Two-person art show makes quite an impression

GROSSE POINTE CITY — Their work may be very different, but artists and friends Angelo Sherman and William Schippert bring a similar commitment to excellence and experimentation to what they create.

They’ll both be showing some of their original artworks in “Impressionism + Expressionism: The Works of Angelo Sherman & William Schippert,” which will be on view Feb. 9 to 29 at Posterity Art & Framing Gallery in The Village. A public reception with the artists will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 15.

“It’s really a treat to have them both here,” said Michelle Boggess, who owns Posterity. “They both have very different styles of art, but they’re both idea artists. Their art is fantastic, but even better, they both have great ideas.”

Sherman, of Detroit, is a self-taught artist who studied artistic masterpieces up close as a security guard and later technician at the Detroit Institute of Arts. He said he learned to paint by sketching and painting in the galleries while he was working. Although tuition at the College for Creative Studies — whose campus is adjacent to the DIA — was too costly for Sherman, he was able to learn from CCS instructors when they brought students to the museum for lectures. Sherman said he’d also go across the street to the main branch of the Detroit Public Library to do research on famous artists.

“What I liked as a guard is I could look up close at a painting,” Sherman said. “I took advantage of being there to learn as much as I could about the artwork.”

He said he was interested in doing cartoons as a child and didn’t begin painting until high school. Sherman, who describes his work as a mix of impressionism and abstract expressionism, said he’s been seriously pursuing his art career for about the last 20 years.

Sherman, whose works are smaller than Schippert’s, will have about 16 pieces on display.

Sherman said he prefers to paint outdoors — some of his works are plein-air — and said he’s “showing pieces I experimented with as far as technique.”

These experimentations include a portrait of rock legend Jimi Hendrix painted inside a guitar Sherman cut in half.

Sherman’s paintings have elements of realism that ground them and give the viewer a recognizable point of reference, but they also have drips and splatters that lend more of an abstract quality.

“I can paint realism but that don’t interest me,” Sherman said. “I consider myself more like a jazz artist, because I don’t have to look at my reference. I can kind of go with the flow.”

Visitors will see images of familiar sites — like Posterity and The Whiskey Six, both in The Village — as painted by Sherman, who has taught art workshops through the Grosse Pointe Artists Association at The War Memorial. His work has also been shown at the DIA, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and numerous galleries.

Schippert, of Grosse Pointe Park, met Sherman after Sherman gave an art lecture that Schippert attended. They struck up a conversation afterward in the parking lot.

An avid traveler, Schippert had already attracted attention for his digital artworks — he has extensively photographed his travels to national parks and state parks and uses proprietary techniques to give his images a painterly quality. At press time, his shot at Patapsco Valley State Park in Maryland — of the light at the end of a train tunnel — had gotten about 345,000 likes on Instagram. And, for the last couple of years, he’s been creating art of Grosse Pointe Park sites for an annual calendar.

But painting is relatively new for Schippert, who by day is a business consultant and certified public accountant.

“I’ve never shown oil before,” Schippert said. “For me to show oil paintings is something I’m very proud of.”

He anticipates having about eight paintings in the show, all of which have been done over the last two months.

“I started painting day and night,” Schippert said.

Schippert’s love of the work of impressionist Vincent van Gogh is evident in his pronounced brushstrokes and unexpected mix of colors, but his work is also his own. He said he wants to be known “for pushing the colors as far as I can.”

“Me falling in love with art was the thick paint van Gogh painted with,” Schippert said. “It made me feel something for the first time about art.”

He started out working on canvas but wasn’t happy with the results, so Schippert said he switched to painting on wood. All of his images in this show were painted on wood, which is somehow fitting because trees can be seen in almost all his art.

While his digital works span the country, Schippert’s paintings are a nod to places closer to home, especially the parks in Grosse Pointe Park. Most of his work reflects fall scenes. He said he hopes to paint images from all the Grosse Pointes.

“I know how passionate people are about where they live,” Schippert said.

Like Sherman, Schippert is self-taught, although he said he has always been interested in art and took a printmaking class at one point. Van Gogh became his teacher, as he learned more about the artist and studied his work in detail.

“I never imagined I would have a painting show,” Schippert said. “This is mind-blowing to have this kind of opportunity.”

He said art will always be part of his life, whether he’s a commercial success or not.

“The whole thing is rewarding,” Schippert said of the creative process. “It feels like I’ve won the lotto.”

He hopes his works do for others what seeing van Gogh has done for him.

“I would like for my art to make (people) feel something,” Schippert said.

Posterity is located at 17005 Kercheval Ave. in Grosse Pointe City. For more information, visit posterityartgallery.com or call (313) 884-8105.