Last week, while Mr. F and I were out with a few of his work colleagues, we discovered that, at a table of four adults in their 30s/40s, every single one of us came from a divorced family. It seems that we all become torn and tattered as life gets ahold of us. Not just the kids of divorce, but anyone who’s gone through pain, suffering, and loss. But it’s how we deal with our circumstances that determines the people we become. In his mixed media work, artist Howard Sherman uses a process of addition and subtraction to create unruly surfaces that result in a beautiful mess.
Just as we react to our own situation, Sherman describes his work process as a bit of “call and response”.. Each action creates a reaction, and it is up to the artist whether the result is something to keep or cover up. Just as we act and react to people, events, and circumstances in our lives, it is up to us to decide how we are affected and what our own final composition will be.
To see more of Howard Sherman‘s work, please visit his website.
All images via the artist’s website. Artist found via New American Paintings.
