Florence Putterman
With a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Florence Putterman is a leading woman artist with groundbreaking explorations of abstract art. She uses inspirational imagery and creates a language of fantasy, emotion and wonder. She has explored many themes influenced by her travels in the world as well as from her residences in Pennsylvania and Florida.
After receiving an NEA grant to explore and study the prehistoric symbolism of ancient civilizations, Florence began to develop her own symbolism. Her fanciful creatures of frolicking elephants, playful dogs and cats, colorful serpents and tropical birds combine with abstract marks, lines and curves and levitating figures, dancing magically across her canvases and paper.
Her collages are composed of found objects, handmade papers and Putterman’s great interest in giving discarded items a new life and meaning. Her colors are earthy, pungent and bold; and her use of sand and crushed shells on canvas creates an intriguing crackled texture surface to receive her paint.
She is not limited to any one particular media, but rather has produced: paintings in acrylic and oil; works on paper, including etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, silkscreens, woodcuts and monotypes; sculpture; and photography.
Florence received a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) from Pennsylvania State University, followed by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Florence has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. with literally hundreds of solo and group exhibitions.
She has received numerous awards and is featured in many notable museum collections. She has been a teacher, juror, mentor and an inspiration to those who have been fortunate to experience her zest for life and her love of art.