BIOGRAPHY: KERRY BROOKS

Kerry was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1976. An early passion for representational art led her to travel to Eastern Europe to study at the Ukrainian Academy of Art in Kiev where students were encouraged to learn from the past by placing themselves within a wider structure of artistic tradition.  Kerry continued her studies at the Repin Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, a city where painting, sculpture, architecture, and culture were combined to stunning effect, providing endless examples of beauty as a respected ideal.  Additional study at the New York Academy of Art allowed the artist to enrich her work through a rigorous study of anatomy and classical techniques.

Kerry says of her work, “While I paint and draw from a thoroughly western perspective – a classical interest in the human body and the trappings of human experience – I also endeavor to imbue my work with a certain eastern spirituality. I consider my portraits as windows into the lives of my subjects, often presenting the subject in a state of intense and dignified stillness.  I strive to make paintings and drawings that are beautiful and meaningful, based on both my own interests and the timeless principles of classical art.”

EDUCATION

New York Academy of Art, New York, New York 2003-2004
Ukrainian Academy of Art, Kiev, Ukraine 1995, 2000
Repin Academy of Art, Saint Petersburg, Russia 1998-1999

EXHIBITIONS

San Francisco Fine Art Fair, Arcadia Fine Arts, San Francisco, California, 2010
Group Exhibition “Black vs. White,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2010
Solo Exhibition “Splendor,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2010
Group Exhibition “12x12x122,” BECA Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2009
Group Exhibition “Yellow vs. Blue,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2009
National Exhibition, Pastel Society of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2008
Group Exhibition “Ratio,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2010
Group Exhibition, Gallery Outre, Quincy, Illinois, 2008
Solo Exhibition “Allure,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2008
Solo Exhibition, Quincy University Brenner Gallery, Quincy, Illinois, 2007
Group Exhibition, Gallery Outre, Quincy, Illinois, 2006
Mary S. Oakley Regional Show, People’s Choice Award & Honorable Mention, Quincy Art Center, Quincy, Illinois, 2006
Solo Exhibition, Keokuk Art Center, Keokuk, Iowa, 2006
Solo Exhibition, Blessing Hospital Gallery, Quincy, Illinois, 2006
Mary S. Oakley Regional Show, Quincy Art Center, Quincy, Illinois, 2005
Midsummer Arts Faire, Merit Award, Quincy, Illinois 2005
54th Annual Quad State Exhibit, People’s Choice Award & Merit Award, Quincy Art Center, Quincy, Illinois, 2005
Mary S. Oakley Regional Show, People’s Choice Award & Honorable Mention, Quincy Art Center, Quincy, Illinois 2004
20th Annual Juried Show, Best Drawing, John Wood Community College, Quincy, Illinois, 2004
Arts/Quincy Riverfest, Best of Show, Quincy, Illinois, 2004
Anatomical Drawing Exhibition, Fifth Floor Gallery, New York, New York, 2004
Self-portrait Exhibition, Fifth Floor Gallery, New York, New York, 2003
Three Women Show, Kelly Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, 2002
Group Exhibition, Artful Objects, Dundee, Illinois, 2002
Faculty Exhibition, Judson College, Elgin, Illinois, 2001
Recent Works (Juried Exhibition), College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois ,1999
Student Exhibition, Repin Academy of Art, Saint Petersburg, Russia,1998
Student Exhibition, Ukrainian Academy of Art, Kiev, Ukraine, 1995
International Exhibition, Kiev, Ukraine, 1995

RECOGNITION

Juror, Student Art Show, Culver-Stockton College, Canton, Missouri, 2007
Arts in the Schools Teaching Fellowship, Keokuk, Iowa, 2006
City of Quincy Municipal Art Awards, Quincy, Illinois, 2005
Mayor’s Art Presentation, Jiaxing, China, 2005