Kerry Vander Meer
Kerry Vander Meer, a multidisciplinary artist, explores the natural world through painting, printmaking, performance, and sculpture. Her latest work radiates vibrant color, unique floating jigsaw pieces, and dissolving grids, capturing a playful energy. Through a committed artistic practice, Vander Meer creates bold, joyful imagery that elicits a sense of liberation.
The artist’s diverse work has been presented at numerous museums, universities and galleries, including the Oakland Museum of Art, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (Novato), Triton Museum (Santa Clara), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists’ Gallery, Sonoma State University, MOCAS Group Gallery (SF), Mercury 20 Gallery (Oakland), Gallery Route One (Pt. Reyes) and Sofie Contemporary Arts (Calistoga).
Vander Meer has been honored with multiple residencies – in Spain, Ireland, New York, California and Mexico – and her work has appeared in well-known art publications including Art in America and Artweek. The artist is represented in collections in China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico and Spain, as well as throughout the United States. These include those of the Oakland Museum, SF Art Commission, Alameda County, Montalvo Art Center (Saratoga, CA), Fiberworks (Berkeley), Neiman-Marcus, Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, E-Bay, Imagery Winery (Glen Ellen) and also numerous private collections.
Originally from Michigan, Vander Meer holds a B.A. from San Francisco State University and a M.F.A from Mills College, Oakland, CA. She now resides in Sonoma County and Mazatlán, Mexico.
Artist Statement
My paintings explore the organic rhythms of nature through bold colors, rich textures, and dynamic shapes. Inspired by my garden, I see each painting as a process of growth – layer by layer, evolving unpredictably, much like plants reaching for light. The interplay of color and texture mirrors the natural world’s cycles of renewal, decay, and transformation.
I work intuitively, allowing each piece to develop naturally, embracing the unexpected. Textures emerge like the roughness of bark or the softness of petals, while colors shift and interact as they do in changing seasons. My work does not seek to represent nature literally but to capture its energy, movement, and continuous evolution.
Each painting is a reflection of nature’s ability to surprise and inspire – an ongoing conversation between what is planned and what unfolds.
Works on Paper Process Statement
My works on archival BFK paper combine various techniques and materials. In my Mazatlán, Mexico studio, I begin by creating stencils of abstract shapes that are inked, texturized, and applied to a substrate. This composition is then transferred to paper using an etching press. After the first layer dries, I collage additional layers, incorporating fabrics, reused monotypes, and paintings. I do not plan my compositions in advance; instead, I allow the process to guide the final outcome. While each piece is unique, certain shapes and textures naturally emerge over time, and older works serve as a jumping-off point for new explorations. Recurring motifs and themes often appear in my work, but they emerge organically without being consciously built upon.