Hello! Thanks for
your interest in my work and visiting the site.
Here's a bit more about me:
I'm a native Texan and after finishing my BFA in 2001, I
made the trek to the desert (Phoenix, AZ). I was lucky enough
to meet the art community before I moved here so fortunately the transition was
fairly easy. I found studio space on
Grand Avenue in downtown Phoenix right away and after 18 years I am still on
Grand in a shared studio called The Lodge.
I work there with three other local artists, Joe Brklacich, Rafael Navarro and Lisa Jacobs Handler. We clean up the space and
invite folks in once a month on First Friday. We've been closed since March due to the pandemic but can't wait to see friendly faces again.
From 2012-2015 I was a
member of Eye Lounge, an artist-run contemporary art collective with a
permanent space in downtown Phoenix since 2002. Eye Lounge was a great support for my growth as an
artist.
I worked in oil for over 20 years but in 2017 I switched to water-based paints. I use a mix of gouache and acrylic. The largest body of work has been inspired by water. I shoot underwater
digital photographs of figures and landscape and use these images as the source for my
paintings. I use water as a lens to see
another perspective, a distorted reality or talk about the shifting perception
of self and others that happens on a daily basis because of our physical and
mental environments.
In 2016, I began exploring another dreamy environment, one that "conjures ghost-like images of only seemingly idyllic life for those trapped by little bits of Americana." -a fabulous description by Lynn Trimble. Again using photography as a reference and skewing the setting or characters just slightly, a quiet moment of contemplative unrest emerges. This body of work was exhibited at MonOrchid in April 2016 and will continue to be developed.
...
In 2015 I was a recipient of the 2015 Contemporary
Forum Artist Grant. Contemporary
Forum (CF) – a support organization that champions contemporary art at Phoenix
Art Museum awards grants to emerging artists working in Arizona. The
recipients are selected by a jury in a competitive process from a pool of
applicants who answer an annual open call. The work of selected artists is
exhibited in a group show at PAM. I'm thrilled
for the prestigious award, to show at the museum and to meet more artists and
art supporters because I'm always looking for new collaborations and challenges.
photo credit: Sean Deckert
Feel free to contact me with comments or questions via
abbey.messmer@gmail.com
Sincerely, Abbey Messmer
