John Sherman describes his paintings as “breakthroughs from the archetypal world”. Others have described them as “psychologically significant” works of “contemplative artistry”. He also describes himself as a “participatory expressionist”, an artist with a self-conscious rapport with the phenomenal world. His paintings utilize texture, color and symbolism to produce works or representational expressionism, sometimes crossing the edge into abstractionNot formally trained in the fine arts, Sherman’s methods of constructions and fabrication are largely self-taught, but informed by careful study of modern media using stable archival processes. Most of his paintings are multi-layer sculptural constructions of collage, paint, acrylic and other media. The surfaces are progressively built up and frequently “cracked” intentionally before application of the final layers. For Sherman, painting has become a form of meditation, supplementing his standard discipline. The images that flow from this practice are subjected to compositional constraint through analog and digital modification and then cast into a process of layering. Colors and material combine into something unexpected, where complex layers of form, line and color are woven together, Mysterious nudes, prayerful text, fantastic imagery, musical scores and figurative poetry inherent in mysticism , religion and philosophy are frequent elements of his paintings. Sherman’s techniques rely on the timeless mythic qualities of classical shapes, intense colors, and textural complexity to produce paintings that invite the viewer to participate in the experience. His paintings elicit questions in the viewer and the answers remain unspoken.