Roger Herman is a painter and ceramic artist (b Saarbruecken, Germany, 1947). Roger combines his work as a professor of Fine Arts at University of California in Los Angeles with his career as an artist. Influenced by expressionism, his style is characterised by wild mixtures of lines, shapes, opacities and ad hoc, fast-stroked stains and smudges that overlap in awkward but satisfying compositions. He works intuitively with the clay, making shapes on the wheel, from which he modifies and decorates them until the final result. The vessels usually have bright underglaze colours contrasting with dark, glossy glazes and vary in size and shape. They range from small cups or bowls to huge vases, pots and platters. Herman also applies many drawing and painting techniques, such as inlay, scraping, wax resist, oxide wash, and underglaze and glaze combinations. In addition, his pieces vary in style from both abstract and figurative to convey an informal, open, honest and exuberant look.

Shortly after graduating, he received a postgraduate scholarship from the Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Later, in 1981, Herman moved to Los Angeles because of his interest in the city as an artistic centre and it was at this time that he received the National Endowment for the Arts Painting Fellowship. Roger Herman has exhibited broadly in the United States and Europe. His solo exhibitions include the Santa Monica Museum of Art, Ace Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles and New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. In addition, some of his finest collections are housed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the MOMA in New York.