Local artist, Kerri Mommer is debuting her new body of work “Trees, Land, Sky” in her first solo exhibit with South Shore Arts in the Atrium Gallery at The Center for Visual & Performing Arts. Mommer is a multi-talented artist from the Midwest having had multiple shows throughout large swaths of Indiana, Iowa, and Chicago. Her work has been displayed in numerous group and juried shows over the years, including the South Shore Arts Annual Salon Show. Mommer is active in the regional art community having worked with the Diversified Art Visionaries, the South Lake Artists Co-op, and Artist in Residence-Hammond. She works primarily in water-based media such as watercolor and acrylic paint.
Kerri Mommer’s “Trees, Land, Sky” is a collection of new landscapes exploring her inspiration and insights of the natural world. During the past few years, Mommer has taken to hiking outdoors in order to immerse herself in the wellspring of the natural world. Longing for fresh air and nature especially through the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the artist found her inspiration. Is there a better source of inspiration than that of nature? Ever-changing, a constant unbroken cycle of life, death, and rebirth amongst the land and trees. To look at a sky constantly moving, the face of which is different each day. The world is moving, and Kerri is observing. Whether that observation takes place through the lens of a camera or the brushstroke of a paintbrush, Kerri’s work has been informed by her keen eyes, and through their recordings crafted into her new body of work.
“Trees, Land, Sky” marks a turning point from Mommer’s past bodies of artwork, a switch from her preferred medium of watercolor to new, larger works done with acrylic paint. These new landscapes burst forth in a dance of expressionism that teeter on the edges of abstraction. Where realism may falter, Mommer can paint whatever can be imagined, reaching beyond the boundaries of reality. Unbound by the rules of realism, Mommer’s landscapes can take on a layer of symbolism that otherwise might be lost. These landscapes capture a world of duality. A world that can be bright, hopeful, and even spiritual. But also, a world that is teetering on the edge, unsure, and unstable. A balance of optimism and pessimism. Leaving the viewer with the question of what will the natural world be like in the future?