Shern (Star) Collage

The underlying concepts found throughout my work are the ideas of compassion, humanity, and humanism. I explore the relationship between the individual and the collective, through confrontations found in society, origin, mythology, and metaphysics. In an age of selfies, the concept of individuality as it is contrasted to identity intrigues me, not merely because of contemporary image-producing processes, but because the representation of personhood is itself a time-honored theme, prompting multi-verse reactions echoing lingering differences between self and group. Inside human consciousness information or visual imagery can trigger a chain of involuntary memories and associations. I have an interest in gathering these assorted thoughts, symbols, recollections and encompassing them into one focal image. In recent work, I have incorporated mosaics, glass, vitreous enamel, and photography into my painting, creating mixed media work, alluding to fragmentation of space, imagery moved beyond painting, and a use of materials not traditionally shown together. My work is deeply influenced by my surroundings, the social climate, and the humanitarian discourse. These themes, along with addressing the conflict between collectively inherited archetypes and an existential world of a human being, preoccupy my pursuit for creating work.