Brad Stroman

My award-winning acrylic paintings reflect the intimate and fragile relationship between man and nature. By incorporating the Japanese Zen Buddhist aesthetic of wabi-sabi into my compositions I create a stage where trompe l’oeil subjects from nature play against weathered man-made backgrounds. 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 living are incomplete, imperfect and impermanent. One will discover the interaction of those tenets in each of my compositions.

As an artist concerned with our environmental stewardship, I have supported various environmental causes for years. My work has garnered acclaim from environmentalists and art enthusiasts alike and hangs in both private and corporate collections both here and abroad. I am represented by fine galleries throughout the US and my paintings are included periodically in exhibitions across the country.

Growing up in Central Pennsylvania and residing there until recently, I enjoyed a 34 year career as an art educator while developing a ever-increasing audience for my Zen nature paintings. Since retiring from teaching and moving to western North Carolina, I have established a painting studio and gallery in the River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina.

WABI – SABI

So what is it?

Wabi-sabi is a term used to describe the Japanese Zen Buddhist philosophy that professes all things impermanent, imperfect and incomplete during their life cycle.

I use wabi-sabi as an aesthetic in composing my paintings about nature’s fragile existence. Balancing textures, colors and spatial relations, the paintings become a stage for trompe l’oeil subjects of nature showcased against austere, weathered and textural backgrounds. Incorporating the circle to represent unity and harmony, I deliberately make sure it is never painted in its entirety.