Kerry Awn has been making art since he was first able to as a child growing up in Houston, Texas. A 4th generation Texan he excelled in art at a young age winning numerous city wide art shows and contests while still in public school. He studied at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts for six years from ages 12 -18, graduating from Westbury High School while being awarded the WL Burns Scholarship award for excellence in art.

    Attending the University of Texas art school in the 1970's he found himself involved in the burgeoning music scene in Austin. He quickly established himself as one of the city's premier poster artists doing countless music related posters, album covers, t shirts and paintings. He was commissioned by the University of Texas Co-Op to paint the murals on 23rd St. at Guadalupe that still stand as a testament to his talent as a painter.

    "I've always done drawings as long as I can remember. Drawings are basically paintings that are waiting to be colored in so my work still begins with a drawing of something that interests me. Texas and the Southwest are what interest me so I try to recreate the beauty, drama, color and humor of what I see as life in Texas. It's a big state so there is no shortage of images out there waiting to flower. I like to call my work: Modern Texas Retro."

      Kerry Awn, although a lifelong artist, is probably best known as an actor and comedian. He has spent over three decades in Austin performing with 6th Street comedy legends Esther's Follies, comedy rock band the Uranium Savages and on his own as award winning standup comic. He was named Funniest person in Austin 10 years running by the Austin Chronicle. He is a nationally touring public speaker and humorist. You can often see his humor slip into his artwork.

     His work is in the permanent collection of the Barker Library at the University of Texas. He is in the Austin Arts Hall of Fame and has been recognized by the City of Austin and the State of Texas for his contributions to the arts. In 2010 a painting of his of the late Doug Sahm was put on permanent display on Auditorium Shores by the banks of Lady Bird Lake in Austin assuring his work to be timeless.

     Kerry has spent years entertaining audiences with his humor and acting skills but his first love has always been art. "I've never stopped creating just as I've never stopped breathing or eating. It's what I do. The older I get the more I realize I need to release a lot of these paintings in me. I just want to paint. I hope you can find some of the joy I'm putting into them." Kerry currently lives in Spicewood, Texas where when not painting he grows cactus and rocks.

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