Cheryl was reared a “city kid” in Missouri but had the delight of visiting her uncles’ Colorado ranches every summer. The days were spent riding horses all over Cripple Creek and Victor, working cows, brook trout fishing, trapping chipmunks, and exploring old gold mines. It was exquisite. College and pro rodeo consumed her life and time while raising four children until it became time to pick the pencils back up and hit the professional art trail.Cheryl studied drawing at the Kansas City Art Institute, has a BFA in drawing and painting from Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, studied art at Western States College, Gunnison, Colorado and earned her art K-12 teaching certification, garnering enough credits for a BFA in ceramics from Colorado State University, Pueblo. In 2019, she enjoyed her third year at the Celebration of Fine Art 10 week working artist show in Scottsdale, Arizona and Buffalo Collection Gallery in Old Town, Scottsdale represents her. She won year end Dry Media Championship, Western Art Rodeo Association and numerous other awards nationwide including the Draft Horse Classic, California, American Academy of Equine Art, Kentucky several years, Women Artists of the West several years, and invited to show at the The National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, Wyoming to name a few. Cheryl has built a base of collectors across the United States and abroad and is a signature member, Women Artists of the West and American Women Artists. She has a website to actively promote her award-winning work at www.charleyart.net. Fine Art Connoisseur, Rodeo News, Horses in Art, and the Grand Junction Sentinel have all run feature articles on Cheryl. Her work graced the pages of the Grand National Livestock Show and Rodeo Event Guide as rodeo event illustrations two consecutive years.
Statement
Experimentation is pivotal to the execution of the drawing skills she has honed using different cutting-edge surfaces combined with various media always keeping graphite at the forefront. Generally speaking, if the subject doesn’t have hair and a heartbeat, she’s not interested. Action, animals (including humankind) and animated action and/or emotion are central to her work.