Nicholas Grassi
Nicholas Grassi is an illustrator, painter, and storyteller who thrives on raw intuition and the urgency of the moment when most inspired. Working primarily in thematic series across various mediums, his portfolio ranges from urban paintings and plein air landscapes, to more recent unnamable, science-fiction, dreamlike environments and abstractions on paper and canvas, born from repetitive subtractive mark making, memory and metaphor.
His foundation begins in his immediate surroundings, evolving from rapidly sketching subway commuters as an adolescent to enduring 11-hour, outdoor alla prima painting sessions on Martha's Vineyard in 2025. He thrives under the pressure of disappearing subjects, prioritizing raw, felt intuition over analytical critique.
A Boston native and Island summer resident, Grassi holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in Illustration and Drawing, and earned his MFA from the New York Studio School.
Online Exhibition : Opening July 16, 2026
Exploring energetic dynamism through large-scale drawings and paintings, this work packs chaos into expansive surfaces. The process begins by sketching people from observation in public and private, continuously redrawing them to capture shifting positions and build an intense visual energy.
This kinetic mark-making vocabulary translates into abstract science fiction environments where liminal spaces, flora, and creatures emerge from dark, atmospheric voids. Through an obsessive cycle of drawing, erasing, and rebuilding monsters or architectural structures, the passage of time is physically manifested, and the soul of the city is found. Just as an ancient stone staircase retains the energetic fingerprint of human foot traffic, these real and imagined landscapes serve as portals to understand reality and explore alternative worlds.
Nicholas Grassi’s Thesis Exhibition this Spring for his MFA program at the New York Studio School is featured online from July 13th. This body of work comprises sixteen mixed media artworks : in combinations of chalk pastel, charcoal, colored charcoal, conté crayon, graphite, water-soluble graphite, acrylic paint, Sumi and acrylic ink, acrylic paint, marker, gel pen, and collaged paper on paper.
(top image) Panoramic View of Otherworld, 2026 • chalk pastel, water-soluble graphite, graphite, charcoal, colored charcoal, and sumi ink on paper • 22 x 139.5
(bottom left) City in Motion, 2026 • Charcoal, colored charcoal, conté crayon, graphite, and water soluble graphite on paper • 59 × 44.25 inches
Looking Series
Bedroom at Night • Conté crayon, colored charcoal, water, and x-acto knife on archival paper • 18 x 23 inches • $2,650
Kendall Square Street • Conté crayon, colored charcoal, water, and x-acto knife on archival paper • 24 ½ x 31 inches • $4,250
Menemsha Window No. 4 • Conte crayon, oil pastel, and acrylic paint on artist board • 16 x 20 inches • $2,150
Menemsha Window No. 3 • 14 x 17” Conte crayon, oil pastel, and acrylic paint on paper • 14 x 17 inches • $1,600
Different Strokes Series
Fog at Peaked Hill, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 8 x 8 inches • $900
Midafternoon at Great Rock Bight, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 14 x 16 inches • $1,600
Dusk at Quansoo, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 8 x 8 inches • $900
Sunset at Middle Ridge, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 12 x 8 inches • $1,000
Dusk at Peaked Hill, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 12 x 14 inches • $1,400
Sunset at Short Cove, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 8 x 12 inches • $1,000
Rain at Sepiessa Point, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 10 x 8 inches • $950
Brush at Short Cove, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 20 x 24 inches • $2,100
Foggy Dusk at Menemsha, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 16x 24 inches • $1,950
Sunset at Menemsha, 2025 • Oil on canvas • 14 x 24 inches• $ 1,900