October 2004- Karisa West

In time for Halloween, a sexy spooky exhibit

Kerisa West is an emerging artist living in center city, but she is not a native Philadelphian. She was born in England and spent her childhood in Japan, Israel, and several locations across America. All the traveling, changing and exposure to diverse global cultures inspired her to paint. Kerisa’s work is based on both emotional reactions to travel, and the rich visual and storytelling traditions of the places she has lived.

In her current works, she builds up a thickly textured background and then seeks out the curves and figures of goddesses, animal spirits, angels and sirens. She uses mixed media, consisting mainly of acrylic latex, charcoal and one or two unique mediums per painting. Working with mixed media and a variety of techniques helps her to communicate, not only in an aesthetically pleasing manner, but also on a deeper symbolic level.