Al Rossi “Setting Traps”
Oil on canvas
Signed by artist on canvas
23.5 x 29
A lively coastal scene centered around a small fishing boat cutting through brilliantly layered blue water while gulls circle overhead. Rossi’s loose, confident brushwork gives the painting movement and atmosphere, with shifting turquoise reflections and soft coastal light carrying the eye across the composition. The piece captures both the working rhythm of the harbor and the calm openness of the surrounding water.
About the Artist:
Al Rossi (1927–2004) was the product of a long line of musicians; no one is quite sure how visual art came into his life. He dreamed of becoming an aeronautical engineer and attended Fordham University until World War II interrupted his plans. After returning from the war, he attended Pratt Institute and later studied at the Art Students League of New York. After graduating, Rossi worked as an illustrator for Bantam Books and others, contributing to pulp fiction and midcentury crime novels. He later combined art and engineering in toy design for Ideal Toy Company, Matchbox, and UN. In 1989 he retired to Pennsylvania, painting serene landscapes and figures in oils, watercolors, and pastels, before eventually moving to Lake Monticello, where he documented life in Central Virginia.
Collection = Reggie
Item Number: 1687-16