ABOUT
My work begins in the pool. I use an underwater camera to capture a unique vantage point; one that is distorted by ripples, reflections, and lens flares. I’m challenging my eye to see beyond what my mind believes is the “real” image and I use the camera to capture those different realities.
Back in the studio, I use these photos to paint vivid textures and materials, disrupted landscapes, sweeping skies, and altered human forms - highlighting the beauty of the distorted subjects.
My work aims to reflect on human perception and how personal experiences, biology, chemistry, and cultural forces influence our individual reality from moment to moment. On the walls, my work often gives viewers both a cooling familiarity of being underwater and a curiosity to decode what they are seeing.
For over two decades, Abbey Messmer contributed to the art scene in Phoenix, AZ through hosting exhibitions, membership with Eye Lounge Art Collective, volunteering with Artlink Phoenix’s Artist Council, and working for the non-profit Scottsdale Arts, while maintaining her art practice. For twelve years she co-managed The Lodge, a pivotal art space on Grand Avenue in downtown Phoenix, which served as a well-known and highly visited anchor for the district’s arts scene until the building was closed in 2021.
In 2026, Messmer relocated back to her native state of Texas and continues her painting practice in Dallas.