After graduating from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Ian Sherwin was hired as a contract artist for the Field Museum, where he designed programs for children and families that focused on the relationship between art and science. On his own time, he worked with students with special needs in Chicago Public Schools, all while maintaining his own art gallery and creating paintings that have been featured in prestigious shows and galleries.

Today Ian continues to use his artistic gifts to help students of all ages. At Ian Sherwin Gallery, he teaches young artists in multi-discilpinary classes and workshops. During his 10-week fine art program, he introduces students to a wealth of mediums, including clay pots, origami, and watercolor abstracts. He also shares his talents with adults during BYOB painting classes. Rather than leading the entire class through the process of reproducing a single image, Ian encourages his students to come up with their own idea, whether it be a natural landscape or a bowl filled with apple trees. Folks leave his classes not only with their own painting, but with a better idea of how to paint.