Shawn Adomanis (b. 1976) is a mostly self-taught artist. His passion for artwork began about 8 years old, drawing battleships and skateboarders with his brother and neighbor. In high school, he began drawing as much as possible and carried a sketchbook with him everywhere. From there, he spent several years in the Maryland/DC graffiti scene.
For more than 25 years, Shawn has been a professional digital designer, medical illustrator, 3D artist, programmer, and animator. Currently, he works as a Creative Director with 20 years in the life sciences industry.
In his personal works, he focuses mainly on traditional media. Moving from graffiti to canvases, Shawn has experimented with many styles and mediums. Over the years, that has ranged from original painted skateboards to watercolor illustrations to oil paintings. He is currently working on a 20 part series titled “Cultured Figures”.
Shawn currently resides in Red Lion, PA with his wife, Meredith. They have 3 children and one grandchild.
As an artist who is colorblind, I have always had to find ways to express myself with as much color as possible. I tend to think of color complements with higher saturations. With my background in graffiti and design, I like to use complex compositions to achieve an abnormal sense of balance. I tend to work in a variety of styles and mediums on every personal project. In 2021, I completed a series of 12 watercolor/ink pin-ups. I am currently more than halfway done working on my series “Cultured Figures”, which consists of 20 oil painted portraits and figures based on mold and bacteria cultures.shawnadomanis@gmail.com shawnadomanis.com
Kevin Herdeman (b.1981) makes mixed media art in the form of “sculptures” which he calls MeltMonsters and “paintings” on glass in between working his day job as a pipe fitter, making and releasing music (currently -Ancient Radiations, HUVR, Murder and an “internet band” called UGLYHUMAN) and being a husband and father of 2. Herdeman has made art in one way or another for as long as he can remember. In the early 2000’s he painted on glass using mostly other materials than paint. He has what he called a “system” and it works. For years this was his primary media but in 2010 with the arrival of his first daughter and moving to a new house that no longer had a large studio space, he switched to making his “MeltMonsters” which stayed out as his version of Japanese kaiju especially with Hedorah in mind. They started as strategically melted soft plastic but over time started to have fur added to resemble “big foot”. Being a fan of old Sci-Fi, aliens, cryptids, pop art, graffiti, heavy metal, low-brow art and so on has clearly made its “inspiration” known when seeing his art. Over the years, Herdeman has made his “melt” version of characters from cartoons/shows and real life people like himself, friends, The Elephant Man, DEVO, The AquaBats and many others. He has shown his work across the US in bars, tattoo shops, coffee shops, galleries and conventions and has collectors all over the globe. Although as of late he has slowed down on the amount of art he makes, he’s still steady making something to see and or hear.
Statement:
For this exhibition and any other I’ve done for that matter, I’ve tried to create as many different pieces I could that would in some way, make whoever sees them laugh or just feel a little joy about it. I make art because I enjoy it but ultimately I want it in the hands of others. Usually there’s no “deep meaning” as I feel it can put limitations on a piece. I’ve found some collectors do not like my approach in that aspect, but I want the viewer to feeI whatever the piece makes them feel. I keep it simple and fun and make what I’d like to see on a wall or shelf. In doing that, I hope the viewer digs it as much as I do. I feel making art that you think “everyone wants to see” is counterproductive.
www.kevinherdeman.com @staticfromspace on Instagram
