Kerri Lawnsby

Gallery:

Artist Statement

I create soft pastel drawings that magnify the pleasant aspects of my surroundings,
freely using whatever color feels right to create ambiance, without regard to local
color. My style  is influenced by the rich and intense colors of Degas' pastels, and
the powerful textured paintings by Vincent van Gogh.  I work primarily with soft
pastel because I enjoy its intensely wild spectrum of color and its capacity for
softness and staccato. I layer pastels to create complex textures that add depth to
my paintings.

I build my forms with color and then add strong black line wherever it is needed
to draw the eye's attention. Using triangular composition and placing certain colors
in key locations, I attempt to keep the viewer's eye travelling around the image,
noticing new moments in the painting with each discovered visual pathway.

My goal is to create paintings that delight viewers with the beauty of the image as
well as the complexity of the textures and subtle variations of color that I am able
to achieve with soft pastel.

Kerri Lawnsby

BIO (in PDF)