Meet Abbey Messmer of Abbey Messmer Fine Art in Downtown Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbey Messmer.

Abbey, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I love sharing with people that my dream as an 8-year-old was to become “an artist and a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.” I grew up in Texas and ended up following the art side of that dream to earn a Fine Arts degree from the University of North Texas. After graduating, I moved to Phoenix to start the next chapter of my life. I was lucky enough connect with some important folks in the downtown art scene and was able to find a studio right away. I also started working for a non-profits arts organization and I still work there today, 15 years later. My life is a balance between two passions: serving the community through authentic arts and culture experiences, while also creating and selling my own original art.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Phoenix has been good to me and although there have been some money and focus struggles along the way, I’d consider the journey so far pretty smooth. Over the years, I developed a habit to identify the positive aspects within deeply challenging situations so that I’m constantly learning and improving. I feel proud that I’ve worked very hard to get to this current place and also lucky to have so many creative, passionate and supportive people in my life.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Abbey Messmer Fine Art – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As an artist, I’m known for my underwater paintings. Historically, I’ve produced mostly large-scale oil paintings on canvas but in the last year, I’ve been working smaller. Lately, I’ve been creating a series of 18″ x 24″ gouache & acrylic paintings on a panel which has been very popular, in part, because of the manageable size and reasonable price point. I think people are intrigued by my work because of how I use water as a lens to see another perspective or talk about the shifting perception of self and others in our modern environment. I think it’s important to realize that in life there are few black and white situations. There are always variables and considerations to be made which leave us in a world of infinite grays. I challenge the concept of a concrete reality because everyone experiences the world differently. My paintings are effectively a dreamy refuge where you leave the absolute behind and embrace a new liquefied truth.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The next big step for the future is finding a gallery to represent my work. An artist always needs a goal and a deadline so being accountable to and supported by a gallery will bring my work to the next level. I love the Leonard Bernstein quote that says, “To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.” It’s so accurate!

Contact Info:

• Address: The Lodge Art Studio
  1231 Grand Ave.
  Phoenix, AZ 85007
• Website: www.abbeymessmer.com
• Email: abbey.messmer@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbeymessmer/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thelodgeartstudio/

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