Howard Hersh - Artist's Statement

Artist's Statement
August 2002

The Nature of Art
The Art of Nature

My interests and my work continue to explore inter-relationships and connectivity in the universe, both macro and micro. Especially interesting to me is the mimicking of man made things with those in nature. Decorative elements on gates, doors, and facades come to mind. In addition to this mimicking, there is also harmony in seemingly disparate things. Witness how easily the architectural like grids exist within my paintings of plant forms.

So, nature informs art, and art edifies nature. Similar, I think, to the circular relationship between a student and teacher. A goal I have is to be able to present these concepts in a clear and visually pleasing way. This desire has led me to think of my paintings as the visual equivalents of Zen Koans. (These are parables and sayings that are pared down to their essence, allowing entire universes of thought to be referenced in one small image).


	Howard Hersh Artist's Statement August 2002 The Nature of Art The Art of Nature My interests and my work continue to explore inter-relationships and connectivity in the universe, both macro and micro. Especially interesting to me is the mimicking of man made things with those in nature. Decorative elements on gates, doors, and facades come to mind. In addition to this mimicking, there is also harmony in seemingly disparate things. Witness how easily the architectural like grids exist within my paintings of plant forms. So, nature informs art, and art edifies nature. Similar, I think, to the circular relationship between a student and teacher. A goal I have is to be able to present these concepts in a clear and visually pleasing way. This desire has led me to think of my paintings as the visual equivalents of Zen Koans. (These are parables and sayings that are pared down to their essence, allowing entire universes of thought to be referenced in one small image).