Kate Sherman Finds Beauty And Emotion In The Overlooked

Photo: Kate Sherman is pictured in her serene studio, surrounded by her evocative works of art, where she transforms everyday scenes into poignant reflections of memory and emotion.

Transforming Landscapes Into Emotional Narratives

Kate Sherman creates oil paintings inspired by photography, capturing memory, emotion, and beauty in overlooked landscapes. Her works evoke quiet melancholy, longing, and connection, blending photo-realism with painterly materiality.

Kate Sherman’s work is nothing short of extraordinary. With her unique ability to transform the ordinary into the profoundly evocative, Sherman invites viewers on a journey through time, memory, and emotion. Growing up on the breathtaking Jurassic coast of Dorset and later immersing herself in the dynamic London art scene, her path as an artist has been shaped by landscapes both external and internal. Her paintings, executed in oil on panel, evoke a quiet yet powerful resonance that lingers long after the first encounter. They inhabit a place where the real meets the remembered, where photography’s precision intertwines with the materiality of paint, resulting in works that possess a dreamlike subtlety and emotional depth.

Sherman’s reflective approach, reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s timeless melancholy, explores themes of connection and isolation, of longing and beauty in the overlooked. Her sparse compositions of unassuming landscapes—often imbued with a muted northern light—capture humanity not through presence but through absence, creating space for narrative and contemplation. These works are profoundly human, offering glimpses of universal feelings through the lens of her personal, quiet world.

In this issue of WOWwART, we’re honored to delve into Kate Sherman’s artistic process, her perspective on memory and emotion, and her remarkable ability to give voice to the subtle and the unseen. From the poetic alchemy of her painting practice to the enduring influence of her time in London’s art scene, Sherman’s story and her vision reveal the power of art to transform the ordinary into something exquisitely meaningful. Prepare to be inspired.

Kate Sherman masterfully transforms unassuming landscapes into poetic narratives, evoking emotion, memory, and timeless beauty through her powerful artistry.

Why paint?

I love the potential of paint to transform and transport, the alchemy of paint, the slow process of building up layers, the flow and lyricism of the brushstrokes. Also for an introvert who would rather quietly be in the shadows, painting gives me a voice, an opportunity to describe some of what I feel and think about, through silent images instead of words.

“I love the potential of paint to transform and transport.” – Kate Sherman

What role does photography play in your painting process, and how does it influence the mood of your works?

I’m aiming for a photo-realist feel in my work; that’s not to say the painting has to be super-detailed or accurate to the original photo, more that I want the painting to look like it clearly originated from a photograph and has not been worked from life. Sitting alongside this photo-realist appearance is the gestural materiality that comes from the painted surface, and this often creates a dialogue or tension which can be quite interesting.

Could you talk about your choice of subject matter?

I typically paint quite ordinary, unassuming subjects because I’m interested in how everydayness can evoke time, memory & experience.  It could be a puddle, shadows on a patch of grass, or view through a chainlink fence. Hopefully the ordinariness helps create a sense of familiarity and encourages a connection and shared experience with the viewer. If anything, the paintings are about feelings; I’m aiming to create works that resonate in an emotional way.

“Everydayness can evoke time, memory, and experience.”– Kate Sherman

How did your time working in the London art scene shape your perspective or approach as a full-time artist?

I feel very lucky to have spent around 10 years working in a large commercial London gallery. We worked with lots of contemporary artists at the top of their game, and I was totally immersed in the art scene of the time, going to lots of exhibitions, art fairs, auctions, & being exposed to many different styles of art and ways of making. Although I wasn’t making my own work at the time, the experience definitely informed and influences the work that I make now.    

Your work is often described as having a “quiet melancholy” similar to Edward Hopper. How do you create this mood in your paintings?

I think some of the feelings I relate to & express in my painting may also be attributed to some of Hopper’s work: being on the outside looking in; feelings of loneliness, homesickness and longing, but also of hope and finding beauty in the overlooked & unexpected. I try to allow space for a narrative to develop; this is perhaps helped by the unpeopled landscapes where there might just be traces of humanity, and also by leaving some element of ambiguity. Unanswered questions.

Reflection (2023)

Kate Sherman’s painting “Reflection, Puddle, 2023” masterfully captures the ephemeral beauty of nature through serene reflections on water. The muted palette of blues, greys, and lilacs evokes a dreamlike ambiance, while the delicate ripples and distorted shapes of tree branches and leaves lend the scene a quiet dynamism. Her meticulous brushwork and soft textures transform the ordinary into poetic moments of introspection. This work invites viewers to immerse themselves in its tranquil atmosphere, prompting reflection on the fleeting yet profound interactions between light, nature, and water. A truly meditative, evocative piece.