Art Walk in the Claremont Village

Description

First Saturday Art Walk in the Claremont Village

Start your evening at the Claremont Chamber Gallery & visit art exhibits found throughout the downtown area, participating Village businesses & organizations vary month to month.
 

Artist: Christian Kueng, Ed.D.
 
Artist Statement: I am an eclectic artist. Some days I cut silhouettes out of black paper. Some days I draw cartoons.
 
Recently I started whimsical mixed media sculptures. I use a variety of materials to build these 3D works – Styrofoam, wire, wood, pipe cleaners, and papier mache. Making art is a passion: to cause my audience to grin and  smile, and even laugh out loud. My inspiration from artists who are expressive and use color.
 
Artist Biography: Christian Kueng, Ed. D. was born in Ontario, California in 1957. His first experience as an artist was drawing pictures in a sandbox at age four.
 
Art became his passion. Chris studied art at California State University Fullerton, earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Professionally, he taught art at the elementary school level in the Ontario-Montclair School District and later served as principal of Buena Vista Arts-Integrated School.
 
Due to his background as an educator and community artist, Chris was named to the Board of Trustees of the Ontario Museum of History & Art in 1999. He is currently the past president of this advisory body.
 
Between 2010 and 2015, Chris won several prized in the American Art Awards. In 2017 he was awarded the Mayor pro Tem Award for his paper mâché sculpture Jasper the Great in the Ontario Museum of History & Art Ontario Open Exhibition.
 

Artist: Jerry Weems

Jerry Weems is a visual artist who embraces his cultural heritage and draws inspiration from the stories rooted in his personal and ancestral past. Through deeply autobiographical paintings, he explores universal themes of racism, poverty, inequality, hope, joy, and dignity within the African American experience. His work captures everyday moments of African American life in the segregated South, preserving a vital—and often painful—chapter of American history.

Weems paints powerful scenes: worship in church, leisure in juke joints, labor in cotton fields, and marches for civil rights. His artistic style—often described as primitive or childlike—possesses a refined sophistication that brings these stories to life with emotional depth and historical clarity. While echoing the simplified forms of American folk art, his work speaks volumes about resilience, identity, and cultural memory.

Over time, Weems’ artistic practice has evolved beyond black-and-white narratives of the rural South to include abstract compositions, collages, and vibrant Palm Frond paintings, reflecting both growth and experimentation in his creative journey.