Chrissanth Gross
My Dad was an illustrator; my mother was a highly sought after model. So I have been watching the magical process of making people come alive on canvas as early as I can remember.
A graduate of the High School of Music and Art, Queens College and the University of Michigan, I have extended my art education over the years by studying with Daniel Greene, Andrew Lattimore, and figurative sculptor, Richard McDermott Miller. I have worked as a storyboard artist, illustrator of children's books and portrait artist for over 22 years.
There's a sort of yoga to my approach to figure drawing in charcoal. On one hand I believe in standing on the shoulders of giants, mastering classical technique and submitting to a disciplined study of the model. On the other hand, I believe in honoring one's unique point of view and impulse. I love giving way to the ephemeral and messy nature of charcoal, which offers a very wide range of expression.
I am very grateful to my models. There is something heroic in their willingness to be seen. In our process of learning to see and draw, the model allows us to experience and capture the infinite variety and beauty of the human figure as well as its animating life force.