Rochelle Seltzer

Where I Am Now

Having moved through many passages, the paintings that have emerged in 2023 have often surprised me. I have allowed myself to be in the present moment and simply experiment and play. Creating works on paper created with a limited set of paints in a small space, using a found paintbrush of my mother’s, was a great creative adventure that opened up new ways to work on canvas. Having begun to write in tandem with painting has also been a revelation for me. The creative freedom I have found this year has impacted many aspects of my life.

THE YELLOW PAINTBRUSH | 24x24 acrylic on canvas
[not for sale]

PARIS 1 | 5x7 acrylic on paper

PARIS 2 | 5x7 acrylic on paper

PARIS 3 | 5x7 acrylic and oil stick on paper

PARIS 4 | 5x7 acrylic on paper

THE MESS IN MY HEART | 8 x 8 acrylic and oil stick on paper

DEVASTATION | 20 x 20 acrylic on canvas

$1200

COMPARTMENTS | 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas
Exhibited at Cambridge Art Association, 2024

$1500

TOWARD THE LIGHT | 20x20 acrylic on canvas
Exhibited at Cambridge Art Association, 2024

$2000

Navigating My Heart | 8 × 10 acrylic on panel

$1000

Finding My Footing

Living through the pandemic in 2020, and the national struggle to address racial and social justice, impacted my work profoundly. When I lost my mother in August of 2020 I felt at a loss in the studio. In the months that followed I allowed myself to simply show up, make a mess, and see if anything emerged that had meaning for me. I was patient with the process, even as I had no idea where I was headed. A number of paintings took shape, and over time in 2022 the work has continued to evolve.

MEMBRANES AND SCREENS | 24x24 acrylic on canvas
Exhibited at Cambridge Art Association, 2021
SMFA Art Sale 2022 (Juried)
$2800

PENETRATING BARRIERS | 24x24 acrylic on canvas
$1500

BEHIND THE TORN RED SCRIM | 20x20 acrylic on canvas
$1200

MESSAGES FROM THE HEART | 20x20 acrylic on canvas
$1500

SLOWLY EMERGING | 16x16 acrylic on panel
$800

INTRUSION | 12x12 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
[Sold]

INTRUSION | 12x12 acrylic on panel
National Prize Show 2022, Cambridge Art Association
$1800

FINDING MY WAY | 12x12 acrylic on canvas
SMFA Art Sale 2022 (Juried)
[Sold]

PEACE AMID CHAOS | 20x20 acrylic on canvas
$1200

EMOTIONAL WORLDS | 20x20 acrylic on canvas
$2500

NOW AND AGAIN | 6x6 acrylic on paper, mounted on panel
[Sold]

LAYERED LIFE | 24x24 acrylic on canvas
$1200

Grief + Isolation

Early in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, I lost my uncle and responded to the pain in my heart while painting. It was just a few weeks later that we began social distancing. While I was feeling grounded in my day-to-day life, deep distress grew, and it became the basis for a number of new paintings.

And when the nation (finally) focused on addressing racial injustice at a deeper level, the emotional impact continued to influence my work.

IN THE UNKNOWN | 24x24 acrylic on canvas
Was exhibited in Transparency, Cambridge Art Association, 2020
$3000

WITHIN MY HEART | 20x20 acrylic on canvas
$2800

MISSING ROBERT | 12x12 acrylic on panel
[Not for sale]

SEEKING THE LIGHT | 16x20 acrylic on canvas
$1200

WHOLE IN THE DARK | 20x20 acrylic on canvas
$1200

LIVING THROUGH CRISIS | 20x20 acrylic on canvas
$900

COMPLICATED | 24x36 acrylic on canvas
$1000

INSIDE THE PAIN | 6 x 12 acrylic on canvas
Was exhibited in RED 2020, Cambridge Art Association
$800

BLEEDING | 10x10 acrylic on paper
$600

SOUL CONNECTION

While surface texture continued to be an interest, my primary focus became a more nuanced exploration of space. In the ambiguous spaces that I explored in this work, I began creating abstract realms, and pondering where one finds oneself — and what one feels — in contemplating these spaces.

12 x 12 acrylic on canvas
[Sold]

20 x 20 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
Was exhibited at SMFA
$2500

11 x 14 acrylic and mixed media on panel
Was exhibited at SMFA
$2000

20x20 acrylic on canvas
$1800

20x20 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
Was exhibited at Bromfield Art Gallery
$1800

16x20 acrylic on panel
Was exhibited at SMFA
$1800

20x20 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
Was exhibited at SMFA
Was on exhibit at Massachusetts State House
$1800

20x20 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
$1500

12 x 12 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
$600

8x8 acrylic on panel
$600

12 x 12 acrylic on canvas
$600

Ambiguous Space

Surface, texture, and color became important areas of focus in my work. A fascination with form began to emerge as I explored emotion and the space it inhabits. My acrylic paintings often included collaged elements in this period.

24x24 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
Was exhibited at SMFA
$1800

30x30 acrylic on canvas
Was exhibited in RED 2018, Cambridge Art Association
$1800

8x10 acrylic and mixed media
[Sold]

10x8 acrylic and mixed media on panel
Was exhibited at Cambridge Art Association
$1800

30x30 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
$1000

16x20 acrylic and mixed media on panel
$800

16x16 acrylic and mixed media on panel
$1000

12x12 acrylic and mixed media on canvas
$600

12x12 acrylic on canvas
$600

Surface

Form was set aside as my work became more abstract and focused on building rich surface texture, and allowing color to emerge as layer upon layer of paint is applied, scraped, and applied again.

In creating field paintings, compositional elements have also been introduced — sometimes subtly, and sometimes in more obvious ways..

16x16 acrylic on panel
Was exhibited at Bromfiled Gallery Winter Works
$800

12x12 acrylic on panel
$800

10x8 acrylic on canvas
$400

12x9 acrylic on panel
$400

Round

During a period in 2016 when I had health issues, I found myself drawn to round form in many variations. It was not until later that I connected the impulse for round forms to a yearning for wholeness and healing.

12x9 acrylic on panel
$500

11x14 acrylic on panel
$500

Graphic Worlds

This early series of paintings was created in acrylic, with a focus on color and graphic forms in mysterious spaces.

12x12 acrylic on canvas
$450

12x12 acrylic on canvas [Sold]

12x12 acrylic on canvas
$450

Collages

A series of collages inspired by the work of Robert Motherwell paved the way to painting, and collage continues to be a meaningful way to create.

8x8 oil pastel and collage on panel
[Not for sale]

8x8 8x8 collage on panel
[Sold]

8x8 collage on panel
$200

16x20 collage on panel
$300

Drawings

When I travel and am unable to paint, I have made a practice of daily drawing mediations. I have limited materials at hand and work spontaneously each day on these small works.

$85

$100

$85

$100

$85

[Sold]

$85

[Sold]

$125

Large Canvases

The canvas I painted in 2017 was my first large-scale work. I created it during a week in Santa Fe. I collaborated on this painting, and the size of the studio allowed me to experiment and explore in new ways. I started work on two other large canvases in 2019, and have enjoyed working on bigger surfaces in conjunction with the smaller-scale work I most often make.

THE INSISTENT VOICE | 48x36 acrylic on canvas | 2019
$2000

UNANCHORED | 48x36 acrylic on canvas | 2020
$2000

ARRIVAL | 54x44 acrylic on canvas | 2017
$2500