Art Therapy: How It All Started

 

In 2009 tragedy struck. I fell down a flight of stairs after suffering a grand mal seizure.  I hit my head and at age 37, I lost my memory.  At that time, it was difficult to figure out “what was what” and “who was who” and things didn’t make sense to me – I was going to have to learn about myself and about the life that I once lived.

My name is Cheri.  I was born in 1971 in Yosemite National Park.  My parents were still together when I was born.  They had already brought my sister, Brandy, into the world a year earlier.  My father wanted to name me “Sherry” so his daughters would be “Brandy” & “Sherry”.  (Later, he wanted to name my twin brothers, “Jack” & “Daniel”). My mom wasn’t having any of it.  She made sure that I was “Cheri” spelled “C-h-e-r-i” - my unique spelling different from the wine.  Now, my invention, the mysterious magic that is CherUrLight, is the compilation of my name, Cheri, along with “Your” and “Light” - light reflecting both the brilliance and lite weight of my jewelry - wearing it, an effortless comfort.

So what did I find out about myself after losing my memory? I learned that I used to be an addiction counselor.  I learned that my son is bipolar.  I learn that I used to be 300 lbs.!  I found a picture that my ex had sent me where I was around 240 lbs.  In that picture, I was sitting in my living room, playing with my son; I looked happy, having fun, but it struck me, as I looked at it, that I was definitely very over weight. I also learned that, before I lost my memory, I was getting into learning about art and artistic expression.  

Oil Painting: BrightNowArt.com

Before I lost my memory, I was beginning to be recognized for my oil paintings.  This is where I had started and this is where I had honed my artistic skills. I learned what to mix.  I learned how long it would take for an oil painting to dry.  I learned about different chemicals that create different effects when added to oils; there were so many! I took some of my first paintings to a furniture store that had paintings that were similar to mine. When I showed the owner, he bought one on the spot and took five others for consignment.  He said, “Bring whatever you got”.  That fed my spirit and gave me confidence.  Because this had happened before my memory loss, I didn’t remember painting those paintings but I had this picture in my mind - like a snap shot - of that storeowner.  

Another lost memory was that I had made a picture for my friend, and she loved it!  Later, on Facebook I asked my friends, “If anyone has any art that I’ve done in the past, please send me a picture”.  This friend sent me that picture! She said, “Cheri, you’re good – you’ve always been good at art, keep doing it”. 

Part of my artistic curiosity was always thinking “what if”.  I wondered, “If I did this what would that look like?” When I was a young girl, I once said to myself, “What if I stuck my finger in the middle of this pumpkin pie with its perfect, thin sheen?” Fast forward to me, as an adult, experimenting and thinking, “What would happen if I mixed this chemical with that?”  Even now, as I look around my world I think, “What am I really looking at?” How would I recreate it, artistically (the trees, mountains, birds)? My artistic expression had always materialized in my life in one form or another.  Once, later in life when I was going through school papers, I realized that this talent had always been there. My homework had all kind of doodles: doodles of cats, doodles of boats, of rainbows, of clouds, of tress, of tree without leaves . . . of everything!  It made me realize that this gift of mine was always in me.  

The Pandemic: How I learned Acrylic Pore Painting & Created CherUrLightTM  Paintings & Stones

We all have a “Pre-Pandemic”, “Pandemic” and “Post Pandemic” life! Pre-Pandemic, I was successfully producing oil paintings. Now, during the coronavirus lock-down, I decided to take-up acrylic pore painting, which I had previously abhorred and avoided.  What changed my mind was a video that I saw that demonstrated the technique; it showed the bubbles forming, the lacing and the beautiful effects that resulted.  I became curious.  I couldn’t wait to start with the fun. And start I did and, after I had mastered the acrylic pore painting process, someone said, “You should start coating your pore painting with art epoxy; it will make it shiny, and bright and beautiful”.  So I went crazy, experimenting with these crazy chemicals.  

After the pandemic, I moved out into the woods, into a tiny home.  I bought a small trailer and turned it into an art studio.  It was going to be a studio on wheels – it could take me anywhere.  It was in this little trailer studio of mine that I was experimenting and mixing up a batch when I lost control of the epoxy.  It had started to smoke after I put something in it that I wasn’t really sure about – but had to try anyway.  When it began to smoke, I thought it might catch on fire so I immediately dumped what I had into the sink; I didn’t want my little studio to go up in flames. (It was my new found paradise after all).  Once the smoke cleared, and once my heart stopped pounding, I went back in and the most beautiful, amazing sparkly something was at the bottom of my sink.  That was the day CherUrLight was born. 

It was at this point that I started experimenting to recreate what I had done. Because I wasn’t sure what it was that I had actually done!  I soon came to realize that I could produce a solid piece – like a piece of jewelry, which is what it made me think of.  And it was beautiful! My creations changed color; you could see through them; they glowed; they sparkled; they were and truly are a one-of-a-kind magic. And I loved these pieces that I had created.  I learned how to get the results that I wanted through this process of experimenting over and over - with heat, with chemicals and with color movement.  All in creating the appearance of a faceted jewel.  In fascination, people began asking me how I had created my “stones”. I had decided that I was onto something and that I was not going to reveal my secret; my mouth was clamped shut.  "It is magic," I would tell people, "mysterious magic".  I decided to name my invention CherUrLight.  When I put CherUrLight on canvas, that is a CherUrLight painting; when I hone CherUrLight into a stone, it is what I call a mystery stone.  I am currently creating collectible jewelry lines, each with it’s own name and with a limited number produced for the MistoryJewel.club. Now I welcome you to experience my mystery stones and paintings for yourself.  Enjoy truly, one-of-a kind pieces, whether it be CherUrLight Mystery Stone Jewelry or a CherUrLight Painting – it will be uniquely yours.  Have fun creating you own, unique style!