Cheryl Kampe Fine Art

Welcome

Recent Work

Pastels and Plein Air

Recently I have been concentrating on pastels and the wonderful expressions they can give to the tone and mood of a scene. A trip to Hawaii provided several opportunities to paint points of interest where the land and its palm trees meet the sea.

In our local area, I've explored a range of venues both from the simple joy of learning new places, and from the continuing opportunity to develop my range of technique.

The painting to the right comes from Carmel Beach, where these cypress trees and their shadows accent the dunes that slope to the shore.

Cypress on Carmel Beach

News

Cards and prints of some of my paintings have been selected for sale at the gift shop of the Monterey Bay Aquarium -- sea otters, jellies, and a leafy sea dragon.

Areas of Interest

The mood and character of the Central Coast environment provides a major inspiration for my work. An initial series of more realistic watercolors called "As I See It" led to a series of abstract paintings called "Elements of Nature". Though this form was new for me, these paintings are also inspired by the same aspects of the coast, especially the waves meeting the shore in an endless variety of patterns and moods. I am pleased to have received 1st place at the Los Gatos show for my painting titled "The Wave".

The series of paintings in the Urban Landscapes collection were inspired by the more modern feel of acrylics as opposed to watercolors. While watercolors fit the timeless nature of the coastal scenes, the acrylics called for newer subjects. This urban series still gives me the chance to look beyond the details of a studied scene, and instead capture the impression left by a quick glance.

In the past year, I have returned to an early love of pastel painting, and also have begun to paint in oils. Both of these media are well suited to plein air painting. Moving to plein air has caused me to explore our area more extensively, and learn to paint as the climate of the day demands.

Current and Coming Shows

The year 2011 proved to be a busy one. For 2012, I expect to enter several shows starting in the summer. A trip in May will take me on a group trip to Turkey. While there will be no time to paint, I plan to return with new scenes that will make a distinctive series with a new sense of place.