I am proud to be showing my artworks with my students in “Artistic Bonds” at the Chesapeake Framing Company in Kensington, MD, during the month of July 2025. I have been fortunate to lead art workshops at the Ring House in Rockville, MD, for years. And thus, for years, I have had the pleasure of spending time with Rose, Ruth, and Blu. These women inspire me: their life experiences, gumption for life, and love of creating. I am deeply moved by their knowing me and trusting me. While we work diligently during our art workshops, we always find time to share personal stories. Moments from our lives, thoughts on living a good life, and navigating life’s ups and down, fill up the time.
As art educator, I bring a combination of art history and technique to my students. I love researching lives of artists (past and current) and sharing my findings. What does a workshop at the Ring House look like? We start by looking at images of artworks – these may be by the same painter or they may be on a topic several artists have engaged in. For instance, we have looked at intimate portraits of women by Berthe Morisot and studied how a variety of painters capture pears (indeed, many did). We then grab our tools – watercolors or acrylics – and select a work as inspiration. The workshops are not about copying an existing artwork. They are about learning what made a particular artist interesting and using the theme to bring out own unique skills. Some students merge the inspirations, others form a brand new idea. We work quietly at time; we laugh at others. The hour and a half together brings us closer together as creators and as human beings. There is much vulnerability and strength to be creating in a group.
Artists (from left): Rose Grossman, Ruth Birnbaum, Charlotte Blu Berman
Artists (from left): Rose Grossman, Ruth Birnbaum, Charlotte Blu Berman
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Who are Rose, Ruth, and Blu? While age does not matter, it is of note: Rose is 101, Ruth is 92, and Blu is 96. Hence, they are all at least double my age. If they mention they learn from me, let’s just be hones: I learn much more from them. They mark their daily activities calendars and often beat me to the art room awaiting the next topic eagerly asking: what are we working on today? While Rose often jokes that she likes to “patchke”, these workshops are taken seriously. There is no lowering of stardards as one ages, there is eagerness to create well and beautifully. Rose, Ruth, and Blu ask questions: often putting my level of researching to shame. They want quality in all respects.
Over the years, they have developed unique styles. Rose works in watercolors with lightness and in soft colors. Her artworks carry a subtle sense of humor. When she finishes her painting, she sits back and holds it up admiring her achievement. Blu brings art to life through amazing brushstrokes: I feel like I can see Henri Matisse’s aesthetic in her works. She has a keen sense of space and when her work is completed, she looks up and says: “Well, thank you for today.” It’s lunch time and she goes off to her next activity. Ruth, who prefers working in acrylics, is a meticulously attentive artist: she looks deeply at her inspiration, sketches with attention to detail, and then she delves into bright and intense colors. When she asks: “when will we see you next?” I smile: what could be a better compliment?
Over the years, they have developed unique styles. Rose works in watercolors with lightness and in soft colors. Her artworks carry a subtle sense of humor. When she finishes her painting, she sits back and holds it up admiring her achievement. Blu brings art to life through amazing brushstrokes: I feel like I can see Henri Matisse’s aesthetic in her works. She has a keen sense of space and when her work is completed, she looks up and says: “Well, thank you for today.” It’s lunch time and she goes off to her next activity. Ruth, who prefers working in acrylics, is a meticulously attentive artist: she looks deeply at her inspiration, sketches with attention to detail, and then she delves into bright and intense colors. When she asks: “when will we see you next?” I smile: what could be a better compliment?
Ruth Birnbaum (b. 1933, Haifa, Israel) grew up with an artist father and was always surrounded by art. In the 1960s, she moved with her family to the U.S. where she went back to school and got a doctorate in Jewish studies. Family, work, and other matters stopped her from creating for a bit but she started painting again upon retirement. She has lived at the Ring House for 7 years: she brought along her own desk to work at and to have “her corner.” She find art to be the best vehicle for emotional relief, thus a unique expression of feelings. She paints a variety of topics: moments from her travels, photographs from her family, aspects of Jewish life. When times feel hard, she “goes downstairs to the studio and paints.”
Charlotte Blu Berman (b. 1929, New York City, NY) has been doing art work since high school and recently sold one of her paintings at a senior art show at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington. Having lived in New York and Connecticut, she moved to the Ring House 7 years ago. To her, “art is part of her identity. It’s a joy.” Blu is immersed in the art group in addition to being a life-long writer of stories. When asked why she creates, she said “it’s like asking me: why do you breathe?” She enjoys portraiture.
Rose Grossman (b. 1923, Cincinnati, OH) fell in love with art in high school and has been an avid art museum goer all of her life. While busy with life and her nursing career, she tested out a variety of media: pottery, collage, paper beading (jewelry), embroidery – the list could go on. She lived in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida, and moved to the Ring House 18 years ago. She loves to create – or as she labels it: she “loves to patchke. It’s a joyous expression.”
Charlotte Blu Berman (b. 1929, New York City, NY) has been doing art work since high school and recently sold one of her paintings at a senior art show at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington. Having lived in New York and Connecticut, she moved to the Ring House 7 years ago. To her, “art is part of her identity. It’s a joy.” Blu is immersed in the art group in addition to being a life-long writer of stories. When asked why she creates, she said “it’s like asking me: why do you breathe?” She enjoys portraiture.
Rose Grossman (b. 1923, Cincinnati, OH) fell in love with art in high school and has been an avid art museum goer all of her life. While busy with life and her nursing career, she tested out a variety of media: pottery, collage, paper beading (jewelry), embroidery – the list could go on. She lived in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida, and moved to the Ring House 18 years ago. She loves to create – or as she labels it: she “loves to patchke. It’s a joyous expression.”
As people, we hold similar values: connection to family, curiosity about the world around us, and unwavering belief that creating art is essential to quality life. We all come from different backgrounds, yet our conversations have brought us together. Rose, Ruth, and Blu have lead lives that would make for wonderful books, and what’s more, they keep living in ways that makes these books unfinished and thus endlessly interesting.
I hope you enjoy our art exhibition “Artistic Bonds” at the Chesapeake Framing Company in Kensington, MD. Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Come see our works, ask questions, and meet these fascinating women!
I hope you enjoy our art exhibition “Artistic Bonds” at the Chesapeake Framing Company in Kensington, MD. Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Come see our works, ask questions, and meet these fascinating women!