Cheryl Clinton

Cheryl Clinton a.k.a. Cherie

Artist Statement

My work has always been inspired by nature and my place
in it.  As my situation in life has changed – from student to teacher, single to married, child to parent – so has my view
of the landscape. As the landscape of my life has changed,
so has the nature of my artwork.  Always grounded in observations of the natural world – sky, water and earth,
the work also reflects my emotions and intuitive response
to the painting.

While initially many of my paintings take direct cues from the natural world, all of the paintings are created in the studio, and
are as much about the nature of paint and painting as they are reflections of the natural world. My goal is to create a contemplative visual space – a space that embodies a spirit, a space that acts as a passage between our world and one that may exist within and beyond ours.

Biography

“Any one of her works is a wonder to look at: Its sleek surface, built up with many layers of glaze, recalls beautifully veined and faceted marble.”  
– Cate McQuaid, The Boston Globe

Cheryl Clinton’s paintings capture the moods, colors, and patterns of the landscape.  She first became passionate about art growing up in Framingham, Massachusetts. Her first memorable art making experience was at the age of 5, when she created a Pollock like painting using marbles.  With an old metal spoon, she scooped two glistening marbles out of their paint cups, the first from sunny yellow, and the second from rich, thick red. Dropping them each onto manila paper in a shirt box, beginning a dance of two colors merging into a third, and a love affair with paint.  The magic that happened as she tip the box to-and-fro watching the marbles create fiery lines of color, hooked her for life. 

                                                                                                                      

After earning a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts College of Art, she traveled to Europe. Here the waterways of Venice and the surf of Skopelos Island inspired her sense of the natural world.  She then went on to complete her master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.  Her family’s move to Boylston, Massachusetts, renewed her childhood memories of the unspoiled beauty of rural New England.

                                                                                                                      

Cheryl has shown her images of water and plant life in solo exhibits at the Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham and the Tower Hill Botanical Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts.  Other exhibits also include a three-person show entitled “Natural Forces: Three Artists Experience the Landscape,” as well as annual participation in the Massachusetts College of Art’s Benefit Auction.  Her paintings are included in the corporate collection of Meditech and in numerous private collections throughout the United States and abroad.

                                                                                                                      

The artist has also been active as a promoter of the arts in the Metrowest Boston area, in particular as the creator of Fountain Street Studios in Framingham, now the largest collective of working artist West of Boston. In partnership with photographer, Marie Craig, Clinton opened Fountain Street Fine Art Gallery, now in it’s second year.  She also taught painting and drawing for 12 years at the Danforth Museum School.