I draw things and make paper sculptures.
My style has formed under the influence of M.C. Escher, Jim Woodring, and Ernst Fuchs. For the most part, the things I create are visual riddles that require patience and an eye for detail; every stroke, shape, and colour conceals layers of meaning, inviting viewers to engage in a playful dance of interpretation.
My game has no winners or losers because
I believe that there are no ‘wrong answers’ in the dialogue between art and audience.
20th-century literature is the main source of my inspiration, yet my work is more than merely creating a visual accompaniment to stories. My aim is to reimagine them and offer a new vision, all because I believe that ideas are alive as long as they are discussed. Apart from this, I also use art as a cathartic outlet, a tool to externalise my Weltschmerz.
As you might have already guessed, I favour traditional art techniques.
My preferred media are alcohol-based markers, coloured pencils, and watercolour.
As a professional, I'm primarily focused on book illustration, sculpture, personal fine art projects, and artistic research.
I studied illustration at the University of Hertfordshire and BHSAD, and I plan on continuing my education in the creative field.
Amidst the Chaos
What if your familiar reality is nothing but a maze of trick mirrors? And what if you yourself are a mere part of this self-interpreting entity, a distorting mirror?
Oddly enough, this project started with me looking for parallels between Nietzsche's eternal recurrence and fractals, but I ended up exploring the idea that truth is impossible. This paper sculpture is symmetrical and consists of two visually identical parts that, as one moves away from the centre, grow less and less similar to one another.
.What if your familiar reality is nothing but a maze of trick mirrors? And what if you yourself are a mere part of this self-interpreting entity, a distorting mirror?
Oddly enough, this project started with me looking for parallels between Nietzsche's eternal recurrence and fractals, but I ended up exploring the idea that truth is impossible. This paper sculpture is symmetrical and consists of two visually identical parts that, as one moves away from the centre, grow less and less similar to one another.
Participated in the Home_: _Work exhibition
Bring Me Back
to the Start
The aim of this artwork was to capture the ultimate state of peace and express the desire to go back to the womb, escaping the senseless cruelty of this world.
This sculpture features a foetus in an egg, which symbolises the safety of the mother's womb—the only place where one is truly at peace as one is not yet self-aware. Hands and faces surrounding the little human represent hardships awaiting them once they have forced their way out of the fragile shell.
In my attempt to capture the essence of this precious stage of life, I used a surgical scalpel and thick white paper. To produce more natural-looking textures, I painted over the cutouts with watercolour and soaked them in PVA glue until they stiffened.
to the Start
The aim of this artwork was to capture the ultimate state of peace and express the desire to go back to the womb, escaping the senseless cruelty of this world.
This sculpture features a foetus in an egg, which symbolises the safety of the mother's womb—the only place where one is truly at peace as one is not yet self-aware. Hands and faces surrounding the little human represent hardships awaiting them once they have forced their way out of the fragile shell.
In my attempt to capture the essence of this precious stage of life, I used a surgical scalpel and thick white paper. To produce more natural-looking textures, I painted over the cutouts with watercolour and soaked them in PVA glue until they stiffened.
Displayed at The Holy Art Gallery in 2024
The Storm
This project required me to pick a certain song or album and create an illustration inspired by it. So I pretended that Schwarzer Engel's song "Der Sturm" was a single and designed a record sleeve for it. My aim was to communicate its solemn atmosphere and portray man's vulnerability to the forces of nature.
This project required me to pick a certain song or album and create an illustration inspired by it. So I pretended that Schwarzer Engel's song "Der Sturm" was a single and designed a record sleeve for it. My aim was to communicate its solemn atmosphere and portray man's vulnerability to the forces of nature.
FAQ:
Do your drawings have meaning?
FAQ:
What type of media do you use?
Exhibitions
ILLUSIONS. Group exhibition. The Holy Art Gallery, London, 2024.
At Peace. Group exhibition. Batsford Gallery, London, 2023.
Myth. Group exhibition. Artplay, Moscow, 2022.
Home : Work. Group exhibition. During the lockdown, this exhibition was held in the flats of 124 different artists, including me. Moscow, 2020.
Wanna see more?
