BFA, Studio Art (Painting & Drawing)
Certificate in Art History

kerry.m.dennis@gmail.com 
@kerrydennisart 

Artist Statement

Complasion

My style is created by compiling images. I place pieces of a landscape into abstract backgrounds. Abstracts are matched with landscapes of similar design from an archive of places I have visited. I call this style “Complasion.”  

The word complasion was made by my late grandfather the last time I saw him. At the time, he was in a memory care facility, since he had Alzheimer’s. When he said complasion to me, I interpreted it as him trying to express his frustration with having to comply with the rules of the nursing home. My project illustrates how memories look and dissolve over time. This series continues a decade long path for me of painting landscapes, and it shows a departure from a classical style into one with more freedom of expression.   

“Complasion” encourages landscapes and abstractions to comply with one another. It also allows me to make choices with how I am interacting with traditions of landscape painting. Abstract textures and colors create a space for architectural forms to be partially assembled. This expressiveness offers an opportunity to explore memory and place, and to connect with how the viewer inherently understands these concepts.