THOMAS KERRY

Thomas Kerry (1929-1983) called his art “as it was and is American Art”. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and he was a self taught artist. Among his favorite artists were Andrew Wyeth and Norman Rockwell and many of the old masters. He explored all types of art, impressionism, abstract, realism etc. He loved painting fine art realism the most even though to create all the intricate details down to each blade of grass took a tremendous amount of patience and time.

He started his career as an art restorer in Long Island. He is most known for his open barn scenes and straw bonnet girls but painted any scene that showed off American life in its action and at its rest.

At age 19, he studied courses that were aimed at teaching restoration of world famous paintings and fine antique china. Kerry spent years as a world renowned restorer for original works created by Dali, Canaletto, Gainsborough and many others. As time passed he continued to restore for many well known galleries and museums; however, he received most of his recognition when he began to paint his own works and is now found in a number of museums throughout the country as well as many private collections.

His works are recognizable showing the exactness of a draftsman with a touch of the real feel of Long Island life. His style is a mix of realism, naturalism, and he paints as a representational artist. In all, Kerry was a master at providing viewers with a very real look into Long Island life and the lives of Americans.