Artist Spotlight: Cheryl Chalmers

drinking it in with Cheryl

Chalmers

Artist Spotlight

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER

ARTWORK BY CHERYL CHALMERS, PHOTOS PROVIDED

Cheryl Chalmers’ first love was ballet.

As a girl growing up in California, moving to New York City to dance professionally was an exciting opportunity. After a few years, however, Cheryl decided it was more practical to become an artist.

THE BIRTH OF AN ILLUSTRATOR

As a student at Parson’s School of Design, Cheryl dove into pursuing her passion for watercolors. “Watercolors capture the strong golden light and the transparent washes just seem to call to me,” she said. Her detailed approach and realistic style were perfectly suited to those of a professional illustrator and her career began to flourish.

BOOSTING THE JUICE

Cheryl became an accomplished artist producing paintings for renowned publishers including Scholastic Inc, Random House, and The Penguin Group. She has been included in “Splash: The Best of American Watercolor” series for four years, and corporations such as Nabisco, Schweppes, and American Express have commissioned her pieces. After taking 10 years off to raise her three children, Cheryl’s move upstate transformed her paintings’ subject matter. “Living in the Finger Lakes, I was so inspired by the water and the light. It’s so beautiful and lends itself well to the medium,” she said.

WHERE LESS IS MORE

Cheryl became an unofficial artistin-residence for the nearby Cornell University. They commissioned her artwork for brochures and other publications, their capital campaigns, and as gifts. To adhere to tight deadlines, Cheryl also developed a unique take on portraits. By focusing on shadow and line to highlight the essential aspects of the figure, they look as if they are floating on the page. “By eliminating what’s not really needed and honing it down, I find less is more,” she said.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Now, her typical day starts with coffee on the deck of the lake house Cheryl shares with her husband before heading down to her basement studio. The space is white and brightened from light streaming in from the windows that lookout onto the water. While she’s working on commissions (that take as long as a month to finish) the sounds of everything from opera to rock can be heard playing in the background. For a nice getaway, the couple likes to come to Saratoga in the summertime. “I just fell in love with it, it’s such a beautiful little spot,” she said.

EXPRESSIVE ELEMENTS

Cheryl’s paintings of Saratoga are ones that she’s completed in her free time, just for the pleasure of it. While in town, she takes hundreds of photos of the landscape, its buildings, and the horses. Her gorgeous compositions are more than simple reproductions of their source images, they are a mesmerizing expression of elegance. They are a fresh take on equine art brimming with movement and energy. Her paintings have been displayed at the National Museum of Racing, her piece “Horsepower,” completed in 2016, was displayed at the Savory Pantry, and prints were sold at the annual Hats Off to Saratoga Festival. In addition to prints, her work appears on mugs, scarves, ornaments and more. Northshire Bookstore also carries a selection of Cheryl Chalmers products. Find them online on Amazon, her Etsy shop, and website. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram @CherylChalmersArt SS