Overview
John Cerney is a mural artist from Monterey County who creates large, realistic painted wood sculptures. His work evolved from smaller scale portrait work to the larger than life artwork you may find along highways or near farms and other businesses. Be sure to visit our Permanent Collection this fall to view his large works in person and feel free to snap some selfies while you're there.
Artist Statement
My work is meant for an audience that is not prepared to view
art, or who may not even have an opinion about art, but people
who are held captive in their cars while heading someplace. It
doesn’t matter to me that they know who created the pieces or
have any notion of how it came to be. I’m satisfied that for a
few miles down the road they are left with some wonderment.
In the rare event of showing my work in the confines of a
gallery, I’m able to create little stories that invite a slower
pondering of what’s taking place. I tend towards the theatrical,
and I consider my pieces one act plays. I’m grateful for the
generous size of the gallery so I can fill up the space with my
oversized ‘actors’.
John Cerney
2023
