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Artist’s collages on display in Greenbelt

Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Christopher Anderson⁄The Gazette Greenbelt artist Sherill Gross looks over some of her hand-cut paper collage pieces in her home studio.

Gross’ years of dedication will pay off when her exhibit called ‘‘Beauty and the Beast” will be displayed in Greenbelt.

Gross, who has 20 pieces in this exhibit, has 8 detailed collages from her ‘‘Beauty and the Beast” collection, featuring cut paper illustrations of various beauty rituals.

‘‘I wanted to do things that women are supposed to do that could be considered funny,” she said. ‘‘For example, putting on your face, plucking your eye brows or even dyeing your hair.”

She said she got the idea from when she had her hair dyed, sitting in the beauty salon for six hours to get her hair highlighted.

Gross’ remaining 12 works are entitled ‘‘Herbert the Pangolin,” about an endangered African animal that will be featured in a children’s book she and her fiancé are putting together.

Gross said she uses roughly 5,000 sheets of paper per piece.

‘‘I usually start out with using photographs, looking at the sizes, using them to cut out shapes, studying the angles and their positioning,” Gross said.

Gross, 28, of Greenbelt is a creative graphic designer who concentrates on her art through freelancing. She creates print materials, logos, letterheads and CD covers with her artwork.

‘‘When I was younger, I always used to do something related to art,” Gross said. ‘‘I used to help my mom with old posters and did bulletin boards for school.”

For more information Gross will offer collage workshops for first- through fourth-graders through Feb 17 at Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Road. Call 301-397-2204 for details.

Gross was a studio art and pre-Med major at Florida State University, studying forensic pathology with an emphasis in art design. She received a bachelor’s degree of fine arts.

Michelle Toyo Chin, a friend of Gross who collaborates with her in a craft business, described her as a unique person.

Chin said she met Gross through the SKA music scene (Jamaican style music) in the District and found out that they had a lot in common.

‘‘We would stop at IKEA a lot to pick up ideas,” Chin said. ‘‘We would find objects that we could use in our art work.”

She said they once picked up certain items then made lamps, house wares and accessories out of different materials.

‘‘At a craft fair, we would make iPod cases with fabric, duck tape wallets or even use old records and turn them into bowls and stuff candy inside,” Chin said.

She spends 50 or 60 hours a week on a piece depending on its size.

This necessitates that she take many breaks.

‘‘My hand will lock into a fist depending on the pain,” Gross said.

She said she has gotten used to it but it has been a problem for about 12 years.

‘‘It is fascinating to see her work especially given the physical suffering she endures with her hands in order to make her collage illustrations, as well as the enormous patience the process requires,” said Nicole DeWald, arts supervisor for the Greenbelt Department of Recreation.

Gross’ Art exhibit is on display from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday unless the Art Gallery is reserved.

E-mail Michael Zimmerman at mzimmerman @gazette.net.