Rahway Arts District’s 1591 Gallery, a nonprofit art gallery in the heart of downtown Rahway, opens a new exhibition of abstract paintings by notable New Jersey artist Wes Sherman on today, May 1.

The exhibit reception on Friday, May 9, 6-8 p.m., is free and open to the public. The gallery is located at 1591 Irving St., Rahway.

Sherman’s latest paintings are landscapes referencing the pristine beauty of the North American wilderness still found within the National Park system. Sherman’s love of painting and of paint itself, are apparent in his latest series of paintings. Using imagery of both epic and intimate scenes found in the National Parks as departure points, he continues his established studio practice of exploring color and abstraction in oil painting.
Sherman deftly uses a variety of painting techniques to convey mood, distance, and depth, while carving shape and pattern from paint on canvas to create layered atmospheric paintings that feel both real and imagined.

Sherman has been painting since 1992 and has had more than 30 solo shows. He received his MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2003. He is the chair of exhibitions and a trustee at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster. He has been a visiting artist at many universities among them Temple, Rutgers, and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In 2011 he also received a fellowship for painting from New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

More information on the artist can be found at WesShermanStudio.com. For directions and gallery information, visit Rahway-CoHQ.com.