User:Kerrie Warren

Kerrie Warren, Abstract Expressionist

Born in Melbourne in 1968, Kerrie Warren spent her childhood moving from place to place in Australia, mainly in Victoria. From a young age she found herself reading and writing poetry, drawing and painting to keep an emotional balance. At the age of 16 Kerrie left school to enter the workforce, soon making her way into regional television production. Throughout this period the young artist continued to paint and won a Young Achiever’s Award for Best Painting in 1993 which inspired her to go back to school at the age of 25, deciding to enrol in a full-time Diploma of Art in Ceramics with additional studies in Painting and Life Drawing.

It was through ceramics that Kerrie first relaxed with her work and experienced ‘working in the moment’ and she soon discovered abstract-expressionism and developed a deep fascination for spontaneous, instinctive mark making, inspiring her to continue and complete a Diploma of Transpersonal Art Therapy at the Phoenix Institute in Melbourne (then known as Ikon Institute)

“Abstract expressionism provides me with a direct link to self where I explore layers beneath the surface and work within the moment. Through gestural movement, gravity and paint, the ‘essence’ of these moments is captured and recorded on canvas and offered as a form of communication to others. The journey within continues with each piece and I move forward with the evolvement of my work”.

Kerrie Warren has shown her work in solo and group exhibitions since 2004. She coordinated “Wild Dogs from Down Under” in 2007, a group of artists who toured with their works as part of a Cultural Exchange through Regional Galleries in Australia and JiuJiang, China. In December 2008, Kerrie’s works were exhibited by Art Platform at the Guangzhou International Art Fair. Kerrie exhibited works in Chelsea New York in 2009 and took part in a group exhibition at the Red Sea Gallery in Singapore; during that same year Kerrie produced a powerful and historical body of work directly influenced by the Black Saturday Fires in Victoria which toured with ‘Fields of View’ through Regional Galleries in Victoria during 2010 and made a special presentation in Queen’s Hall Parliament House Melbourne and Federation Square (Atrium) in 2011.

In February 2012 Kerrie Warren’s painting ‘Shadow Land’ was awarded 1st Prize for Best Painting Avant Garde at the Edrington Grand Art Exhibition by judges Jon Dwyer & John Thomas.

The artist has settled in Crossover, Victoria (West Gippsland) more than a decade ago and enjoys the peaceful country lifestyle whilst focusing on her large abstract works, exhibitions and the galleries who represent her.