Ed's profile
My path to being a full time artist has been unusual. Long before I was a working artist I was a meteorologist focusing on a wide range of environmental issues throughout my career with the National Weather Service. I have been working on my art now well over two decades. In 2007, I retired after 50 years of work and have been focusing all my time today as that working artist and have transformed my path from scientist to artist.
My mantra :" At first I was a meteorologist who did art and now I am an artist that did meteorology".
My early works were whimsical assemblages using the vast array of found objects I had been collecting through the years. In a later phase I began creating more functional art as well as a large series of what I call 3D Metal Collages, utilizing patinaed and painted copper and other items I have collected through the years.. for the last few years my focus was on creating a new series of what I call "ArtDoors" using cabinet doors as my canvases.
When Covid19 reached my doorsteps, I changed my direction again . During the pandemic I was lucky to go to my studio daily, sometimes. As I looked around my studio and my large collection ourdoor sculptures and other items that were just getting dusty. For most of my art career I did not use vibrant colors on my pieces as I was trying to keep the integrity of the found objects by using interference colors. I loved them, but they began to look dull to me , just like what the whole planet looked like at that time. I needed to brighten up my art. They needed some energy . So I started painting some of my old work as well as other found objects in the my studio and painted them in vibrant acrylic colors. It put energy in the studio and into me ,as we hopefully continue our climb out of this abyss. I have created numerous pieces during the past year and a half and I'm ready to show them to the world, as well as my other work.
I am calling this collection ...Garden Works. Each piece is sprayed with an acrlic sealer, and the pieces will maintain their beauty and energy all year long.
Being self taught with no formal training, my work has been exhibited at numerous shows and exhibits in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area over the last 25 years.
My wife Linda and I moved to Baltimore in 2001 from the Washington DC area and never looked back. We love the art scene here and the many friends that we have met. And then to win a Baker Award...WOW. Here is link to the Artworks announcement on MPT- https://vimeo.com/93404101 of the Baker Artists selected.
In 2019 I was selected to have my work exhibited at Everyman Theater coinciding with their production of " Be Here Now". Here is what Everyman had to say about my exhibition. Pretty cool !
To see all of my work, please visit my website : http://edgrossart.com
Unseen Beauty
“Be Here Now is about the search for joy, against all odds.” says playwright and Director Deborah Zoe Laufer. Her character Mike, a found object artist in the play, has the unique ability to see value where others see garbage. Edward Gross is a Baltimore based visual artist who uses the technique of assemblage to create sculptures using recycled metals and discarded objects. Ed has scoured the city and countryside for materials that catch his eye. Back in his studio, he combines diverse elements by nailing, gluing, bolting or welding. Long before he stepped into his role of creator, he spent over 50 years as a meteorologist. Ed shares: “As a meteorologist, I observe the beauty in the world. As an artist, I can create a beautiful thing out of what others may not see.” With transformation at the heart of this funny and compelling fiction, it gives us hope to see such talent and passion in our Baltimore Backyard.
I am a very lucky person and I had a most wonderful career as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. And, in 2000, I was honored to be elected Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.But to see my work on the walls and floor of a museum, let alone the Baltimore Museum of Art, it was an amazing feeling.
Life is good
