•Faculty member exhibits "Bloodworks" The artist slowly turned the X-acto knife to adjust it. Suddenly, it slipped from his hand and landed in his leg. He quickly grabbed a jar to prevent the crimson flood staining the floor. The next day, wondering how to dispose of a jar of his own blood, Assistant Professor of Art Robert Sherer did what he says any artist would do—he got out his paintbrushes. Last week, Sherer opened an exhibition of the resulting works, appropriately titled "Bloodworks" at the Center for AIDS and Humanity in Atlanta. Several of the works in the exhibition were shown at the International Triennial of Contemporary Art in Paris earlier this fall. Sherer's earlier work consisted of rich, realistic oil paintings, but his more recent work has moved in a new direction. His current work focuses on sexual attraction in the HIV era. These are extraordinary paintings and pen-and-ink botanical drawings—all using his blood. Sherer ran into a few technical difficulties with this medium, however. He consulted chemists to develop a process to prevent the fluid from coagulating and developed a canvas-preparation and finishing process to keep the color from turning too brown. Then, Sherer began working on this series of paintings and drawings, marrying the subject and the medium. "In the last several decades, because of the HIV epidemic, we have begun to think about and worry about blood a lot more often," Sherer said. "Even Robin Williams has joked that we should ask for blood samples before starting a new relationship. These works explore the dangers, fears and beauty we encounter in our relationships." The exhibition, "Bloodworks: An Exploration of Sexual Attraction in the Age of AIDS," is presented by the Center for AIDS and Humanity, a partnership between the AIDS Survival Project, AIDS Treatment Initiatives and Positive Impact. The Center is located at 159 Ralph McGill Blvd., Suite 500 in Atlanta. The exhibition continues through Dec. 20. For hours and additional information, call 404-874-7926. Robert Sherer is represented by the Trinity Gallery in Atlanta.