Emmett Kerrigan
Region: Midwest
City / State: Chicago, IL
Throughout my career, I have always found inspiration in the
landscapes of home, narrowing the definition of the word over
time from the sprawling fields and the vast industrial campuses
of the rural Midwest to the length of the street on which I live
and, now, to the view from the roof of my Chicago homestead.
Dominating the compositions of my high-relief paintings are
treetops, bursting with color, between blocks of buildings and
houses. In my acrylic gouache works on paper, I elevate these
trees from mere elements of a landscape to singular symbols.
While each of my works is motivated by true-to-life views of the
landscape, I push my subject matter toward the ideal. Instead of
being bound by the imperfections of reality, I prefer the adventure
of building it myself, which not only lets me emphasize the
maximum aesthetic potential of natural elements, but also allows
for endless exploration of this rather intimate subject matter of
“home.”