Merrimon Kennedy

Studio #7 | 8516 Rio Grande NW | www.merrimonkennedy.com | email Merrimon | (910) 200-3807

Looking for a dramatic change after a lengthy absence from my painting practice, I moved to northern New Mexico in 2015 from the East Coast. The incredible vistas from my home near Santa Fe enticed me to try painting outdoors on location, or “plein air.” Though I am now spending more time in the studio, all my current work is informed by that time and experience. In 2025 my husband and I relocated to Corrales, NM, north of Albuquerque. The terrain and vegetation are slightly different, but I continue to embrace the big sky vistas and grandeur of the Rocky Mountains.

My non-representational works are most often unplanned and intuitive, usually executed in acrylic and mixed media. These pieces evolve slowly and are built up from many layers added and removed or obscured. I am intrigued with surface textures and mark making techniques, using various abrasives to scrape, scratch and alter surfaces. My plein air paintings are typically done in oils using painting knives and silicon tools on panels or Arches archival oil paper. My goal for either genre is for the viewer to feel movement and energy in my work.