Laurie Kersey (Canadian, 1961)

"If there’s a common thread that runs through my work, I’d have to say it’s a sense of peacefulness. Whether the subject is a herd of horses grazing contentedly, an untouched landscape under a golden sun, or fresh flowers from the garden… perhaps I can offer the viewer a moment of tranquility in his or her busy life" - Laurie Kersey.

Born in Canada, Kersey spent most of her youth on the move.

Her father raised horses, and the family relocated frequently, often going south for the winter. "I grew up in Ohio and went to school in Pittsburgh, New York, and Florida”, she explains. “Everywhere I moved I took my can of crayons”.

In the schoolyard, she heard a frequent request from the other children: “Draw me a horse!"

At home, she observed her mother’s artistic pursuits. “Every Friday night, she had three friends come over and they set up easels in the kitchen to paint,” she remembers.

Her own identity as an artist was taking shape.

Currently, Kersey’s work includes the dramatic coastline and quiet countryside of California; elegant, traditional still lifes and florals; figures in quiet moments; and horses at work and play.

Kersey has participated in gallery shows, national juried shows, and museum invitational shows, including the Oil Painters of America National and Western Regional Exhibitions, American Impressionist Society National Juried Exhibition, American Women Artists National Juried Exhibition, California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibition, and the Mountain Oyster Club Western Art Show and Sale.

Honors include awards in the OPA National Juried Exhibition, Greenhouse Gallery Salon International, Carmel Art Festival, American Women Artists National Juried Exhibition, Hudson Valley Art Association National Juried Exhibition, Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters Plein Air Painting Festival, San Luis Obispo Plein Air Painting Festival, and Torrey Pines Plein Air Invitational.