Rapture Painting

Cheryl McCardle paints in an expressionistic abstract style using texture to enrich the surfaces of her work. She grew up in Maryland just outside of Washington D.C. As an adult, Cheryl lived in many parts of the country traveling with her husband while he was in the military. The artist was often inspired by the natural beauty of the scenery she witnessed in her travels, which influenced many of her early landscape paintings. The artist has been seriously painting and sculpting since 1990. She received a Bachelor of Arts from George Mason University in 1996. After studying art in college, Cheryl transitioned to a much more expressive and experimental style of painting. Her abstract paintings evolved into works that are textured and made up of many layers. She incorporates acrylic paint with cheesecloth, plaster, sand and other found objects to enrich her surfaces. Much of her work is intuitive and comes as much from emotion as her interpretation of imagery. The artist doesn’t like to feel limited in her creative explorations and is constantly seeking new forms of self-expression. Cheryl currently participates in local art events and shows throughout the Triangle area. She has worked with local arts organizations, and in 2008 was chosen by Congressman Bob Etheridge to paint a “Red, White and Blue” themed Christmas ornament for the state of North Carolina to be displayed on the White House Christmas tree. Her ornament illustrated the “Mountains to Sea Trail.” She received a United Arts Individual Artist Grant and the Outstanding Community Service in the Arts Award from Johnston County Arts Council. Cheryl has exhibited in Greensboro, Raleigh, Clayton, Wake Forest and throughout the Triangle area. The artist also enjoys teaching creativity and painting classes.