Howard Sherman is a Texas artist who doesn’t do subtle. After graduating from the University of North Texas in 2006, Sherman burst onto the Texas art scene with work that feels like a jolt of electricity, huge canvases packed with raw energy, playful humor, and a fearless sense of scale.
At first glance, his large paintings hit you with bold color and aggressive brushstrokes. Look a little longer and you may catch unexpected details, sometimes even a cartoon character, woven into the chaos. The result is both unruly and intentional: movement and force, pulled back into balance by an artist who knows exactly what he’s doing.
Big canvases, bigger energy
Sherman’s large-scale paintings are where his physicality shows up most. They feel active, like you can track the motion of the work as it was made. The paint isn’t just decoration; it’s evidence. Yet even with all that momentum, his compositions still feel considered, as if each explosion of color has a purpose and a place.
Hints of art history appear throughout his work, too, references that don’t feel like copies, but like echoes filtered through Sherman’s own visual language. It’s one reason his paintings can feel both immediate and layered at the same time.
The intimacy of works on paper
If the big canvases are the headline, Sherman’s smaller works on paper are the close-up. They’re just as striking, but more intimate, focused on raw materials and how simple elements can be pushed into something powerful. You can see the same bold sensibility at work, only scaled down into something you experience up close rather than across a room.
A fast-moving career with major reach
Sherman’s career took off quickly. He landed a solo museum show just two years after graduating. Since then, his work has entered major collections across the country, including a Houston sighting many locals may not expect: his art is displayed at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport.
He’s also been featured widely in publications, from art history books to New American Paintings. Rice University even collects his work for their archives. And Sherman’s work has traveled far beyond Texas, appearing in places from Berlin to Marfa.
The 2023 “Howard Sherman” monograph from Snap Editions
In 2023, Snap Editions released “Howard Sherman,” a meticulously crafted publication and the first comprehensive monograph on the artist. The book spans 120 pages and features 55 plates of Sherman’s most significant works, offering a deeper look at his artistic achievements, creative process, and influences.
The monograph includes texts by three distinguished art historians, curators, and critics – Alex Bacon, Andrea Karnes, and David Cohen, along with an artist statement and biography. For collectors, longtime fans, or anyone newly discovering his work, it’s an essential reference point.
Why Howard Sherman matters in the Texas art conversation
If you’re looking for art that doesn’t whisper, art that moves, hits, and stays with you, Howard Sherman is worth your time. His work blends energy with control, humor with intensity, and scale with surprising moments of intimacy. He’s not just making paintings; he’s making experiences.
