John Cerney, Muralist-Episode #318

Storybeat with Steve Cuden

My guest today, the noted muralist, John Cerney, is a Salinas, California native whose artwork can best be described as ‘giant cut-out plywood art’ that’s ordinarily viewed from the comfort of your car. There’s a sense of Norman Rockwell to his work, with a dash of Christo.

After earning an art degree from Cal State Long Beach in 1984, John worked in Southern California as a portrait artist, rendering finely detailed pencil drawings. His patrons were television producers, actors, and writers, with such clients as the late comedian John Candy and baseball star Reggie Jackson.

Wanting to reach a larger audience, John would periodically relocate to Central California and convince a farmer to allow him to paint a mural on his barn, just for practice. This led to commissions from local businesses. A major shift happened when he added cutout plywood pieces to his barn murals. Eventually, he abandoned barns and walls altogether, concentrating on the cut-outs themselves.

When the scale of his work got much larger, it attracted ad agencies and businesses from around the country. By then he had a blueprint for the way to create his art installations, which he still does to this day. John splits his time working on commissions from clients across the country and his own personal projects that allow him to explore his unusual form of public art. John’s work can be found in 23 states around the U.S. And his work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, and the New York Times.

https://www.johncerneymurals.com/

Instagram: @johncerney