Sherm COI talks about the ‘essence’ of her art

I started painting in ‘94. I partied, rode the bus and went tagging like everyone else. Why? It was pure fun.
My style is bold and organic. I love ornaments, gothic fonts and whatever I’m into at that moment. I’m just drawn to painting natural-like elements (it’s probably my
feminine side manifesting itself), but then again I’m also horrible at painting straight lines so I find it easier to add plant-like extensions to my pieces.
Oh, I was really into painting my bunnies for a while. I think I’m over it now.

As for the Indian character, I really liked the Native American image so I wanted to see if I could paint something simple, yet huge, that would stand out. Ever since my mom passed away 3 years ago, I have been fascinated with death so everything that I paint seems to express something related to it.
Everything has a good and bad side. More exposure leads to it being more watered down. I can’t complain though, no one would’ve known about me if it weren’t for the web. Everyone wants their ego stroked. After all, that is the essence of graffiti. I also would not have met the friends I have now.

I don’t think of myself as someone whose made an impact. I just want to be low key, paint and be good at it. I want to have my work, not my gender, stand out. That has always been my ultimate goal.
But if you’re female you’re going to stand out whether you like it or not, and that could be a good or bad thing. Most of the time you’ll be seen as a piece of meat. But on the other hand, you might inspire other girls to paint too.
Every female who participates in this subculture chooses the path they want to go; if they want to use “being a female” as an advantage then so be it.
Everybody’s different, to each their own.