Lines and Colors art blog

Sherrie McGraw

Sherrie McGraw
Sherrie McGraw paints subtle, refined still life paintings that combine the feeling of traditional Dutch masters with the more modern sensibilities of contemporary paint handling; in which crisply defined objects shine out of their deep chiaroscuro relationships with their backgrounds.

She also paints forceful portraits and figures, in which the same relationships are heightened by even bolder brushwork.

As a young woman, McGraw studied at the Art Students League in New York with renowned American artist David Leffel. She also studied artistic anatomy with Robert Beverly Hale and Jon Zahourek at the New York Academy.

The influence of Leffel can be seen, I think, in her richly textured, painterly approach to traditional realism. At least, that’s what I would call her approach. McGraw has an interesting philosophical essay on her site about “Abstract Realism“.

McGraw travels and teaches workshops at highly regarded art institutions around the U.S., including the Portrait Society of America, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Studio Incamminati, the Art Student’s League, Academy of Art University and the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art.

She is the author of The Language of Drawing (available from the publisher, Bright Light Publishing). She also edited and wrote the foreword for Galina Tulzakova’s The Drawings of Nicolai Fechin, and is at work on a new book on painting. (See her website section for Books.)

In addition to galleries of her paintings and drawings, her website also features a section on her choice of materials that includes links to suppliers and her own instructions for priming raw linen.


Comments

4 responses to “Sherrie McGraw”

  1. Some really beautiful work Charley, thanks for the intro.

    1. My pleasure, Julian. Thanks for the comment.

      Other readers interested in contemporary still life painting (as well as landscape and portraits) should be aware of the work of Julian Merrow-Smith. See my post from last July on his recent book Postcard from Provence: Paintings by Julian Merrow-Smith.

  2. That is some great art work I wish I had it hanging in my room! Excellent work!

  3. ellieb203 Avatar
    ellieb203

    Sherrie will be teaching at Wethersfield Academy for the Arts next week in CT and giving a lecture on abstract realism. To register: 860-436-9857. Small class size, beautiful location. Brand new school. 5 days with an amazing artist.