OPEN STUDIO

I will be hosting an Open Studio on May 20th and 21st as part of the LIC Arts Open. I will be showing examples of new oil paintings, collages and drawings. My beautiful space is in the LIC Art Center and very near the Court Square-23rd St.station. The 7 And E will bring you there.  If you cannot make it contact me to schedule a studio visit.


 Over 75 artists will be participating in the event! The 7 or E trains will bring you close to my studio. Here is a link to a map of the participating artists and the location of the LIC Art Center--  https://licartsopen.com/festivalmap/

Variations on a Bloom

The ten works are part of a series of colorful florals I have created over several years. These paintings give a contemporary meaning to a traditional motif and I hope you will enjoy viewing the ensemble.They are a celebration of natural form using color, brushstroke and composition to express my poetic vision.

I am pleased that this show is the first selection for the Knight Lawrence Web Projects!

https://www.nyartistsequity.org/all-events/knight-lawrence-web-projects-deborah-sherman


Please let me know your impressions… I would love to hear from you! 
Exhibition at Equity Gallery

I will be exhibiting my painting "The White Dress" in a group exhibition at Equity Gallery until February 5th 2022. 


This painting depicts my wonderful model Delilah in my studio. I made several images of her wearing this elegant white dress. I also included a vase of faux flowers that I have used in many of my paintings in so many variations. Her pose is filled with energy and she seems ready to begin moving--yet still deep in thought. I worked with many brushstrokes of gouache to capture her looks and personality. I consider all parts of the picture as an abstract composition and each brushstroke necessitates the next. Parts of the work are left unpainted but they are activated by the touches in other areas. 



Portrait Project

During the pandemic I have been creating small portraits in pencil and gouache. Portraiture has always been a passion of mine and you can view more in different media In the Work section of this site. 


I made a pencil  portrait of my husband wearing a mask, self studies in mixed media and  a pencil study of my mother from a wonderful old photo. Faces were even more appealing to study during this time of isolation.


Recently I have been making 8" tondo studies from life and from photos. The circular shape has a particular appeal to me and I have used it for many of my motifs. I plan to continue creating these works...studying the faces fascinates me! Over the years I have often been commissioned to do portraits  and would like to offer the chance to have a tondo or small square format piece for yourself! I plan to continue on with the series but would love to have you participate and be the owner of an exquisite image of yourself, a friend or family member. Please contact me for details of the process and pricing. Portraits will be available in tondo or square format, in pencil or mixed media. I look forward to hearing from you!


Go to my contact page to inquire about commissioning a portrait!  

Studio Musings

My studio is a place where I can leave the cares of the world behind and focus completely on my art. 


The recent past has been tough because I did not feel comfortable taking the subway to my LIC space before I was vaccinated and even afterwards! The loft is delightful...full of light and  quite spacious.  So happy to be working there again-- 

When I open the door and enter I immediately feel at peace and ready to work. I listen to operas and all sorts of classical music.  Mozart is always an inspiration...Debussy, Vivaldi, Verdi, Schumann... the combination of the music and light  transports me to another world.


I rotate the work on display in the studio and also display images of pieces that inspire me . The atmosphere allows me to meditate and discover new themes.  I use the steady light to develop work from observation and also make imaginative collages and transcriptions from historical pieces I admire.



The Art of Travel... A Joint Project!

My husband Carl Sherman and I are working on a project combining his writing and my paintings. Here is a sample from the the upcoming publication-

The view from our apartment in a converted 15th century convent, at the edge of Bazzano Inferiore, an Umbrian hillside village not far from Spoleto.
The painting captures the expansive valley below the village, pale green fields defined and divided by roads lined with darker green trees, and above it all a sky whose clouds, massing and dispersing, lightening and darkening, give substance to a higher world unreachable yet intimately bound to ours.
 A little farmhouse, the color of sun-bleached terra cotta: with its subdued values and earth tones, easy to miss yet essential. The fields, the roads, the sky and its full-fleshed clouds radiate from this artifact of human effort. Without it this expansive world would be lovely but empty.
This modest dwelling brings to mind  the diminutive figures in Chinese landscapes, dwarfed  by titanic crags, overhanging pines and cascading waters. But the invisible powers immanent in this Umbrian countryside are more amicable, more
responsive to human need.
Curves  dominate the composition:  curves of the containing hills, the scrolling clouds, the road, the dark lines of trees, the enclosing rim of the entire painting. They balance each other in a sacred harmony, the yin and yang of earth and sky, the interpenetration of airy spiritual forms and cultivated fields of earthly toil.   

 

Delacroix and Me...

