Kerri Mommer
Artist statement
I am a painter of modern landscapes. I work in water-based media—acrylic and watercolor. My work is informed by politics, nature, and current events. I paint in response to what I see and feel to highlight issues that are important to me. I prefer a certain degree of ambiguity, so often there is more than one way to interpret my artwork. My recent works, though representational, tend to be stylized and expressionist with varying degrees of abstraction.
Images of trees figure prominently in many of my paintings. In most cases, they are inspired by specific trees that I have seen out in the world. I want to draw attention to the ongoing struggle between humans and the natural world. The geological age in which we live is characterized as the period when humans have been the primary influence on climate and environment. In fact, human activities have had such a great impact on the Earth that geologists have determined that it constitutes a definable geological change. An underlying theme that runs through my work is the idea that we humans are pushing against our natural environment, and conversely, that nature is pushing back at humans.
My paintings do not always convey positive ideas and moods about the natural world. Although many of them do express an appreciation of the beauty and vibrancy of nature, there are some that convey a moody pessimism, or a questioning, or a reaching for answers. What is happening to the world? What will the natural world be like in the future? Where are we headed?
