SHERMAN ARONSON

Visual Artist, working with drawing, sketching, watercolor and digital tools
Practicing Architect in Philadelphia

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I have always made drawings, sketches and designs, it is part of how I look at the world, think about my work, and dream.  As an architect I work in historic preservation and adaptive reuse, transportation renovations, green design and sustainable building.  My art is an extension of that interest and passion.

 

When I started using a Mac in 1990, I began digital artwork with MacPaint and MacDraw, leading to Adobe PhotoShop and working in color on PCs.  I sketch on paper with black ink, scan the original, and add color in layers on the screen, working until it is ready to be printed.  I also use an iPad to draw on the touch screen, sometimes working with my photograph composed at the scene, adding line work and then color using virtual brushes.  It is an engaging and satisfying process.

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In recent years I developed a series of images called “Green Cities/Urban Places”.   The focus of this series is to illustrate the importance of green spaces within our cities, to heighten our awareness of nature around us in the dense urban contexts where we live can offer a sense of well-being as well as a direct environmental benefit to life around them. 

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As a corollary to the urban context for appreciating green places, I also explore simple forms, colors and shapes in still life settings and abstract designs.  Using our collection of glass vases and bottles, set against a window with garden views, this challenges our view of ordinary objects, perception of light and transparency, and adds an element of contemplation to the art subject.