Stamford-Based Artist Honored With 'Thrill Of A Lifetime'

STAMFORD, CT — Back in November of 2017, Stamford-based artist Liron Sissman received a letter in the mail from the U.S. State Department.

She had been in an expansive registry of artists for the department's Art In Embassies Program. Every Ambassador gets to choose the artwork that hangs in the embassy they're assigned to for the duration of their post.

Kenneth Juster, who was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to India in 2017, selected one of Sissman's paintings to hang in the Grand Room in the Roosevelt House in New Delhi, India. The painting, titled Late Summer Sail, fit in with the overall theme of the residence, Landscapes of America.

"It was very special," said Sissman of the time she got the letter in the mail. "I know how large that registry is. I was surprised and very honored by his choice."

Recently, Sissman reached out to Juster to see if he could take a photo posing with the painting. Instead, the two were able to meet in person last weekend in New York City, where Juster is from.

"We had a really nice sit-down and he showed me a book that was put together that highlighted some of the history of the Roosevelt Home and the highlights of U.S. diplomats and ambassadors who have visited over the years and resided there. He showed me some of the highlights from his post," Sissman said.

There was also a photo of the room where her painting was.

"That's where I really got to see for the first time what it looked like from the inside, which was just a very nice experience," she said.

Originally, shortly after the painting was chosen, it was determined that it was too small for the room it was assigned to, so Sissman offered to recreate it on a larger scale.

The painting depicts Harriman State Park, which is located in Sloatsburg, N.Y. The park is a favorite of Sissman's

"I've painted it over the years in every season. Most of my landscpaes feature a body of water and trees. The water I find to be symbolic. Harriman State Park just offered a nice combination, and it's nearby," she said. "It offers a lot of different views. There are seven lakes that cross through the park. The views are always changing."

Sissman specializes in oil paintings and paints mostly landscapes. She prefers the versatility that oil provides.

"They can be used to create textures, they can be used thinly, and for cosisntent layers. They give me the flexibility of going back and reworking any part I want to, not like with watercolors where if they dry there's no going back," she said. "Oil is really flexible. It's not done until I'm happy with it. It's not up to the medium, it's up to me when that is."

Over her career as a professional artist, Sissman's artwork has been featured in movies, and it's collected by organizations nationwide and by individuals on three continents.

But she called this latest residency a "thrill of a lifetime."