Abby Sernoff is a self-taught Mixed Media Collage artist who was raised in Lawrenceville, NJ. She received her B.A. from Macalester College and an MA in Speech Language Pathology from Temple University. Nine years ago, her life completely changed when she became seriously ill with Lyme Disease. Unable to continue working as a Speech Pathologist, Abby chanced upon collage making in 2006 while taking a local class about creativity. Within months, Abby found herself selling her artwork in local stores, accepting commissions, and participating in a juried art exhibit. Recent exhibitions include a 2011 solo show in Doylestown, PA.
Working primarily with paper, ink, and acrylic paint, Abby’s collages showcase varied texture, pattern, and color. Her collages include papers collected from numerous sources. She prefers to use recycled materials as much as possible; her pieces often contain repurposed calendars, shopping bags, wrapping paper, maps, greeting cards, old book pages, and even “junk mail.”
Abby’s work is inspired by the natural world around us, especially birds. Her artwork is heavily influenced by the mythology and symbolism that birds and other creatures have conveyed over centuries. She strongly believes nature is always communicating with us, and tries to reflect in her artwork the beauty that surrounds us. Since Abby’s journey as an artist has paralleled her journey healing from illness, she also wishes to convey a message of hope and optimism through her art.
