Kerry Simmons

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

Group Exhibition, “I See A Pattern,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2014

Group Exhibition, “Ninth Annual Realism Show,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2014

Group Exhibition, “North Vs South,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2013

Solo Exhibition, “Dark Matter,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2013

Group Exhibition, “On the Road,” Tribe, Austin, Texas, 2012

Group Exhibition, Brooklyn Collective, Brooklyn, New York 2012

Group Exhibition, “Drawing the Line,” Arcadia Fine Arts, New York, New York, 2012

Solo Exhibition, “Drawing Paper,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2012

Group Exhibition,“Fortune,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2011

Group Exhibition,“What We Choose,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2011

Group Exhibition, “Flora Abunda,” Arcadia Fine Arts, New York, New York, 2011

Group Exhibition, “New Faces of Realism,” Arcadia Fine Arts, New York, New York, 2011

Group Exhibition, Valhall Arts, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2011

Solo Exhibition, “Waxing Poetic,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2011

Group Exhibition, 16th Annual Los Angeles Art Fair, Arcadia Fine Arts, Los Angeles, California, 2011

Group Exhibition,“Women Painting Women,” Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, South Carolina, 2010

Group Exhibition, North Park, Chicago, Illinois, 2010

Group Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Community Gallery, CLC Purchase Award, Merit Award, Grayslake, Ill., 2010

Group Exhibition, Arcadia Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2010

Small Works Exhibition, Arcadia Fine Arts, New York, New York, 2010

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

54^th 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

20^th 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), Robert T. Wright Community Gallery, 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

Escape to Create Fellowship, Seaside, Florida, 2012 

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

PRESS

Colored Pencil Magazine, 2015

Artists on Art Magazine, 2015

American Art Collector Magazine, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011

International Artists Magazine, 2013

Art Galleries and Artists of the South, 2012, 2011

American Artist Magazine, Drawing, 2011