AWARD WINNER: This painting by artist Adriana Groza was a 2025 winner at the Phillips’ Mill Community Association Juried Art Show in New Hope, Pa. Titled “Finding The Calm Within,” it is painted in fluid acrylics, the signature medium for Groza’s work.
By Jean Stratton
What an artist seeks to convey in a painting may be interpreted in various ways by the viewer. If the piece is not representational, there are even more opportunities for the observer to find different meanings.
This is especially true with the work of artist Adriana Groza. Working in fluid acrylics, she creates beautiful abstract images of free flowing, nature-inspired art in vibrant colors that ignite the imagination and stir the emotions.
As she explains, “My art is primarily abstract and nature-inspired, created on gallery-wrapped canvas in vibrant colors. Using fluid acrylics moved primarily with air, it makes for an organic, free-flowing process that captures nature’s rhythms.”
Every artist — whether painter, musician, writer, or actor — has a story to tell, and Groza’s story has many facets.
Artistic Interests
Born in Romania, she came to the U.S. in 2004. As a girl, she enjoyed attending the theater and musical productions in Romania, but was only casually interested in art.
However, as she recalls, “I grew up in a nurturing family that supported my sporadic artistic interests.”
Studying business administration in college, she turned to a career in sales after graduation, and worked for several companies. Then, in 2004, she made the major decision to move to the U.S., driven, as she says, “by hope and aspirations.”
Continuing in her business pursuits, she earned a master’s degree in project management, and spent a decade helping small businesses achieve success.
Somewhere along the way, however, she realized her business success was not fulfilling a need — that there was a dream yet unrealized.
“Deep down, I felt something was missing — a desire for creative expression that was purely my own,” she says. “Realizing that my gift is within, and I best express it through art, I made the choice to honor it fully, diving into a journey of continuous growth and exploration.”
ARTISTIC ENDEAVOR: Artist Adriana Groza is shown in her Spring Street gallery. Nearby is her painting in fluid acrylics, titled “Give It Your All.” As she explains, “My work is an opportunity to let go; it can take you away, and invigorate you. I consider it controlled freedom.”
Texture and Colors
She began painting seriously in 2017 while still working in business, and then made the decision to step away entirely from her business career and begin to focus on her art.
“I knew I had an affinity for texture and colors,” she explains, and she was drawn to fluid acrylics. This medium is described as highly pigmented water-based paints with a creamy, liquid consistency, offering intense color and versatility suitable for special techniques.
“In 2020, I registered my art business, and by 2021, I found a true artistic home at Princeton Makes, an artists’ cooperative in the Princeton Shopping Center.”
Then, last November, she opened her own gallery at 38 Spring Street in the building formerly occupied by Kopp’s Cycles for decades. This is where the magic begins, where she creates, and then displays her paintings.
“My studio here is more than a workspace,” she points out. “It is a space of connection where visitors engage with the creative process. I create large and extra-large paintings, working exclusively with fluid acrylics directly on custom-built gallery-wrapped canvas. Each piece is a dance of possibilities, expression, and acceptance capturing my evolving journey as an artist and a constant drive to expand and break limits. In creating art, I express every level of my being.
“Each painting embodies spontaneity, possibility, and acceptance, and invites viewers to connect with the natural world, their own imagination and emotions.”
“Floral Fusion”
The paintings are characterized by vivid, vibrant colors, including swirling, curling images that seem to reflect motion. Although abstract, some suggest florals, vines, and even streamers. While many, featuring brilliant colors, are intense, others are softer, often in shades of blue, perhaps bringing to mind a gentle feeling of flowing water or a light breeze. As always, there is something for every viewer to discover in their own way.
Groza describes her latest collection “Floral Fusion” as a way of challenging the conventional boundaries of botanical art, “offering a journey beyond representation. Through this series, I seek to inspire a deeper connection with nature’s beauty and resilience, a reminder of the unity that binds all living beings.”
“My process mirrors nature’s growth, with each painting echoing the movements of vines and flowers,” she continues. “The unpredictability of every creation embodies controlled chaos, capturing the serendipitous beauty of nature, as well as the power of letting go of expectations and preconceived ideas.
“As an immigrant, I find my journey reflected in each canvas, rooting and growing in new soil. ‘Floral Fusion’ is more than an exploration of natural forms; it is a narrative of resilience and adaptation, of welcoming possibilities and embracing acceptance of forging new paths and unexpected connections, consistently celebrating the dance between the known and the unknown.”
Groza’s art has received an enthusiastic reception. Collectors across the U.S. and abroad have purchased her work (a number have been commissioned), and in addition to private residences, her paintings are seen on the walls of state office buildings, such as the New Jersey Department of Taxation and The Department of Health in Trenton, as well as in corporate offices.
Last spring, she was honored to have eight large-format paintings on display at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie.
Art Festivals
Groza also displays her work at many art festivals in the U.S, including in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. Last September, she had her first exhibit in New York City, at the Gracie Square Art Show.
She is also pleased to be participating in this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show, where she will have a booth with several of her “Floral Fusion” paintings on display from February 28 through March 8.
In addition, she will have a solo exhibit on view at Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell May 7 through August 26.
“This exhibit will showcase a selection of my large-scale fluid acrylic paintings, created to channel the healing power of art and the vibrant, restorative energy of nature,” she explains.
Groza’s gallery is also the site of a series of workshops she provides, featuring opportunities for painters of all skill levels. Usually two to three hours, they offer participants a chance to learn about fluid acrylics, and to explore their own creative style.
“I provide all the supplies and demonstrate techniques, and they can create anything they want.” says Groza. ”This is a non-judgmental, inclusive space, and I create immersive experiences that go beyond art. These workshops are more than art lessons, they are moments for people to pause, connect, and embrace possibilities in a welcoming, mindful space.”
Shared Experiences
The workshops can also be customized for different themes or focus, such as corporate events, team building, and birthday or other celebrations. They start at $150.
“I am happy that the space has become an extension of my practice, not only to show art, but as a welcoming hub for community, conversation, and shared experiences,” she adds.
Groza also points out that she is engaged with the Princeton community in a number of ways. She is a teaching artist with the Princeton Adult School, is a member of the Princeton Mercer Chamber of Commerce, and she supports area nonprofit organizations.
She has also been involved in helping to organize the popular Art in the Courtyard Festival at the Princeton Shopping Center.
Longtime art lovers and those new to art are all discovering the gallery, and having the opportunity to explore the dynamic, transformative and enduring power of art. And, as Groza reports, “I am especially happy to see younger people coming in, who are interested in art, and enjoy asking questions.”
To be able to do what one loves and share it with others is a gift. Groza wants everyone to enjoy her creations, and as she says, to “discover the expressive beauty of fluid acrylics on canvas, where color, movement, and emotion come to life.”
The Adriana Groza Art gallery is open Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and week days by appointment. For further information, call (609) 372-7857. Visit the website at adrianagroza.art.