Final Project- Artist Investigation

Alex Sheriff

Sheriff, Alex. Cross Section Dinosaur. 2015. Acrylic on Paper.

Alex Sheriff’s work deals with mythologies, biology, and natural history with a focus on evolution and extinction. Dinosaurs are often a subject of his. He “challenges our position as human beings in relation to all species and all matter.” His pieces are bright and colorful, he creates mini worlds with thick jungles, ocean bottoms, deep space, and other unexplored places. His work lands somewhere between “folklore and a Kindergartner’s run-on sentence story.”

This work has a very whimsical look and is extremely detailed. But the color palette is mostly monochromatic, so even when dealing with limited colors the artist creates an extremely detailed piece. It also resembles a collage because there are so many elements that are layered on the piece...yet it is very cohesive. I love the detail of this piece, there are so many different elements that can catch your eye. I believe this piece borders the line between “folklore and a Kindergartner’s run-on sentence story” just as Sheriff said in his artist's statement.

I want to incorporate the artist's use of layering into my work. The multiple elements in each piece help create a detailed, but still cohesive piece. I love Sheriff’s use of color and pattern throughout his work. I often also focus on the natural world and want to play around with making it more whimsical and “kindergarten-like”