As an artist-activist Brad combines his passion for making art with his concerns for our environment. His paintings have won acclaim from environmentalists and art lovers alike. Today his work is exhibited nationally in both solo and juried group shows. Currently represented by galleries in Pennsylvania, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, New Hampshire, South Carolina and North Carolina, Brad’s original paintings and giclees are also included in over 100 private and corporate collections.
During his 34 years spent as an art educator he received several honors through “Who’s Who of American Teachers” and the 1990 national ‘art teacher as artist’ award from the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. He belongs to several professional organizations, one of which includes the Colored Pencil Society of America where he achieved Signature Status. Stroman grew up in south-central PA but resides today in Black Mountain, NC with his wife, cat and two rescued dogs. His painting studio is located in the River Arts District in Asheville, NC. The district is a collection of old converted warehouses and is home to over 150 artists and craftsmen.
Education
- Zenga: Zen Brush Painting Workshop, Blue Mountain Lotus Society,
Harrisburg, PA - Millersville University, Millersville, PA
Graduate Courses in Studio Art 1992-2000 - Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg Campus, Middletown, PA
M.A. Humanities Graduate Studies 1976-1978 - Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA
B.S. Art Education 1972
Awards and Honorariums
- Juror for the 2007 Art Alliance of Central PA abstraction show
- Honorable Mention in Acrylics, Hilton Head National Juried Art Exhibition
- Local Artist of the Year, Sierra Club, Blue Mtn. Chapter, Harrisburg, PA
- Colored Pencil Society of America Signature Member Status
- Colored Pencil Society of America Five-Year Merit Award
- Strathmore Paper Company Award of Excellence
- Prismacolor Award for Outstanding Recognition
- Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Teacher As Artist Award
- Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers Award ’05, ’99, ’98, ’96
Published Articles
- Happenings, Intelligencer Journal, “Earth Art: Zen and the Art of Art”,
by Carol DiFonzo, October, 2003 - This Weekend, Lancaster New Era, “New Direction For Artist: Feathers and Nails”, By Jane Holahan, March, 2003
- The Best of Colored Pencil, Vol. 5, “Forbidden Fruit”, 1999
- American Artist Magazine, “The Coming of Age of Colored Pencil”, by Linda S. Price, December, 1998
- The Best Of Colored Pencil 2, “Poppies By The Gate” and “Passageway”, 1994
- “Earth Matters by Brad Stroman at the Juniata College Museum”,
artdaily.org, 2007 - Harrisburg Magazine, Gallery Space, “Downtown Galleries Feature Variety”,
by Scott Campbell, April, 2007 - USA TODAY Newspaper.- article on the Arts Hotel, Lancaster, PA
- Hudson River Museum catalog for “Paintbox Leaves” survey exhibition of American artists
Professional Memberships
- National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA
- Colored Pencil Society of America, Harrisburg Art Association, Harrisburg, PA
Artist Statement
As a contemporary realist, I am drawn to the everyday visual stimuli of my environment, from the intricate texture of a fallen leaf or the subtle colors within a simple creek stone to the timeworn surface patterns in man-made structures. My responsibility as a socially and politically conscious artist is to interpret those stimuli in not just representational creations, but rather as a personal statement about man’s stewardship to his environment.
My paintings reflect the intimate and fragile relationship between man and nature. By incorporating the Japanese Zen Buddhist aesthetic of wabi-sabi I can create a stage where both man-made and natural objects play out their balancing act. The aesthetic of wabi-sabi encourages a contemplative look at our lives through a meditative and disciplined search for humility and an understanding of our place in the physical world. It professes a belief that all things created are incomplete, impermanent, and imperfect.
I hope that through my acrylic paintings I create a heightened awareness of just how delicate a balance there is between man and nature and the need for us to be conscientious stewards of the natural world.
