A painting offers, to the best of my current understanding, two purposes. One: to communicate a thought, idea, or call-to-action. And two: to create a space in which the viewer is encouraged to take initiative, innovate, and reflect. I aim for my pieces to do both of these things; to communicate my internal frustrations and hopes, but also to leave room for an alternate narrative. I want my pieces to act as drawing boards, as spaces for collaborative thought – spaces for both speaking and listening.
Over the past few years, I have begun to build my own visual vocabulary in an effort to create independent existence stretched over canvas, glass, wood, and a variety of repurposed surfaces. While a blank canvas is empty, a found item possesses a story. I often paint on reclaimed windows, many of which have lived long enough lives to be warranted inoperative. I am intrigued by the idea of a surface holding its own secrets – my repurposing being only a continuation of a preexisting narrative. Recently, I have added concrete to my artistic repertoire. I would like to continue to pull sculptural elements into my paintings, blending the line between two and three-dimensional work.
Having spent many hours in the water surfing, I incorporate my passion for the ocean and our environment into my work. I have always found inspiration in the ocean– in its power, elegance, and the vast array of colors that reflect off of its dynamic surface. I enjoy the challenge of capturing the ephemeral nature of moving water in the permanence of paint. As a child, images from National Geographic magazines saturated my growing mind. I developed a fascination for the lush rainforests and vast deserts that filled the magazines’ pages. Family vacations to our nation’s protected areas helped to transform my early curiosity into a love for the outdoors, and the discovery of its destruction transformed that love into a driven passion. I approach my artwork as a means to provoke conversation and thought. Through art, I am able to contribute to larger dialogs in a language that is both accessible and universal.
Evan Sherman
Exhibition History:
2020
Scholarship Foundation of SB Showcase, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
2019
BAD NEIGHBORS, Solo Exhibition, The Arts Fund, Santa Barbara, CA
ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE... AND ART, Person Ryan Gallery, Summerland, CA
VADA Spring Showcase, Community Arts Workshop, Santa Barbara, CA
VADA, Breakfast Culture Club, Santa Barbara, CA
2018
VADA SPRING SHOWCASE, Community Arts Workshop, Santa Barbara, CA
PASSIONFRUIT, Breakfast Culture Club, Santa Barbara, CA
CONTRAST, State Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
PIANOS ON STATE, City / County Arts Collaboration, Santa Barbara, CA
TEEN ARTS MENTORSHIP EXHIBITION, The Arts Fund, Santa Barbara, CA
DEAR AMERICA, The Arts Fund, Santa Barbara, CA
UP & COMING, Pacific Western Bank, Santa Barbara, CA
HOME, State Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
UNTITLED EXHIBITION, Gilded Table, Santa Barbara, CA
COLLABORATIONS, Youth Interactive, Santa Barbara, CA
VADA X BREAKFAST, Breakfast Culture Club, Santa Barbara, CA
2017
SEED, Benefit Exhibition at Porch Gallery, Carpinteria, CA
Awards and Recognitions:
Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, Schall Family Best of Show Scholarship
Up & Coming Student Art Contest 2018,1st place
Reflections PTSA Art Contest 2017, 3rd place