Elizabeth Sher: SURREALITY

Elizabeth Sher’s artwork over the last decade has been inspired by residencies in other countries. She makes small scale works abroad, brings them back to her Oakland studio, and lets them evolve into more finished pieces. This year, Covid-19 made travel impossible. Starting in mid-March, Sher sheltered in place at a cottage on the Russian River where everything was closed and time slowed down. For three months this satellite studio became a refuge, its own unique kind of artist residency.

Sher had a tablet of graph paper and became obsessed with drawing x’s and o’s in, on, over and around the field of teal squares. She states, “While love (o’s and x’s) can’t fix everything, it’s still important to hold onto, especially in frightening times.” Repeated mark-making became a calming physical mantra, resulting in the series Graphing an Uncertain Future.

Soon came the fires: dense smoke, scary orange skies, devastation. Visibility was very low. This, along with news stories repeating endlessly, made it hard to see clearly. The series Smoke Screens is her response to the lack of clarity on so many fronts.

What’s Inside These Shorts? (in the video alcove) is a 20-minute reel of short videos made during the past year – a time for reassessment.

All work listed below is for sale. Click on the image to purchase.