Artist Cheryl Pass
Biography in Brief
Inspired by beautiful farmland while growing up in Ohio, and surrounded by fine antiques and the handiwork of local artisans, Cheryl always knew she wanted to contribute to the world of fine art. Over her lifetime, moving to different areas of the country while married and raising her two children, she has studied fabric arts, calligraphy, drawing and painting in various media. While mostly self-taught in painting, she has studied with art instructors at the local Community College in North Carolina and Muskingham College in Ohio.
After moving to North Carolina, she became an active member of her local art guild, serving as President and winning several purchase and merit awards for her paintings. In 1991, she began a stationery business based on her watercolors. The company, named Wild Hare, established relationships with over one thousand retailers and was marketed nationally. Although successful with this creative business, she never stopped dreaming about painting full time. In 2001 she closed the business to focus her energies more completely on fine art. Today she works from a beautiful studio attached to her home, surrounded by old growth trees, backyard wildlife, the company of her dog, Bosley, and the immeasurable support of her husband and family.
Personal Statement
A great deal of my training and work in the past has been in illustration for commercial purposes. It is my pleasure now and for the past six years to be creating for fine art, painting subject matter I wish to bring to the conscience of the viewer from my heart. I never tire of studying past and current masters of traditional representational works as well as impressionism. I am striving toward a contemporary realism: clearly identifiable subject matter rendered with care and exuberance simultaneously, whether landscapes, still lives, or figures. I find I approach each painting differently, reacting to my visceral impression of the subject. Each painting teaches me something about the subject, form, light, color, and the very translation of it into paint. In this way, I always consider myself a student of the process of being a good painter and artist.
I primarily work with Winsor Newton oils on canvas, linen, and board, depending on the desired outcome. I work from life, my own photographs, or occasionally from a client's photograph when I am painting commissioned portaits of pets. My works are usually between the 8X10 and 20X24 sizes.
