BIOGRAPHY

The following is taken from an article written by James R. Hill

Seeking to Penetrate Reality: The Figurative Works of Lynne Cerro

There is a time just prior to sleep, as consciousness is giving way to unconsciousness, when revelatory images are apt to manifest themselves in our minds. As fleeting as they are, we are normally unable to recall their exact appearance. But anyone who has gained a familiarity with the figurative artwork of Lynne Cerro knows she has found a way to record these visions with an artist's brush creating a synthesis of reality and dreams. Her work is touched with an ambiguity that leaves in its wake a psychologically compelling painting that goes far beyond the genre of portraiture.

Cerro recognizes that painting for her is a visceral pursuit. She explains, “There is a technique in psychoanalysis called abreaction which is the emotional release experienced by a patient when, in the presence of a safe audience, the person puts into words an idea that they have been repressing. The revisiting of these feelings in a supportive environment leads to a transformation in the individual. This catharsis is the driving force behind all of my paintings.” Whatever the driving force behind her art, all of the work invites the viewer to penetrate the reality of what is ostensibly presented in the painting.

Since her mother was a painter herself, Cerro grew up familiar with the aroma of oil paint on wet canvasses and accustomed to the sight of easels propped up in the center of the family room. It was only natural, then, that Cerro began to paint at the age of nine. “I was a real daydreamer when I was young.” the artist confesses. “Painting was a way to express those daydreams outwardly and bring them to some sort of life.” Lynne Cerro received formal art training at several California colleges and universities after fulfilling a high school scholarship special student program at Art Center College of Design in Southern California. She went on to develop considerably in skill after a stint working as an artist for Universal Studios and Disney. Longing to return to a more personal and satisfying art experience, Cerro took up her fine art brush again in 1992 with a series of figurative works which started her down the road of exhibiting in various galleries and museums in the United States.

In her oils and watercolors, Cerro developed a sense of order to her painting technique that she describes as choreographing the order of the application of the paint. She starts with a detailed underpainting. As she explains it, “In the underpainting I always start to develop the face first since the whole painting emanates from the psychological state of my subject.” She then meticulously builds up countless layers of value and color. As she describes it, “In my oils these transparent layers of glaze let light pass through and give a luminosity to the work.” She is always trying to push the envelope in her watercolors, taking up the challenge of “making it do things that it inherently doesn't want to do,” When painting, Cerro prefers natural lighting. “There are things that light drifting through a window can do that are nothing short of magical. You can see the mysteries of the universe in the macro and the microcosm of life, in the patterns of light and shadow falling on a solitary figure.” She adheres to the maxim expressed by Rodin when he said, “I obey Nature in everything I do and never pretend to command her.”

Lynne Cerro's paintings serve to celebrate the grace and strength that exist in all her subjects, creating a body of work with a propensity to see so far into a subject that in the end we just might discover a piece of our own selves.

Her work has been exhibited in The Laguna Art Museum (CA), The Bowers Museum (CA), The Richard Nixon Library & Museum (CA), Mukenthaler Cultural Center (CA), Universal Studios-Port Adventura (Spain), Disneyland (CA), Lotte World (Korea), as well as fine art galleries in California and Colorado.






BIOGRAPHY

The following is taken from an article written by James R. Hill

Seeking to Penetrate Reality: The Figurative Works of Lynne Cerro

There is a time just prior to sleep, as consciousness is giving way to unconsciousness, when revelatory images are apt to manifest themselves in our minds. As fleeting as they are, we are normally unable to recall their exact appearance. But anyone who has gained a familiarity with the figurative artwork of Lynne Cerro knows she has found a way to record these visions with an artist's brush creating a synthesis of reality and dreams. Her work is touched with an ambiguity that leaves in its wake a psychologically compelling painting that goes far beyond the genre of portraiture.

Cerro recognizes that painting for her is a visceral pursuit. She explains, “There is a technique in psychoanalysis called abreaction which is the emotional release experienced by a patient when, in the presence of a safe audience, the person puts into words an idea that they have been repressing. The revisiting of these feelings in a supportive environment leads to a transformation in the individual. This catharsis is the driving force behind all of my paintings.” Whatever the driving force behind her art, all of the work invites the viewer to penetrate the reality of what is ostensibly presented in the painting.

Since her mother was a painter herself, Cerro grew up familiar with the aroma of oil paint on wet canvasses and accustomed to the sight of easels propped up in the center of the family room. It was only natural, then, that Cerro began to paint at the age of nine. “I was a real daydreamer when I was young.” the artist confesses. “Painting was a way to express those daydreams outwardly and bring them to some sort of life.” Lynne Cerro received formal art training at several California colleges and universities after fulfilling a high school scholarship special student program at Art Center College of Design in Southern California. She went on to develop considerably in skill after a stint working as an artist for Universal Studios and Disney. Longing to return to a more personal and satisfying art experience, Cerro took up her fine art brush again in 1992 with a series of figurative works which started her down the road of exhibiting in various galleries and museums in the United States.

In her oils and watercolors, Cerro developed a sense of order to her painting technique that she describes as choreographing the order of the application of the paint. She starts with a detailed underpainting. As she explains it, “In the underpainting I always start to develop the face first since the whole painting emanates from the psychological state of my subject.” She then meticulously builds up countless layers of value and color. As she describes it, “In my oils these transparent layers of glaze let light pass through and give a luminosity to the work.” She is always trying to push the envelope in her watercolors, taking up the challenge of “making it do things that it inherently doesn't want to do,” When painting, Cerro prefers natural lighting. “There are things that light drifting through a window can do that are nothing short of magical. You can see the mysteries of the universe in the macro and the microcosm of life, in the patterns of light and shadow falling on a solitary figure.” She adheres to the maxim expressed by Rodin when he said, “I obey Nature in everything I do and never pretend to command her.”

Lynne Cerro's paintings serve to celebrate the grace and strength that exist in all her subjects, creating a body of work with a propensity to see so far into a subject that in the end we just might discover a piece of our own selves.

Her work has been exhibited in The Laguna Art Museum (CA), The Bowers Museum (CA), The Richard Nixon Library & Museum (CA), Mukenthaler Cultural Center (CA), Universal Studios-Port Adventura (Spain), Disneyland (CA), Lotte World (Korea), as well as fine art galleries in California and Colorado.