Signe & Genna Grushovenko

Posed photographs of groups of people—families, classmates, workers, and friends—have been the major source of images for my paintings for some time. These photos appeal to me on several levels. I am drawn to them first for their shapes and patterns. I love the repetition of arms, crossed legs, hair bows, and shirt stripes. The little negative shapes between people prompt an almost puzzle-like approach to the painting, an ambiguity of space. One color may represent background, legs, blouses, and faces within the same piece. The fact that many of the source images are black and white allows me to impose my own abstract color without limitations. Past the purely visual, the pictures have a tremendous emotional content. People sit or stand, usually tensed, concentrating on projecting the best of themselves. They look straight out at you. My photos are from as far back as the youth of my great-great grandparents, and from as far away as the former Soviet Union. They are cherished keepsakes of my family and discarded memories found at yard sales, flea markets, and in abandoned homes. No matter from what generation or country, be they of ancestors, strangers, or friends, the pictures describe the same complex relationships, the same sense of pride. Partners in both life and art, Genna and I have been collaborating for nearly ten years.

Our process begins when Genna creates rich, tonal underpaintings on supports of primed linen, canvas, or Masonite. The underpaintings start with a layer of acrylic color, sometime sprayed, sometimes rolled, and sometimes brushed. Once the acrylic layer is dry, he applies small amounts of oil pigment mixed with copious amounts of mineral spirits. The colors are applied wetly with house paint brushes with the canvas standing. The canvas is then rotated and more layers are applied and allowed to run into one another. When satisfied with the design and palette of each individual piece, Genna lays it on its back and allows it to dry. When I am ready to paint, I go to my supply of underpainted supports and select one. I then choose an image from my collection of vintage photos that will mesh well with the style and palette of the underpainting. Using the photo as reference, I execute a drawing in oil pastel and complete the painting in oil. Collaborating with Genna has influenced my work in many ways, pushing me to work with textures and colors I would have never chosen for myself. The final results of our art partnership are multi-layered paintings with deep surfaces, crisp at first glance but rewarding the careful viewer with an undercurrent of complex tonality and color play. I am grateful to Genna for bringing to my work the same sweet richness he's brought to my life.

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