The farm fields and apple orchards around the Newcastle area where Kerri Healey grew up gave her a unique appreciation of the rustic natural beauty in a pine cone, a single acorn, an apple tree branch or fallen leaves on moss. Considering her background, it’s not surprising that the artist paints those sculptural, archetypal pieces of nature. When Kerri discovered a nest in an apple tree as a child, the enchanting image stayed with her. Nests and eggs have become a favourite subject.
Kerri’s art reflects those early discoveries and her continuing fascination with innate beauty. Using nature as her muse, she recaptures the moments of finding a robin’s egg or a feather while out on a walk and shares them with us. Working in acrylics, she renders nature – nests, eggs, branches – in exquisite detail, presenting them like little portraits. She finds the same delight in other everyday things, like a single avocado or an orange in the sunlight.
Her love of the rustic has flourished into a collection of well-loved antique objects reminiscent of a simpler way of life. These pieces exude a charm and nostalgia that Kerri wants to capture with paint and brush and so bring to the viewer a memory, a meaningful experience. She says, “My subject matter is a nod to the past, a less complicated time.”
Instagram | @thetinynestgallery
Story by:
Hedy Campbell
