SHEILA ISHAM ESSAY  by John Mendelsohn          

            The work of the past five decades has been formed both by the influences of a variety of cultures and by inner imperatives that go beyond art. Living, studying, and painting in Western Europe, Russia, Hong Kong, India, and Haiti have each in their own way changed the understanding of aesthetics, the creative process, and even the forces of nature. Becoming immersed in those cultures, it was possible to draw on new rhythms, colors, and symbols, in the context of a universal human condition and its spiritual aspirations.

            For instance, studying calligraphy with a Chinese master in Hong Kong opened up a whole world with its own techniques, aesthetic values, philosophy, and deep connection to nature. That experience resulted in series of abstract paintings for which the traditions of Chinese art were just the original impetus. The effort to integrate other cultures with Western painting was often a challenge, but an enormously exciting and rewarding one.

Through fluctuating cultural influences and tragic circumstances, including a studio fire, and hardest of all the loss of a daughter, there has been a real sense of continuity. First, from the beginning there was no contradiction between abstraction and figurative–they are intertwined and interrelated. Since one comes out of the other, it has been possible to move between these two ways of seeing the world. Second, there has always been the feeling that nature is the greatest teacher. Nature has been present in its many forms–as cosmic energy, as this world’s earthy life, and as specific plants and animals.

            Third, the most basic continuity, behind all the changes in art and events, came with the recognition that some deeply rooted and unchanging source of energy and truth remained constant. With this came the awareness that by following the creative process, with all its mysteries, one could overcome all sorts of conflicts and could surmount barriers that otherwise would have been overwhelming. The intention is for this work to allow the viewer that sense of peace while experiencing their own inner nature.