Les Grossman

Shops of Yesteryear Inc.

Antique Market Place and

Gallery of Fine Art

102 Center Street

Mount Airy, Maryland 21771-1017

Les Grossman

The Gallery at Yesteryear

Featuring

Les Grossman

Artist

Biography

I guess it all started with winning the Smokey the Bear Coloring Contest. It gave me all the fame a six year old needed. My parents, Dorothy and George Lander, nurtured my creativity as a child. Mom was an artist, always painting and Dad was a wood carver. So, from crayons to now there seems to be a lifelong connection.

Combing my love of the country and my love to create has given me hours of happiness. Back in Northern California in the early eighties, a group of officers wives, myself included, decided we would open a shop to showcase some of our hidden talents. At the time we lived on an Air Force Base where my husband, Jim, was stationed. The store would give other wives a way to meet people, make friends, and not be so lonely while their husbands were away on duty. I was also in the Country Store, a juried arts and crafts show.

A customer once best described my work by commenting on my "whimsical" style. I always liked that description.

At the time, I was painting Holstein cows on everything I laid my hands on, as my sons, Eric and Scott jokingly pointed out. It was hard at first to fill a shop with just a few of us creating, but it was fun and it worked.

At this time in my life, I loved to go to a country place called the Cheese Factory. I would take in the beauty, sketch, enjoy the pond and rolling hills, and, of course, the Brie cheese. I sketched the building and they liked it so much they hung it in their shop for years. For me, that spot in California was a little heaven on Earth, and for my work to hang on their wall was such a thrill.

Since I've been in Maryland I've had the opportunity to participate in several of the Frizzelburg Teddy Bear Christmas shows. I have also been the Country Registry cover artist for the Maryland November-December 1999 issue with my "Spirit Register" angel. Thanks Gail and Merle! .

As a mostly self-taught artist, I have always created for myself. But when my work brings pleasure to someone else I feel a great satisfaction. The artist I admire most is Grandma Moses, for her unassuming genius that won people's hearts while she fulfilled her own desire to paint.

I also am a two year cancer survivor and would like to encourage everyone to pursue his or her talents even in the face of adversity. I know that as long as I am able, I will sketch and paint, realizing a life long dream. Thank all of you who encourage me and remember, angels are everywhere.