Palo Alto, CA b. USA
“The figures are often costumed, mostly on their heads, and all of the props are real objects made for the sake of the paintings. I am drawn to the shapes these things create, as well as the symbolic potential they carry. I do not set out to illustrate some pre-determined verbal idea, nor do I intend any one specific literal or didactic message with my paintings. Instead, I trust and follow my instincts and compulsions to work with certain poses, shapes, and relationships and to explore the emotional and psychological territory that unfolds. I find some fulfillment and meaning through the process of making something out of nothing; I am interested in the potential of art to create one’s own mythologies.”
An understudy of Wayne Thiebaud at University of California, Davis, artist Vonn Sumner’s contemporary pop art draws inspiration for his character’s hats from 16th century master paintings.
Education
MFA, University of California, Davis
BFA, Studio Art University of California, Davis
Selected Solo Exhibitions
AQUA Art Miami with Morton Fine Art, Miami, FL
Solo exhibition, Franklin and Marshall Musuem, 2011
Recent Paintings, Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2010
The Other Side of Here, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA, 2008
Secret Society, Bert Green Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA, 2007
Arrival, 50 California St., San Francisco, CA, 2007
Out To Sea, Stevenson Fine Art, Brooklyn, NY, 2006
Selected Awards
Curator’s Choice Award, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA, 2003
American Experience Show Award, Hanes Art Gallery, 2002
Wake Forest Univeristy, Winston-Salem, NC
Please contact MFA for a full Biography and Artist Statement for Vonn Sumner