What:
I am a lifelong artist who lives in Michigan. I paint with oils and use gold leaf in many of my paintings. I have a long background in two expressions, one is sound and the other is color. I am self taught and have been known to be voracious in studying artists whose work touches me emotionally in ways I wish to master.
One of the most entertaining comments I once received while out in the field painting plein air was, “if Monet and Turner had a mash-up child, it would be you!” Yes, I do love how both of those artists handled color, brush work and palette knives. Curious fact about my use of gold leaf and other metals: I regard them as other colors! I do not fashion myself after Klimpt (although I love his work and have spoken to one of the conservators who tends to repairs of his work at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna.).
The variety of reflective surface between oil paint and metals adds a fantastic contrast and interest to my work and entirely fascinates me. I often regard the composition of these paintings in a similar way that sculptors have to consider their work, looking at all the angles and lighting conditions to see how it looks from each vantage point.
In the Beginning; oil & gold leaf on canvas; 18″ x 30″
Why:
Why DO I paint?!!?
The truth is I must, or more honestly, because I MUST! Creating is a form of giving. This is as intrinsic to me as breathing. I am not being hyperbolic about it, here is the best way I can try to describe it:
I am at my best when I am creating. It is one way to be aware of my own inner process and bring that to the canvas as a visual for others to relate to. When others relate to what I’ve created it is a certain kind of validation. A delicious joy! This has been so for me since the first painting someone collected back in 1977! I believe as humans we all need validation and we all need a form of creative expression. It completes a loop.
create ~> validate ~> energize ~> create
In that validation loop for the observer, they may experience standing with my work as a solution for understanding something in themselves when experiencing it, it may provide a solution for something rattling around in them, so the visual may become the validation to them, which could then energize them and create a recognition in themselves. I include this in my “why” as a way of sharing something about my personal drive, an intense desire to connect, to observe this quirky human condition of opposites and things that clash and/or compliment as our lives move through various stages. I believe connection is an important ingredient to thriving. In addition to getting my own work in front of the public, I enjoy lifting up other emerging artists and have held annual shows for the past several years.
Blue Birch; oil on linen; 16″ x 20″ (prints available)
How:
I am going to get fairly literal here, I would like to offer the non-artist an introduction to the dedication needed to make it as an artist! I’d like to burst some of the mystery, misunderstanding and distance between the artist and the collector!
My daily practice is to paint. I begin each session with mixing my colors and my tones. The physical act of laying color out to my palette gets my emotions in check, in balance with the vision I hold for the painting I’ll be working on. When it is gold leafing, the preparation holds the same significance, as I shared earlier, to me the metals I work with are another color. The prep actually becomes meditative and is an amazing tool for me to translate that which is both visual and emotional in intention to the canvas.
When I work with both oil and metals, I begin with the gold leaf passages and once I have most of it down I will only then begin the oil painting parts. The two materials behave quite differently and have different archival requirements and I must respect that for the success of the work.
My ideal day is where I spend about 3-5 hours in the morning, break for lunch and then complete the day back in the studio. The less than ideal day can include a tremendous amount of resistance to even pick up the brushes! I do not know a single artist who does not have this struggle!
I enjoy being able to work with some of the highest quality materials, from the paints and pigments I select to the canvas I use. The materials DO matter! The paint needs to glide the way I intend, the metals must have the correct adhesive and it all requires the proper surface to lay onto as well.
Getting There; oil on canvas, 42″ x 60″
Bio:
Cheryl Barill’s work is a celebration of the constant movement and energy of life. She expresses this through the use of movement in her brushwork, contrasts of color, tonal values and a variety of reflectivity of materials in her paintings. Painting with oils on canvas, often intertwined with passages of metal leafing, her style of painting is both intuitive and representational with a strong lean to how a topic feels as we experience it. It is often described as ethereal with notes of surrealistic or fantasy elements, creative devices she favors. Her artwork is in many public and private collections worldwide.
Links:
Webpage Cheryl Barill Art
Instagram
Inner Journeys II; oil and gold leaf on canvas; 18″ x 20″
Thank you for visiting!
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist:
Multi-finalist award winning novel: In the Context of Love
Picture book: Gordy and the Ghost Crab
Poetry chapbook: Sleepwalker
Connect with Linda on social media: LinkTree
