Cheryl Keefer paints to share with others her excitement about the beauty and truth of the visual world.
Mostly in oils and sometimes watercolor, Cheryl paints landscapes en plein air. Small studies from life are often a gratifying step toward larger landscapes, created back in the studio. An everyday scene, a lingering sunset, a misty mountain, rocks glistening in a stream—any of these may inspire a piece. Cheryl is arrested and fascinated by God’s magnificence as reflected in this ever-changing world.
Working from life, she delights in the way seasons, atmospheres and changing light alter and enrich scenes and views. Light and weather bring dramatic changes. Once, in a single afternoon at Black Balsam, she completed four different visions of the same scene in a near-trance state.
Human interaction with urban environments intrigues her. With cityscapes, she explores this theme, in which buildings, vehicles, people, streets, sidewalks, trees and plants combine to reflect the city’s mood. Urban lights can impart a carnival feel at night, while rain and figures with umbrellas may add a note either somber or joyful. Wet pavements inspire her.
Her paintings invite an emotional response in viewers. She wants to spark memories, stimulate the viewer’s imagination and participate in the viewer’s joy.
BS, Art Education, Jacksonville State University
MA, Art History, The University of Alabama, Birmingham
Graduate Painting, Virginia Commonwealth University
