Closed Eyes Alec Collage

Jessica Russo Scherr’s exploration of the self and the other creates a hybrid of the personal and the universal through her “Closed Eyes Series.” As part of this ongoing theme, she looks at how sometimes we need to close our eyes out of self-preservation but what is the cost to your community? This particular one is not only a portrait of a young man and artist I know named Alec, it is also a commentary on our the state of our enviroment and ignoring warning signs. The collages aren’t only portraits but also contain embedded imagery that builds on the portrait through its juxtaposition. Her subjects are frequently depicted in solitary, social and spiritual situations. They create a platform to investigate our place within the wider cultural landscape, which is needed now more than ever. The handling of her chosen media is often applied in overlapping and mirrored layers forming atmospheric portraits and landscapes that intentionally evoke sensations of memory recollection and internal evolution. General themes in her work are concerned with memory, nostalgia, and narrative that glorify the individual subject as well as the simple beauty of our connections to others and place.