Volume 26, no. 1
CONTENTS
- Spring 2013 Home Page
- Message from the Dean
- Making the Connection: New Campaign Takes Off
- Social Media: It's Part of the Culture
- TCU Football: The Real Story!
- Library Prepares to Move 800,000 Volumes Off Campus
- Kerri Menchaca: Painting a Pretty Picture
- Getting the Word Out
- The Swartz Brothers: Fort Worth's First Family of Photographers
- Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys
- New Senior Archivist: Mary Saffell, Recognizing Excellence
- Mary Couts Burnett Library: A Sneak Peek Save the Date
- Previous Newsletters
Painting a Pretty Picture
Kerri Menchaca has been a Library Specialist in the Periodicals department since 2008, but her passion isn't necessarily for books or reading, it belongs to painting with oils and other creative outlets. Growing up in a family of artists, she often dabbled in art at home along with her family. In high school Kerri decided to put more emphasis on her artwork and at 16 years old she joined her father in oil painting classes—this is when the real painting began. This learning experience changed her outlook and the role that art would play in her life. Her dreams of becoming an artist became a reality in high school.
Kerri made a decision to study art and received two degrees in Art and Art History and a minor in Geology from the University of Texas at Austin.
She credits her love for drawing and painting to her family, "My father always bought and sold vintage hot rod cars, so we went on a lot of road trips around Texas. Once I left for college, I continued driving around Austin on the weekends, taking photographs that I would later paint from."
Black Gap Road, Big Bend - Oil on CanvasPainting mostly Texas landscapes, she also does commissions. Kerri especially loves to paint from landscape photographs she takes while on road trips in her 1968 Early Bronco. She builds her own canvases from scratch using popular wood; then stretches and primes her own canvas'. She also paints on stainless raw-cut steel where the surface has been distressed then primed with several layers of gesso before being ready to paint on with oils.
You may have seen some of Kerri's artwork at exhibits around town, such as the "Art in the Metroplex" show, and at the Moudy Gallery on the TCU campus, which was curated by David Pagel and sponsored by TCU and The Tempelton Art Center. Most recently, she had six pieces in the Fall Gallery Night at the Adobe Gallery.
Kerri is represented by the Adobe Gallery in Fort Worth Texas, and has several pieces currently on display. You can view Kerri's art at the Adobe Gallery located in the Fort Worth Stockyards or by visiting her website.