About

Vermont Artist Simi Berman

SIMI BERMAN – Artist

A former denizen of New York City, I have lived near a small but vibrant town in Vermont for 30 years.

Much of my life as an artist has involved an exploration of the possibilities of a variety of media: clay sculpture, drawing, watercolor, collage, painting and photography. The common thread running through all is a strong sense of color and texture, and a whimsical unpredictability.

I have created a line of prints and cards (available on FineArtAmeria.com) from my drawings and watercolors and in 2000, illustrated two books: At Grandmother’s Table (Fairview Press) and Buon Natale, Natale, an Italian tale of Christmas (Franco Maria Panini-Modena, Italy).

For the past nine years I have concentrated on painting with oils on paper. My paintings represent a dance between the conscious and unconscious mind; one gesture precipitates an answering gesture and a mysterious journey is entered upon; the destination unknown. Using a technique of rubbing and layering with oils, oil sticks and sometimes collage, the abstractions, released from representation, allow color and form to fashion a pictorial universe that expresses pure emotion untethered from experience or easy definition.

The making of collages both actual and photographic also continues to intrigue me. The idea of uniting disparate bits and scraps, placing them in surprising and odd juxtapositions to create a new whole entity is irresistible.