Saturday, January 7, 2012

John Schuerman - Drawing / Painting / Collage

Transmission, epoxy and oils, 21x18
John Schuerman

Name: John Schuerman
City/State: Minneapolis MN
Email: john@schuermanconsults.com
Website: www.schuermanfineart.com
MNartist.org profile: http://www.mnartists.org/John_Schuerman 

M(1/13)


Bio~ 
John Schuerman is a self-taught artist and independent curator. His deep interests in nature and human nature are visible in both his artwork and his curatorial work, which has involved group exhibitions focused on sociological themes. His aesthetic style and social consciousness formed as he grew up on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin, coming of age during the cultural revolution of the late 60s and early 70s. www.schuermanfineart.com

The Shouter, epoxy and oils, 13x16

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

I am actively producing thematic group art exhibitions and my own artwork.  My curatorial work is aimed at socially relevant topics where contemporary artists can further the dialogue and understanding. In January 2012, Lace and Gunpowder, the Male/Female show will be hosted by the Bloomington Center for the Arts. This exhibition then moves to St. Catherine’s university for another showing, but with all new artwork. The show gives people a chance to explore the differences in male and female perspectives via art –to whatever degree they exist or are masked.  In June I’m curator for The Money Show at the Banfill Locke Center for the Arts.  Anyone that ever thinks about money should go see it!  I have more curatorial work on the horizon as well.

My current artwork continues to be about nature –natural forces, patterns etc.  but from my human, conceptual perspective.   Human ideas and constructs meet up with the universal power of nature in my drawings, paintings and collages.

Marilyn’s last vision, epoxy and oils, 17x19

"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?

I suppose I am trying to ‘say’ something, but it feels more like reckoning. What does it mean to be human in this vast universe? Where do our ideas fit in the natural world?

There is a prevailing belief that human expressions preside over the natural order. While much of contemporary art exalts that which is uniquely human, I have no interest to separate myself, nor my art, from nature. My current subjects are the powers of nature and human consciousness. Sometimes I feel safer with the forces of nature (as raw and destructive as they can be) than I do with those of human endeavor, but it is the tension between the two that I find compelling and which I try to explore in my art work.  


What was the best advice given to you as an artist? 
I can’t think of anything big.  The best ‘advice’ for me has come in the form of support –a simple love or enjoyment of the work.  If you want to help an artist, love their work.  


Soul’s Divide, epoxy and oils, 32x40

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

My work space is very rough and chaotic –an old horse barn in south Minneapolis converted to a workshop maybe 75 years ago.  It became an artist studio in 1998 when we bought the property and restored it, with heat for year-round working.

My creative process is pretty disciplined. I work almost every day of the year. I get up between 5:00 and 6:00 am most every day and head out there for 2 – 3 hours before getting into other work. If I can, I steal a bit more time later in the day.  I also walk around and study nature whenever I can and look for clues or patterns that I might work with. I also think about things that are distinctly human –then I mix the two together, and that is where my art ideas come from.


Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
 Wow, there are so many.

Mike Kareken www.michaelkareken.com
Karen Searle www.karensearle.com
Tina Blondell www.tinablondell.com
Dan Kaneiss www.madebyhuman.com
Lynn Speaker www.lynnspeaker.com

And many, many more.

Two, epoxy and oils, 10x32

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?


And lots of artist studios.


Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

I use  www.mnartists.org to some degree, but typically I hear about things from other artists and then simply google that.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

John with son in studio

Upcoming Shows: (2012)
Bloomington Art Center,  Lace and Gunpowder, Jan 13 to Feb 17
Reception: Friday 1/13 from 6-8pm

The Plains Art Museum, Art on the Plains, January 28 to May 20
801 Lofts Show, Feb 18 through May
The Money Show, Banfill Locke Center for the Arts, June 22 to Aug 4
Nature In Mind, The Phipps Center for the Arts, 9/14 to Oct 14
St. Catherine’s University, Lace and Gunpowder, Nov/Dec 2012


1 comment:

Michael McGraw - www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com said...

I nust saw this exhibit at the bAC last weekend and thought it was exceptional across the board. Nice work, everyone. -Mike