BIOGRAPHY - Duffy Sheridan (Born 1947)

Duffy Sheridan has been painting since he was a child. His father, also an artist, encouraged him to learn to paint anything and everything. He has traveled the world and dedicated his artistic life to the discovery and expression of beauty as he sees it. Although he and his family spent many years in relative seclusion in the far corners of the world, Sheridan's work has attracted the attention of collectors on five continents. Since returning to the United States in 1991, his work has received international acclaim and he has been designated a Living Master™ by the Art Renewal Center.

For over 45 years the teachings of the Baha'i Faith have been the primary influence of Sheridan's life and work and have dominated his continual search for that balance of craftsmanship and artistic expression which has the ability to elevate, in some small way, the human condition. Sheridan feels that he is always in the process of learning to appreciate the richness of humankind and has come to believe that the purpose of his work should be "to magnify the dignity and nobility of the human spirit and the singular beauty of all things. When people look at one of my paintings, I'd like them to see that humans, indeed, are noble beings."

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“Over the years, I have been considering the nature of art, and its value to mankind. I have come to realize that the role of art and artists is fluid and it changes according to the needs of our world culture. I believe that over the last 80 years, with the rise of cinema, radio, television and internet communication, the role of the artist, which used to be described as the communicator of the human condition, has naturally changed in accordance with history. I believe that every artist must now assess the needs of the time in which we live and make every effort to accommodate those needs in some way according to his or her ability.  Artists must play their role in creating an ever-advancing civilization.

For myself, I realize my tendency is in the appreciation of and the desire to express in some fashion, the wonderment of human attraction. I see in elements of the human form all that is meaningful to me. My years of practice and exploration have led me to realize that all I perceive to be wonderful about art, I find expressed in the human form. Things that have now become important to me are imbued in the simplest of gestures where purity of color and form or simple human expressions, can exemplify significant ideals and I know my art searches for that.

Although I have always been drawn toward the human figure as an object of my art, and notwithstanding the fact that I have been practicing all my life to be able to paint everything, I have discovered that my artistic heart is truly stirred by the subtleness of human expression. As with any other artist, I have tried to follow my heart and explore those things that inspire me, and have found that realism is the best expression for my art at this time.

It is not my goal or my aim to make great philosophical statements with my paintings, but instead to explore, and allow my audience to explore, those simple elements of human expression that reveal tokens of the Divine.

I hope you enjoy the work.”