Featured Artist - Cheryl Derrick

As a master of plein-aire painting, El Paso artist Cheryl Derrick uses rich contrasts of shadow and light to push the colors in her work to their farthest limit. Her earthy palette and soft impressionistic style convey the subtle beauty of desert Southwest landscapes, seen through the eyes one who has known this land for a lifetime. "I have always loved the warm colors this area exudes", the artist confides. "Even when it is winter, I still want my paintings to glow with the warmth of the desert sunlight so I use a lot of reds, umbers and golds to achieve this feeling".

Derrick is stimulated and inspired by what she calls "the confusion in nature - things are forever changing and yet they remain the same", she explains. Nature is the one constant we live with for the same landscape is there day after day. The shape of a hill may not vary, yet the eye will never see it twice in exactly the same way. Morning light, twilight, winter and summer all combine like stones in a kaleidoscope to yield an                                                                      ever changing image."

Although she often paints large canvases, Derrick still thinks of her settings in very intimate terms. "The eye may cover vast distances, but I try to bring the viewer in close by concentrating on specific areas such as a river bank or a grove of trees", she explains. "As I work, I also look for shapes that connect, tying in lights and darks so that they draw the viewer into the painting".   " An obvious sense of tranquility permeates all of Derrick's work, for she finds an innate beauty in simple environments, often choosing old buildings or quiet streams as a source of inspiration. "I am especially drawn to water and the profusely colorful tangle of native vegetation which grows along the banks of rivers. Although I use a lot of local color in my work, I try to convey a universal love of nature that speaks to all who love open spaces. This is the gift I have to give through my art"."

[ Home ] [ Artwork ] [ Artists ] [ Art Informer ] [ Art Links ] [ Potpourri ] [ Special Art ] [ Calendar ] [ Magazine Articles ] [ Memories ] [ Free-Quotes ] [ Map ] [ Search ] [ Contact Us ]

[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]