Debbie Kossoff
Debbie Kossoff is an artist primarily known for her nautical landscapes, as well as works in still life and portraiture. A passion for the sea and life around the water are the focuses of her most recent work. Narrative in nature, much of her paintings are inspired by observations around boatyards and docks as a sailor. Subjects include mariners performing the tasks of their daily jobs: a dockhand working on a dredging project, a schooner being hauled for restoration, a boat captain breaking winter ice in order to free his boat for clamming that day, and many other facets of marina life.
Her most recent works highlight the relationship of sky and water. Inspired by tonalists like George Inness, Charles Eaton and L. Birge Harrison, as well as direct painters John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn and Joaquín Sorolla, she views her work as an opportunity to practice techniques learned from great masters that she admires to forging her own path. Her intent is to create an emotional connection to this natural environment.
Kossoff’s current body of work emphasizes a fascination with the natural awe in sea and sky. “I find myself challenged to interpret light and how it moves through the scene, affecting everything as it moves away from its center,” says Kossoff. “The interplay of light and air in the clouds is a very exciting moment to capture on canvas.”
She adds, “As a sailor, I am keenly aware that the sea is constantly changing. Wind, weather and even lack of weather! All have an impact on how water appears, moves, how light reflects and shadows within it are formed. All create the surface environment of the water. It is a privilege to observe and interpret this awe inspiring natural environment where I live, through my art.”