Bradley Kerl, Loblolly Sunset, soft and hard-ground etching and multiplate aquatint, image size 4 x 3", paper size, 14 x 10", edition of 20, 2020
Description
Kerl's work is "inspired by the people, places, and things that surround me and that make up my daily experience." Reminiscent of art historical painters like Manet, Morandi, David Hockney and Peter Doig he is also looking at younger painters Torey Thornton, Daniel Heidkamp, Shara Hughes, and Katherine Berhardt. Kerl's works portray without pretense and at first glance can register as aloof or nonchalant. However, Kerl's subject matter is sincere, he paints what he dearly cares for and loves. This pang of vulnerability that seeps through his works is what makes them so captivating.
Kerl recently has started to expand his practice into printmaking and this work is one of a series that we are very excited about. The intimacy and delicacy of Kerl's etchings with the layering of aquatint bring to life a new landscape for the artist. Loblolly Sunset becomes both window and portal into a both familiar and far away place.
Bradley Kerl was born in 1986 in Beaumont, TX., and he currently lives and works in Houston, TX. He received his B.F.A. University of North Texas in 2009. He received his M.F.A. from the University of Houston in 2014. In 2018 he was awarded residency at the Villa Lena Foundation is Toiano, Palaia, Italy. Recent exhibitions include 10 Years 10 Artists, Octavia Art Gallery, New Orleans, LA. (2018), 44 Artists from Texas, Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, TX. (2018), The Dangerous Professors curated by Ruslana Lichtzier, Flatland Gallery, Houston, TX. (2018), Coyote, Jonathan Hopson, Houston, TX. (2017), and Greenhouse, Galveston Art Center, Galveston, TX. (2017), and an upcoming solo exhibition at Art League Houston (2021).
To learn more about Bradley Kerl check out these recent interviews by Weingarten Art Group and Friend of the Artist
Kerl has chosen to support Justice Forward
Justice Forward was founded as a Social Justice Task Force in 2003 by members of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church. The organization was incorporated as an independent nonprofit, the Harris County Drug Court Foundation, in 2006. Our original mission was to help individuals with non-violent, addiction-related offenses who participated in and graduated from Harris County’s STAR Drug Court to return to society and lead productive lives by funding various additional support services. Since 2006, HCDCF has provided services to over 700 individuals.
As the first Strategic Alliance Initiative of its kind in Texas, Justice Forward is a collaborative effort to assist all Specialty Court clients become healthy and productive members of their communities. The clients we serve are veterans, those who struggle with substance abuse disorders, individuals with mental health issues, as well as juveniles involved in human trafficking and gang activity. Our innovative program provides funds for transitional housing, counseling, employment and education assistance and other essential services that contribute to lowering recidivism rates and increasing family reunification rates, and in the process delivering fiscal savings to Texas taxpayers. Serving as a model for the nation, Justice Forward promotes collaboration among the courts as well as shared community resources.
