We were lucky to catch up with Harriet Silverstein recently and have shared our conversation below.
Harriet, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
My parents taught by example. They were great sources of information because they always kept learning, doing, reading and growing throughout their lives and shared their knowledge generously. Because we lived near NYC, they started taking me to museums from a very early age and I loved it. They both constantly emphasized the importance of education and deep appreciation of all of the arts. This love for knowledge was part of them, as individuals. It was genuine. I learned from an early age that it’s a great thing to love a work of art so much that you just had to talk about it, with the people that understand you best.
Their support for my artistic work made a huge difference in my life. Both of my parents had successful careers in business and finance. They respected my choice to become an artist.
Harriet, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an internationally exhibited and collected artist, based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. My art studio and showroom is located in the History Museum of Fort Lauderdale, where I am an Artist-in-Residence. This art studio at the museum is open to the public 7 days a week during regular museum hours. I have received numerous awards for artistic work including 2 Residency Scholarships to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, in Skowhegan , Maine and the State University of NY International Fellowship to France. My art has been exhibited at venues including Lincoln Center, NY; 101 Park Avenue, NYC; The Musee du Grand Palais in Paris, France; GalleryOne, Fort Lauderdale; and the Posh Design Studio and Gallery in Delray Beach, FL. Selected published reviews include The New York Times, Newsday, Las Olas Boulevard Magazine and Alsace Magazine in Strasbourg, France. I am an Honors graduate of the Academy Des Beaux Arts in Strasbourg, France, (MFA), the State University of NY at Albany (MA), and Brown University,Providence,RI. where I received a BA cum laude in History and Visual Art.
Known as a multimedia artist actively working in painting, metal sculpture, collage, mixed media and book art., I love the resulting creative interplay of varied media.. It’s very exciting to me that all of my work is recognizable for its lush, heavily tactile and sensual physical and visual qualities. My distinctive application of rich colors is boldly gestural, vibrant and spontaneous. I am most proud of the fact that my work is distinguishable in all of the varied media I choose, and that I choose to constantly expand my art with new media. I truly love artistic materials that reveal my physical process, and how raw energy thrives in a completed work.
Born in New York City, I was raised in Syosset, Long Island and loved art from an early age. I was selected for honors programs at Cornell University and Hofstra University while still in high school. Professionally, I began exhibiting my work in galleries and museums while I was a fellowship student in France and never stopped. In addition to exhibitions and commissioned projects, I have taught art and art history at Hofstra University, Queens College, Broward County Public Schools and in the Oncology Unit at Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Weston, FL.
In Painting, I am inspired by natural color and light, in the the ways they define organic form and texture. The illuminating light of South Florida, with its brilliant brights and deep, dark lushness of its shadows , is especially inspiring to me. I love building layers of juicy color in paint, pastel, and collage; scraping back and then adding pools of paint and form. My 2-D work provides the viewer with strong graphic form from a distance but, up close they are rewarded with layers of color and line. My goal is to create art that the viewer can return to over and over, continually discovering new and exciting visual details..
My metal sculptures of endangered animals are meant to intensify awareness and appreciation for critically endangered species. I choose3-D media for the flexible, tangibly direct and expressive linear qualities that I also love in painting and drawing. I want to capture the living, breathing presence of these magnificent animals and to inspire support for their preservation.
As an artist, my creative brand is positive, uplifting, energetic, bold and refined. All of my work engages the viewer in joyful discovery of a unique world of visual experience. Importantly, I want the world to know that I have years of experience completing artistic commissions for private and corporate clients. I truly enjoy working with clients to fulfill their dreams and decorative goals and am always open to new projects of any size.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing the whole “world” of experiences, that are created because of my art – the commissions I complete for businesses and individual clients, the gallery exhibitions I choose, the sales of my art to enthusiastic clients who connect to my work, the curators and artists that I know and more. For me, it’s a really rewarding experience to see my studio practice grow as I grow as an artist. It’s amazing to live this professional life that originates from my art.
It’s also rewarding that my artistic changes and developments bring me new clients and opportunities. There’s no guarantee that collectors will like my new directions but, so far this is an asset. This presents fresh new visual art.
I’m known as a multimedia artist actively working in painting, metal sculpture, collage, mixed media and book art. It’s exciting to me that all of my work is recognizable for its lush, heavily tactile and sensual physical and visual qualities. I am most proud of the fact that my work is distinguishable in all of the varied media that I choose, and that I choose to constantly expand my work with new media.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Earlier in my career, when I was living in NYC, I had a commission opportunity that required very quick thinking and delivering. I was asked to make paintings for a new restaurant, in a sleek new building across the street from Grand Central Station at 101 Park Avenue. Ci Ristorante had 6,000 square feet of the most minimal gray and black interior decor, absent art of any kind. The initial restaurant design plan was to have a completely minimal space with striking architectural detail, and without visual art. After completing the interior, the designers realized the critical need for art and turned to me. I had previously completed several commissions for this developer and they knew my work. The commission was to create all of art for the 6,000 square foot restaurant. The designers required immediate delivery, for the upcoming restaurant opening. The art had to be engaging and cohesive at the same time, as it was possible to see numerous big walls from far across the restaurant. There were more intimate spaces as well, in the bar area and entryway. This was a definite challenge. I didn’t want to lose this opportunity but, at the same time, the interior designer’s demands seemed daunting and impossible to fulfill so quickly. After a brief period of pure panic, I thought of a solution.
Fortunately, I always work in series, exploring an idea or approach in multiple works. I completed the commission with over 45 oil paintings and drawings, from separate series, adding only minor adjustments for the unique interior architecture. My different artistic series coordinated beautifully and looked cohesive and strong in the restaurant space. I was able to do this because I was ready, with separate series recently completed. Although I didn’t feel ready at the time, it was a great learning experience in many ways. One of the big lessons I learned is to trust myself for the unique approach behind my artistic work or anything else. Another was to maintain confidence in any situation that seems undoable, at first.
Contact Info:
- Website: HarrietSilverstein.com
- Instagram: @harriet.silverstein.com
- Facebook: @Harriet Silverstein @Harriet SilversteinArtist.com
- Linkedin: @Harriet Silverstein.com
- Other: @historyfortlauderdale.org/museum
Image Credits
Portrait by Hank Henley