Seven Sevens, 2016

Janet Sherman  

Janet Sherman was born in 1970.  Her Japanese mother, a trained master in calligraphy, ikebana, and embroidery filled her youth with a rich cultural heritage which greatly influences her work today.  Spending summers as a child in Japan with her grandfather, a high Buddhist Priest taught her reverence for the natural world and gave her great abilities in patience and precision.  Janet taught herself origami as a child and translates her enjoyment of folding paper into the artwork she now creates.  She combines western color theory with eastern aesthetics to inspire rich pattern and color fields.

Artist Statement

As an artist I am interested in the boundaries created by form, shape, and color.  This subject matter interests me because these boundaries are a metaphor for the different types of boundaries we encounter in our everyday existence. 

In my work I explore this subject matter by folding dimensional boxes out of painted paper.  I meticulously arrange the boxes creating a protruding grid of color, then adhere them to my substrate.  I then cover the entire surface with epoxy resin creating a glossy surface.  This surface creates the illusion of glass or tile perplexing the viewer to determine whether the boxes are projecting out or in relief.  My work is further characterized by vivid contrasts in color and subtle differences in whites and darks. 

With these works I want to make the viewer feel an emotional response to the contrasting color fields and to provoke the viewer to think about how the square boxes resemble things in everyday life, like our homes, city blocks, or even the windows we look out of to view the world around us.