years after the initial impulse. [It can take] that long for the idea, the mood and the scenic details to come together and scratch the itch."
Robert Goldstrom, "Medusa 2, study" and "Beluga 6, study"
Robert Goldstrom, "Medusa 2, study" and "Beluga 6, study"oil on panel, 10" x 8"
“I paint directly on canvas, both in my studies on archival canvas boards and in the finished paintings. Since my paintings are so color-dependent, I’ve found, through trial and error, that preliminary drawings don’t take me where I need to go. So I start with oil washes to push the paint around easily and set the composition, let it dry, then finish it off with heavier pigment and a homemade painting medium."
Robert Goldstrom, "Dovecote 1 & 2", 14" x 11" "Dovecote 3" 10" x 8"
oil on canvas panel
Goldstrom's career began in illustration, learning how to paint while on the job and earning gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators. His illustration work has appeared on the covers of Time, The Atlantic, and New York Magazine; in The New York Times and The Boston Globe; posters for the New York City Opera; stamps for the UN; and illustrations for the children’s book, “Dream Away.” Since 2004, Goldstrom has divided his time between Brooklyn and Provincetown, painting full-time.
Robert Goldstrom's numerous collections can be viewed at: