artist kerri kerley

About

Where it all began

An artist in various forms over the years, I left school at 16 and after completing a course in Graphic Design at Randwick TAFE, I began working for Ken Done as an Artist Assistant, leading to a career in advertising as a designer, typographer and illustrator.

It was when travelling around Australia many years later in a caravan with my very young family, I realised a real connection with this amazing country. It was this experience that led me to take up painting and creating my first body of work.

My use of colour is inspired by my love of Australia and it’s intense, textural and earthy palette. With drawing the foundation, I compose sensitive works that connect through thoughts and memories.

Working with nostalgic objects, mementos and scenes that conjure up memories, voices, smells, moments in time, creating works that are full of colour, warmth and emotion.

You will find my work in public and private collections both internationally and nationally as well as various galleries across Australia

I now live and create from my home studio in the picturesque rural town of Rylstone NSW.

What inspires me

The things that inspire me are light, shadow, colour, texture and pattern. I love to weave all of these things into a painting if I can. I sometimes resolve paintings in my sleep and will wake with big ideas. I love the way a smell can transport me back in time to a memory. I collect objects that mean something to me. I am a mad sustainable gardener and have two pet chickens named Kath & Kim, I also keep bees which provide me with the wax for my home made bees wax paste for the timber frames I make from scratch. Certainly other artists inspire me, I am absolutely obsessed with Pierre Bonnard's work. I find I need to stay busy to stay inspired, consequently I am always exhausted.

Hand made

Born out of necessity, I now frame my own work. After some extensive experimentation and research, I now produce a beautiful hand made bespoke, float frame with spline joins, hand finished in my home made bees wax polish, from wax extracted from our very own bee hives. All hand made with love.

CV

Art Prizes

2023 - Hawkesbury Art Prize - Finalist

2022 - Paddington Art Prize - Finalist

2022 - Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award - Finalist

2022 - Doyles Art Award - Finalist

2016 - Cancer Council Breakthrough Art Festival - Packing Room Prize

2015 - Cooks Hill Galleries - We Get By - Finalist

2013 - Drummoyne Art Society - First prize

2013 - Drummoyne Art society - Commended

2012 - Art Of Sydney Awards - Finalist

Solo Exhibitions

2014 - Solo Exhibition 'Spirit' - Hunters Hill Art Gallery, Sydney

2014 - Solo Exhibition 'Original Drawings, Paintings and Prints' - Hunters Hill Art Gallery, Sydney

2014 - Solo Exhibition Boteca at Copo Cafe & Diner Sydney

Group Exhibitions

2023 - Toowoomba Grammar Art Show

2022 - Bird and Blooms - Sutton Village Gallery

2021 - Objets De La Ve - Grainger Gallery Canberra

2015 - Strokes of Fury Exhibition - Cooks Hill Art Galleries

2015 - We Get By Exhibition - Cooks Hill Art Galleries

2015 - Oak Hill Art In The Hills Exhibition

2015 - Art In The Hills Exhibition

2014 - Hunters Hill Pop Up Exhibiton - Balmain

2013 - The Riverbank Gallery, Canowindra

2013 - Studio W in Woolloomooloo Sydney

Events/other

2016 - Kerri Kerley Pop Up Gallery

2016 - Indigenous Amazon Wall mural at Copo Cafe Drummoyne

2015 - 60 Thousand Years & Yarn Event contributor

2015 - 2 Day Workshop at Artworx Geelong

2015 - Artist of the Month of February for Leichhardt Council

2014 - Exhibiting member of The Royal Art Society NSW

2014 - Resident artist at One+2 Studios Balmain

2014 - Curator/exhibitor at Boteco at Copo Cafe & Diner Sydney