A Triple Portrait Art Quilt: New Madonna
Creating a portrait of someone is such an intimate experience. I work closely with my clients to bring their image and personality together in a unique and dramatic presentation that will be cherished for generations. First I create a hand drawn portrait of the individual to get just the right image for the portrait. From that drawing, I create a full color sketch that we review and modify if needed. The final art work will look just like our sketch. After the sketch is approved, I dye fabrics and create the art work - with progress updates all along the way. These portrait art quilts can be created to meet the requirements of virtually any size or budget. The portrait pictured here is approximately 72" x 54" created from my hand-dyed and commercial cottons.
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Cheryl's figurative works and portrait art quilts are vibrant and realistic depictions. Created from her original drawings and her own hand-dyed silks, cottons and novelty fabrics, these works capture the essence, as well as the image, of the individual.
Cheryl also creates abstract colorful works that are a complex and interesting combination of her hand-dyed silks, freshwater pearls, and brass and gold plated jewelry findings. The shimmering silk, moving pearls and jewelers hardware, place these works in a unique spot between art quilts and kinetic sculpture.
Cheryl's artwork travels the world in exhibitions and has been showcased in a number of books including "Art Quilts: The Natural World", "Art Quilts: People and Portraits" and "Studio Art Quilt Associates Portfolio 21, The Art Quilt Sourcebook".
Her work has been accepted into juried exhibitions including ArtQuilt Elements, one of the leading art quilt exhibitions. Cheryl's art works are also traveling in museum sponsored exhibitions.
She received two grants to further her development: the Gilmore Foundation Emerging Artist Award and the Arts Council of Kalamazoo Individual Artist Award. (Yes, there really is a Kalamazoo!) These grant awards allowed her the freedom to study batik and surface design techniques to enhance her unique approach to art creation.
Since studying batik in Singapore and exploring other forms of surface design, Cheryl designs the majority of fabrics she uses in her artwork. Her ability and flair for creating digitally-developed and hand-printed designs has further expanded her opportunity to make truly unique works of art.
Cheryl has settled in southwestern Michigan where she maintains a quiet, contemplative home. Her rural setting and its relatively close proximity to Chicago allows her the right social balance to feed her creative muse.
She has a degree in Art and Economics from a small, liberal arts college. Prior to working full-time in her studio, she worked in business finance and journalism.
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