Grossman is probably most well known for her work with figures sculpted from soft wood and then covered in leather. Grossman first used wood, generally soft and "found," such as old telephone poles, and carefully sculpts heads and bodies. The leather in these pieces was also frequently salvaged, coming from items such as jackets, harnesses, and boots. epoxy, thread, wood, and metal. Her attention to detail is seen in her workmanship, with each stitch of leather sewn carefully. The sculpture Male Figure (1971), is one of her full-bodied forms. Grossman uses leather, straps, zippers, and string to create sculptures that appear bound and restrained. Beyond the heads, she is also recognized for her relief assemblage works of wood and leather. These utilize found leather of varying shades to create abstract shapes that suggest bodily forms, particularly genitals. The piece Bride (1967) is an example of these works. Grossman refers to these suggestive forms as unintentional, saying that her work comes from beneath conscious thought. She describes her work as autobiographical, and despite works like Male Figure, which has male genitalia, she says her sculptures are self-portraits. Others have reviewed her work as seemingly sexual and reminiscent of sadism and masochism, which Grossman denies. She says her work challenges the ideas of
gender identity and gender fluidity. Grossman says the sculptures refer to her "bondage in childhood," but others have said that her work may flirt with the potential of female artists who had not yet gained prominence in the 1960s. "Grossman's paintings, collages, and sculpture come out of a distinctly individual understanding of the psychological reality of contemporary life."
Head from 1968, in the collection of the
Honolulu Museum of Art, is typical of the wood and leather sculptures of heads for which the artist is best known. ==Later work==