We are delighted to announce our exhibition “Something New” currently on display featuring the work of local artist Cheryl Nelson, YUPO Watercolor Abstracts. For Cheryl Nelson, Las Cruces appeared particularly suited for the next phase of her life. Therefore, when she retired in 2006 from the National Cancer Institute, NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, she packed up everything and headed out with her Basset Hound to “stunning SW New Mexico - the Land of Enchantment.”
Art has always been a large part of Cheryl’s life. Starting as a child with drawing, following up on it by working for school newspapers, yearbooks, two Junior Highs, two High Schools, and three colleges. She developed skills in line drawings, political cartooning, watercolors, pastels, oil and acrylics, and is grateful for the excellent instruction and mentoring she has received throughout her life.
This exhibition is a kaleidoscope of colorful watercolor paintings that are “alternative in the use of traditional art papers.” Nelson’s unique water color process stems from her use of biodegradable waterproof synthetic paper which is machine made of 100% polypropylene. She washes water over the paper, creating a pool in which the watercolors can dance and swirl in a random fashion creating wondrous abstract masterpieces.
Nelson shares that her opposition “of rules and traditional structure in the development of the design is extraordinarily freeing. If you don’t like the results, the paper can be washed off with a hose, and begun again.”
The brightness and depth of the layered watercolors creates a harmonious symphony that sparks imagination and various interpretations. A selection of pieces feature soft peach hues that whisper warm and serenity, vibrant turquoise that pops energy, sunshine yellows that radiate optimism, and indigo values that echo mystery and depth. Organic shapes and fluid lines blend and merge, creating a sense of movement and fluidity.
Transparent washes allow the layered colors to vaguely shine through, giving each piece an ethereal or sometimes ominous visual narrative. Bold brushstrokes can be found as well as delicate details, giving the colors autonomy to rush across the plastic, and invite the viewer to identify the oddly familiar shapes and explore the depths of their own imagination.
Once Nelson feels visual satiated by the self creating masterpiece’s, in avant-guard fashion, she frames and mattes her art according to each pieces palate and style. Making each work a single copy with customized embellishments. Cheryl Nelson invites viewers to hang her art upside down or sideways, allowing for curatorial freedom for viewers according to their perspectives.
CURATED by Natalia Martinez, DAAC