My work grows out of an ecstatic relationship to nature. — Phyllis Rosser

Phyllis Rosser (b. 1934) is an American artist whose work bridges sculpture and painting through a sustained, physical engagement with natural materials and organic form. Working for more than three decades with driftwood collected along riverbanks and shorelines, Rosser’s sculptural practice explores how time, water, erosion, and resilience leave visible traces that shape both material and meaning. Her wall-mounted assemblages preserve the individuality of each found element, allowing grain, weathering, and irregularity to guide the composition, resulting in abstractions that feel at once forceful and quietly balanced.

Born in Rochester, New York, Rosser earned a B.A. in Art History from Smith College, where she studied modern architecture before developing her own visual language through years of experimentation. In her sculptural work, she does not cut or alter the driftwood she gathers; instead, she assembles pieces intuitively, revealing the history already embedded in the material. This process reflects her belief that nature itself is a collaborator, shaping form long before the artist intervenes.

Critics have often aligned Rosser’s work with the gestural energy of Abstract Expressionism, drawing comparisons to artists such as Joan Mitchell and Willem de Kooning, while noting the distinct material intelligence that grounds her practice. Her work has been exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions throughout New York, New England, and New Jersey, and is held in public and corporate collections including the Smith College Museum of Art and Microsoft’s sculpture collection.

Across sculpture and painting alike, Rosser’s work invites reflection on time, transformation, and vitality—offering nature not as subject alone, but as an active, shaping force within the artwork itself.