Jeff Sheridan

Jeff Sheridan is a multidisciplinary artist, muralist, and designer based in Portland, Oregon. Originally from South Florida, a childhood spent scuba diving and adventuring, an adulthood inspired by the cinematic landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, plus an avid fascination with psychology, natural science, and the occult all factor into Jeff’s abstract landscapes and biological forms.

Jeff’s recent body of work is the result of a creative practice of visualizing mental images and transmuting those visualizations onto canvas. Each painting depicts an individual response to a specific prompt or feeling. Somatic modalities is a term that refers to various emotional and physical sensations, which Sheridan explores through abstraction.

These thought forms are unlimited in scope of expression and yet are pure abstractions. Many are inspired by an amalgamation of fragmented dreams and meditation, known as hypnagogic states—the space right before sleep. The longer we stay in that space, the weirder things can get.

Of course, it’s very difficult to describe something new without comparing it to the known. Naturally, certain elements look kind of like other things, referencing pieces of reality to provide visual context—but not quite. The result is something alien yet familiar, like hazy elements of a dream coming into focus.

Technically, the paintings are all acrylic on canvas and wood panel. Various techniques of brushwork and stippling are used to create the desired effect. Some elements consist of loose and layered washes of paint, while others are comprised of highly detailed areas to achieve a specific visual impact. Black and white shades and tones are used to emphasize the outlines of the images.


www.jeffsheridan.com