Alexandra N Sherman

Weight of the World
23.5″x18.38″; vintage prayer card & decorative paper collage on 1870 ledger, watercolor; 2023

Alexandra N Sherman
Round Hill, Virginia, USA

STATEMENT

My collage tableaus explore the mysteries inherent in life through ambiguous narratives. It is my hope that the viewer will experience a sense of mystery, a simultaneous connection to the past and the present, and perhaps even a hint of magic or whimsy. My visual language juxtaposes elements of the natural world and humanity in order to explore relationships with ourselves, others, and the environment.

The images I employ come from various sources, ranging from vintage prayer cards to scientific illustrations. On the backdrop of antique documents, signatures become expressive marks rather than letters, stamps act as horizon lines, and printed designs become a stage for action. Positive and negative space, as well as resting places for the eye, are all carefully considered and emphasized in these compositions. I contemplate each mark, crease, bruise, and indentation, and meticulously choose additions to create my compositions. I am interested in seeing how far the paper can be pushed in terms of its materiality using exact and minute cuts on a small scale.

BIO

Alexandra N Sherman’s art explores the landscape of the mind through watercolors painted from her subconscious, installations with found or created objects, and collage using vintage and antique ephemera. She seeks to give the viewer an intimate experience through works that explore the uncertainty and mystery inherent in life, ourselves, the environment, and the need for conservation. Her work depicts the spaces in-between, the seen and unseen through ambiguous narrative that invites the viewer to complete the story.

Alexandra grew up and worked in the antiques business which inspired her love of art and the decorative arts. She has an MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in painting and trained in ateliers L’Eclat De Verre and Gold Leaf Studios where she studied framing, and the art of cartonnage. She has been an artist in resident at the Luce Center for the Arts and Religion in Washington, DC, and Proyecto´ace in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Alexandra was part of an artist delegation and exhibition in Qatar arranged by the Qatar America Institute for Culture. Her curatorial experience includes assistant curator for Mobil’s modern art collection and the curator of The Dadian Gallery. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally

ARTIST CONTACT

[click to email]
www.ansherman.com

IMAGES

King of the World
16.88″x6.88″; vintage prayer card and decorative paper collage on 1903 ledger, watercolor; 2023
Look
6.88″x16.88″; vintage prayer card and decorative paper collage on 1903 ledger, watercolor; 2023
Feet to the Fire
59.5″x36.75″; vintage prayer card and decorative paper collage on 1870 ledgers, watercolor; 2023
Tipped Off
6.88″x16.88″; vintage prayer card and decorative paper collage on 1903 ledger, watercolor; 2023