Cheryl H. Kinderknecht, Mixed-Media Artist, Tells Her Story

Born into a large creative family, artistic expression of one kind or another has always played a central and defining role in my life’s journey. Over the years my art has served as the screen upon which I’ve projected my unfolding life stages, experiences and emotions. Dreams, metaphors, ancestral ties and sound shadows are conjured up from my inner landscape, while the shapes, textures and colors of nature and industry further support and inform my work.

Floating 1

My current projects primarily consist of mixed-media paintings, collages and assemblages. Many of these works incorporate pieces of metal, the inclusion of words or numbers, and the use of thematic or repetitive shapes to create a sense of psychological, as well as physical, form and space. 

She Had Everything

Although my formal training includes an undergraduate degree in art, I am most at home when I work from an intuitive perspective, letting the subconscious serve as the voice of my work.

Over the past 10 years my work has also been markedly influenced by the presence of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative visual condition that interferes with light perception and significantly constricts visual fields. From a practical standpoint, this anomaly means that my view has been reduced to looking at life through a straw. With central vision only, I can see a small portion of whatever I’m working on at a time. My brain has had to gradually learn how to put together disparate pieces as I scan to create a new whole image in my mind’s eye.

 

Floating 2

From an artistic standpoint, this skewed ability to see (or not see) provides my work with a novel perspective and is another reason why it’s more comfortable for me to work on a smaller scale. The work shown here today is from my 2015 Box Series.

My work has been shown in galleries in Sarasota and Anna Maria Island and I am currently represented by Baobab Art Gallery in Bradenton, Florida's Village of the Arts. You can reach me at chkinderknecht@verizon.net.

 

Unbalanced

Pictured below is Cheryl with her current guide dog, Kennesaw, from Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, Florida. After ten years of working as Cheryl’s first guide dog, Carrie, now 12 years old, enjoys hanging out with Cheryl in her art studio. Kennesaw and Carrie have become great buddies and enjoy long beach walks together.

 

Cheryl with Kennesaw

This is Week 7 of 52 Artists in 52 Weeks. Thank you for reading and sharing Cheryl’s post today.