Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Kersey.
Laurie, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
People often ask me how long I’ve been painting and I usually answer “since crayons”. My mother, a watercolorist, inspired my interest in drawing and introduced me to the world of painting. I participated in my first art show at the age of thirteen, with my mother.
After high school I attended the graphic arts program at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, hoping to channel my artistic creativity into a reliable career. I worked for 15 years in the graphic arts field on the East coast and then dropped everything to move out West to become a fine artist. It was a significant and risky career change, but I had started doing some oil painting on the side and had found gallery representation, and I found that I was much more interested in my painting in my studio than in the project on my desk. So, I sold almost everything I owned and put the rest in a pickup truck and moved to California. I took painting classes at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and waitressed on the side to pay the bills. After my fine art career was under way I taught painting and drawing in the Fine Art Department at the Academy for several years.
I currently live in Pebble Beach, CA, on the Monterey Peninsula, with my husband, artist Brian Blood. This area of the West Coast offers a great deal of diversity, from sandy beaches and rocky coastlines to rolling farmland and golden hills dotted with oaks. These days my work includes the dramatic coastline and quiet countryside of California; elegant, traditional still life’s and florals; figures in quiet moments; and horses at work and play.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
If there’s a common thread that runs through my work, I’d have to say it’s a sense of peacefulness. Whether the subject is a herd of horses grazing contentedly, a figure in quiet contemplation, an untouched landscape under a golden sun, or fresh flowers from the garden… perhaps I can offer the viewer a moment of tranquility in his or her hectic life. I’m not trying to send a message with my art; I just want to capture images of quiet, calm, and serenity. In a perfect world, a beautiful beach would be tranquil and isolated instead of being filled with 300 people. I like the land the way it was. That’s why I eliminate light poles, telephone wires, and all the man-made junk. I try to give people a moment of peace in the busyness of their existence.
So, I guess if there is a message in my art, it would be a feeling of peacefulness.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I would strongly recommend getting a good education. Learn the principles and then you will have the tools to express yourself any way you see fit.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Brian Blood & Laurie Kersey Fine Art Studio
3650 The Barnyard, Suite D23
Carmel, CA
lauriekersey.com
Jones & Terwilliger Galleries
6th and Dolores
Carmel, CA
831-626-9100
jones-terwilliger-galleries.com
Jones & Terwilliger Galleries
73-375 El Paseo, Suite A
Palm Desert, CA
760-674-8989
jones-terwilliger-galleries.com
K Nathan Gallery
7723 Fay Ave.
La Jolla, CA
858-459-3490
knathangallery.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lauriekersey.com
- Email: laurie@lauriekersey.com
- Instagram: lauriekersey@instagram.com
- Facebook: lauriekersey@facebook.com
Image Credit:
Laurie Kersey
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