(Fuschias by Cheryl Graham)
Cheryl Graham and her husband Jerry have lived in Oregon for 30 years. Growing up in California, she remembers at the age of six, she was praised by her teacher and other children because her drawing of a mouse looked a lot more detailed and realistic than those done by the other students. Her love for art led her to study at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, and soon after she became an elementary school teacher who used her talent, making puppets, posters, and other artwork to further engage with her students.
Now retired, Cheryl and her husband live in Bend, taking care of her 106-year-old mother. Until last year, her mother could walk with a cane, and they often drove out of town for kayak and hiking adventures where Cheryl also enjoyed creating plein air paintings in watercolor. “I snap photos all the time,” she says. “I look for pleasing and dynamic compositions.”
In her studio, Cheryl prefers using acrylics. “Intriguing colors and atmospheres inspire me, but I’ve been known to move trees, enlarge mountains, or change a road into a stream.” Main influences for her include the Impressionists. “I love capturing the essence of a scene with light and shadow, but I always allow the strokes of paint to be visible. I celebrate the movement of brushstrokes because I never want my paintings to look like photos.”
For the past eight years, Cheryl’s subjects have been landscapes. “While painting my favorite ‘get away spots,’ I reimagine and honor my encounters with creation.” She hopes her art recalls to viewers the awe and delight they first felt as they viewed certain locations. “One of the most special commissions I ever painted was of a mountain where a mother’s ashes were scattered. Landscapes can evoke so many emotions.”
Cheryl made 100 paintings for last year’s 20-Dollar Art Show at the High Desert Art Museum. This year she created an on-site, here-and-now art experience for visitors where she painted South Sister, Mount Bachelor, or Broken Top in the colors people requested. As someone who loves to volunteer and build community, part of the joy of painting for Cheryl is seeing people’s faces as they react to her work.
In the last nine years, Cheryl has painted over 800 paintings. Determined to make painting a daily practice, Cheryl put on her apron and carved out the time. “It was hard at first, but now I’m disciplined. I work on small canvases, so I can go through the practice of choices, bringing a painting to completion.” Her general approach is to create several thumbnail sketches to work out her ideas. “I use a limited color palette to ensure harmony. I don’t focus on details and highlights until the end.”
Cheryl mentions that the bright sunshine here in Central Oregon can make it difficult to see nuances in color. “I use a lot of warm tones, but my color palette is dependent on season and location. I like to create many mixed paint swatches, and I lay those out to help me focus on what three primary colors I should use.” Generally, Cheryl uses flat or flat-angled brushes, but she enjoys a good, “scruffy” brush for painting foliage.
As a cheerful grandmother, Cheryl sometimes breaks away from landscape compositions to do portraits, florals, and paintings of animals. Knitting dozens of cartoon character dolls is another hobby. This fall, Cheryl rose to the challenge when invited to participate in a show in Portland that featured birds of the Pacific Northwest. “I love looking at birds in my yard or in nature, but I always allow myself creative license to give these paintings more character and surprising color combinations.”
Other recent shows include the monthly First Friday Art Walks. Cheryl shares her love of teaching and painting with various Sip and Paint classes. She also volunteers by hosting art classes for homeless women. “I am really surprised at how much untapped talent there is out there. I love sharing with people who, for a variety of reasons, haven’t had a chance to try their hand at painting or collage. It’s such a deep way of communicating without words.”
See Cheryl’s work on display all month at the brand new Dry Canyon Community Art Center at 415 SW Sixth Street in downtown Redmond, or join her at the big grand opening celebration of the Art Center, which will double as the opening of her exhibition during First Friday, December 5, between 4-7pm.