Cheryl McClure

Another Hot Day, Contemporary abstract painting, Texas artist

2016

“Art gives me a personal sense of who I am. Most of the rest of my life has been as a wife and mother. My paintings are for me,” states local artist, Cheryl McClure. I have personally experienced McClure’s work at different art exhibitions, and I am drawn to their energy and life. Like many abstract works so much of the non-representational elements connect on a visceral response to what it is to be human. It is hard to explain but when you experience it you know it, standing in front of a large abstract piece composed of lines, shapes, and colors and then thinking ‘yeah, I’ve felt like that.’ McClure explains, “I hate being pinned down about style. It is always slowly changing. However, abstraction has always been it for me. I seek to compose my work so it will stand out and speak to me first and viewers second. Gesture and mark making are important components in my paintings. Surface quality is also important to me. Although I have never sought to paint landscapes, that is what people sometimes see when they look at my work. I can understand why since I have always lived in small towns and now, I live on a small ranch outside New London, TX. Our home and my studio are perched on a hill in the middle of a lot of pastureland. As far as what I want people to experience, each painting will be different. Hopefully, they suggest something from the viewers’ personal experiences I never intended. Since I am not an angsty person, I do not seek to do work that has some message of dread or political point of view.” McClure has no formal art education through a university or art school. Rather, she planned her own path of seeking out great instructors whose work she liked. She spends her time with books about art, artists’ lives, technique, and color. She describes, “One thing I regret is not knowing, at a young age, I would want the college experience, both for the advantages of an art education and for the other edification and experiences. I spent a lot of time volunteering at a local art museum and spent five years as the adult education coordinator, bringing in artists to teach workshops. Spending so much time in a museum is an education. I highly recommend it.