I thought it would be fun to show you two versions of my studies of a watercolor by Eugene Delacroix. I love his floral paintings and this one inspired me so I made two studies of it! The top image is included in the summer show at Blue Mountain Gallery in NYC. 

Studying works by artists from the past is an impotant part of my life. I am an ardent student of the history of art and adore visiting museums and the studios and sites where earlier artists created. A highlight of my most recent trip to Paris was a visit to Delacroix's amazing studio. Such a romantic spot... Future posts will report on other places I have visited!

Please visit https://mailchi.mp/bluemountaingallery/summer-2020-juried?e=3f2b9fa6be for more information on the show and a virtual tour of all the work selectd for the virtual exhibiition.

Two New Exhibitions!

I am currently in two exciting exhibitions in New York. They are only viewable online due to the Coronavirus epidemic. Galleries are not yet open although things are improving.

"Drawings in a Time of Social Distancing" is a fascinating show of drawings created during the lockdown. Images vary from interiors to experimental works. My graphite drawing is a portrait of my husband Carl dressed to face the streets of NYC at the height of the epidemic. He looked a bit like a medieval knight in his mask and parka!

The other show appears on the Artsy site and features a wonderful variety of work by alumni of the New York Studio School. I studied sculpture and painting there with teachers like Graham Nickson, Ruth Miller, Charles Cajori and Peter Agostini. An amazing school that has nurtured many dedicated artists. I am exhibiting one of my series of acrylic florals on board. Visit both the shows and enjoy the work in the comfort of your home!


 

November 16th and 17th / Open Studio

Spring Open Studio

Fresco Frenzy

I have long been fascinated by the art of fresco. During my travels I have been frequently amazed by the work of the great Renaissance masters as well as the unknown painters of the ancient world. This delight in the beauty of the work inspired me to undertake a painting in the medium a few years ago.

It was a complicated process to prepare the panel and work with pure pigments. I loved the effects but was a little daunted by the toxicity of the materials needed to prepare the panels.

I have continued to explore my love of fresco by making studies of great examples  I have seen such as the magnificent works by Ghirlandaio in Florence. I use the benign materials of gouache on paper. My love for fresco is ever growing!  

In Berlin with Pittori Uniti per la Pittura

I recently particpated in the exhibition NUDES at Galerie Uno in Berlin. I exhibited two gouache paintings on toned paper...a female nude and a male nude. The exhibiton will travel to Rome and possibly other venues.  

NUDES in Berlin

I will be participating in an exhibition of "Nudes" this December in Berlin. An international gtoup of artists -Pittori Uniti per la Pittura- will show works on paper on this theme. The show will be on view at Gallery UNO Projektraum.

Publication in "Studio Visit" Magazine

My painting "Models in the Studio" appears in the current issue of Studio Visit (Vol.41). This publication features the work of many contemporary artists.

The work depicts two figures in my studio in LIC. The models are Carl Sherman, a gifted writer, and Peach Tao, a talented illustrator. Both have often posed for me and have always been a wonderful source of inspiration for me. The male figure is lost in revery and the female engrossed in her reading. They exist in the dream world of the studio. Their relationship is distant...each is immersed in their own thoughts. There is an expressive contrast between the depiction of experience and youth. The technique of combining close observation with an open handling of paint is in harmony with the mysterious content.   

OPEN STUDIO 2018 MAY 19th and 20th

Group Exhibition of Landscapes In Berlin and Rome

         I recently exhibited two landscape paintings at Gallery Uno, Berlin and Virus Gallery, Rome. One painting was inspired by the work of Courbet and the other depicts a beach scene near my home. I often make studies from masters I admire and spend a considerable time painting outside...

       These new works were created with gouache on board. I love the rich effects of texture and color I can achieve with this medium.

       The group of artists exhibited hail from all over the world. Last year I traveled to Berlin to see our first show of self portraits.
       It will be exciting to view the new exhibitions planned for Pittori Uniti Per la Pittura!

Self Portrait in France...

My Self Portrait/Tondo (oil on linen, 12" diameter) was on view at the Citi deFord Gallery as part of a juried group exhibition featuring artists who work in Queens. 

This self study is set in the studio in Dordogne where I lived and worked for a month. It was a time of reflection and total immersion in my work. The tondo is a favorite shape for my work including florals, landscapes and portraits. I find it both fascinating and a challenge to create circular compositions.

Exhibiting Two Paintings at Plaxall Gallery


These two paintings were part of an exhibition of artists who work in Queens. The painting on the right "The Green Book" depicts the model in my studio in Long Island City.  The circular self portrait is set in a studio I had in Dordogne, France. The works are deeply concerned with light and expressing a state of emotion in paint.