February 24. This small diary-esque book describes my life during the first month of the invasion of Ukraine and calls for action, encouraging the reader to help Ukrainian refugees and raise awareness about this war. Since I obviously lack the moral authority to speak for the Ukrainian people, it mostly focuses on my personal experiences. This project was my attempt to make a difference and get through depression.
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February 24. This small diary-esque book describes my life during the first month of the invasion of Ukraine and calls for action, encouraging the reader to help Ukrainian refugees and raise awareness about this war. Since I obviously lack the moral authority to speak for the Ukrainian people, it mostly focuses on my personal experiences. This project was my attempt to make a difference and get through depression.
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EP cover for Fletcher Barrett from Welkin Music. The idea behind this cover was to visualise the music from different heights and juxtapose objects so that it appeared surreal, eclectic, and bizarre. The album's vibe is generally chaotic, with different genres and styles representing various levels of the earth.
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EP cover for Fletcher Barrett from Welkin Music. The idea behind this cover was to visualise the music from different heights and juxtapose objects so that it appeared surreal, eclectic, and bizarre. The album's vibe is generally chaotic, with different genres and styles representing various levels of the earth.
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Book cover for The House of Asterion, a short story by Jorge Luis Borges. I'm aware this story is just a few pages long, but I love it so much that I decided to design a cover of its own.
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Book cover for The House of Asterion, a short story by Jorge Luis Borges. I'm aware this story is just a few pages long, but I love it so much that I decided to design a cover of its own.
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Illustrating Hesse's Steppenwolf.
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Illustrating Hesse's Steppenwolf.
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It just so happens that the vast majority of Steppenwolf book covers feature a wolf, which trivialises Hesse’s idea and reduces Harry Haller’s multifaceted personality to the platitudinous "two souls in one body."
The aim of this project was to find out what communicates Hesse’s ideas better than images of werewolves. Apparently, one of the possible solutions to this problem is to create illustrations filled with symbols and allusions so that the reader can recognise something familiar and rely on that piece of information when forming their initial opinion about the book.
It just so happens that the vast majority of Steppenwolf book covers feature a wolf, which trivialises Hesse’s idea and reduces Harry Haller’s multifaceted personality to the platitudinous "two souls in one body." The aim of this project was to find out what communicates Hesse’s ideas better than images of werewolves. Apparently, one of the possible solutions to this problem is to create illustrations filled with symbols and allusions so that the reader can recognise something familiar and rely on that piece of information when forming their initial opinion about the book.
Hermann Hesse as a character: illustrations for his biography.
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Hermann Hesse as a character: illustrations for his biography.
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Hares, the mad wizards of the night.
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5Hares, the mad wizards of the night.
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Wait, there's more!
This one is a prototype of the sculpture from the Amidst the Chaos project. It is circular because, back then, I thought I'd make something about eternal recurrence but changed my mind later. It's called So It Goes.
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This one is a prototype of the sculpture from the Amidst the Chaos project. It is circular because, back then, I thought I'd make something about eternal recurrence but changed my mind later. It's called So It Goes.
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Here are some of the patterns I made for my Redbubble and Zazzle shops.
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Here are some of the patterns I made for my Redbubble and Zazzle shops.
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In 2021, my fellow students and I staged The Tempest at the uni. For one scene, I arranged stage lighting, produced stage designs, and made three masks (Ferdinand, Ariel, and Caliban).
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In 2021, my fellow students and I staged The Tempest at the uni. For one scene, I arranged stage lighting, produced stage designs, and made three masks (Ferdinand, Ariel, and Caliban).
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I made these paper clouds for the project called "Size Matters." I basically had to create something huge in just five days, so I decided to go for a suspended sculpture. Its dimensions are 130x122x113 cm.
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I made these paper clouds for the project called "Size Matters." I basically had to create something huge in just five days, so I decided to go for a suspended sculpture. Its dimensions are 130x122x113 cm.
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Mentions
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, issue 45, page 133, 2024.
Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory, 2023.
I'm always willing to try new things, meet new clients, collaborate with fellow artists, and receive feedback.
Feel free to drop me a line (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ
Instagram: @mishelle_sherri
