Contest 8 – Winner's Interview – Cher Pruys

Please tell us about your journey as an artist.

When I was 4, I spent hours with a pencil and sketch pad, sketching anything in my world that caught my eye. Even at that young age I was fascinated with producing with the pencil, exactly what my eye was seeing. Through the years, I progressed through photo realism into the world of hyperrealism, where I have found my true artistic passion. That said, I believe that if you can draw and paint well, then you should be able to paint anything you choose to paint with good results. I am also a musician, playing both the piano and guitar, and have been teaching for 35 years. With music, one can evoke emotion in their audience by way of sound…so translating that to painting seemed like a logical step allowing me to evoke emotion in my viewers, by sight, with a line, a swirl, a colour….

   I am passionate about photography and painting. Both of these artistic means can represent life in a true way, but I feel that the objective photograph represents an image which is not influenced by feelings or ones interpretation, where by painting allows me to find the soul of my subject, and to manipulate reality by creating an illusionistic depth,  filled with visual, spiritual and cultural flavours as I see fit, all on a flattened surface with a 3 dimensional look!

 I am a self taught artist so I have been very self-disciplined with drive, determination, time management and problem solving. I spent countless hours sketching from life, and studying anatomy which came easy as I spent several years as a bodybuilder and exercise instructor. I also dove into books on composition, color theory, perspective, value, tone and light and shadows! Understanding these subjects is essential to creating a successful piece of art. The advantage of being self-taught rather than having had a formal education in art for me I feel has been that I feel free to follow my passion and am not constricted by the many rules that one has imposed on them in a structured program. Rules are made to be broken, and one needs to leave their comfort zone to grow. I am open to constructive criticism and am always looking to learn, and to strive to get better

   Unlike many contemporary artists who choose to repeat themselves in subject matter, I find a strong desire to continuously change my subjects. I try to find excitement, beauty and interest in the everyday things in life, like crushed cans with their amazing shine and reflective surface, to a bag of apples, ripe for tasting, and glistening behind the plastic bag they are encased in. To find beauty in the seemingly trivial objects that really are a part of our everyday lives is so rewarding.

I want my artistic message although silent, to still be a powerful conversation between my audience and me. My subject matter thus becomes an important choice, picked to convey the message I wish to express. In my paintings of children, I want to convey the innocence, purity and beauty children possess as well as how normal activities such as those contained in many family albums can be like magnets to my audience.

 As an artist I strive to give eternal life to the fleeting moments I choose to portray in my work. I wish to help my audience find the true meaning of life in the small, simple everyday things we all experience. Positivity in general is such a strong, moving attitude that we can all benefit from as we pass through the days of our lives. Kindness, understanding and sometimes just simple fun provided by way of brush are my way of uplifting someone’s day.

What is your medium and why did you choose it?

Water based medium is my calling card! Acrylics provide me with that shiny finish so desirable when painting reflections, water, metal and glass as well as an ability of application, thick and textured on canvas, rock or board, or thin in layers on my favourite choice 300LB Hot Press a surface that boasts capacity for the finest details. Acrylic I find is great for building skin tones and if I add a touch of watercolour with its beautiful transparency, I can reach my desired effect. Gouache being so opaque and creamy provides a matte finish when one is desired. Thus, I quite often mix the three mediums when working on a particular piece that calls for several different effects, but my main go to is acrylic.

What was the inspiration behind this work?

I studied ballet as a child. With many fond memories of this part of my childhood, I wanted to share the memory by way of brush and immortalize it with my audience. From the little tights in their pale colours, to the beautiful little tutu’s in soft pink…I find it mesmerizing. An art in itself, ballet provides a gateway to self-discipline, confidence and friendships! The friendship between these future ballerinas is so evident in their close proximity to each other, as well as their undivided attention to the class of older dancers unfolding before them capturing their full attention as they converse together. Memories flooded back when I pictured this image in my mind. I knew immediately that it was to be my next painting. While ballet tells a story using mime and music I was able to tell a story by brush with lines, swirls and colour … my creative self fulfilled.

Who is your favourite artist? Why?

Tough question as I have so many artists that I admire…..That said I would have to say Michalangelo. His paintings in the Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace took my breath away….beyond divine. He represents to me, a true artist. Excelling as a sculptor, painter, architect and poet he was truly one of the art worlds most influential and creative artists ever. His sculptures were beyond words, simply they were perfection. His anatomical accuracy blended with aesthetic harmony is not comparable to any other…He was a genius without a doubt.