About

Cheryl Kampe

My Background and Experience

I started painting full time after retiring from my career. In my early experience with watercolors, I fell in love with the qualities of this medium – the vivid colors and the expression of fine detail. I enjoy interpreting what I see thru color and imagination. Many of the paintings in the Trees gallery come from this period.

I’ve also enjoyed painting series of special interest subjects such as classic cars from Car Week in Road Trip and Motorcycles from our local museum And of course, sea life such as jellies, octopuses, and the ever-favorite sea otters.

In the galleries you will see works in watercolors, acrylics, pastels, and oils. I have found the challenge of learning the special attributes of each of these media keeps my outlook fresh. Each brings a distinctive character to a subject.

The series of Urban Landscapes emerged from my early work with acrylics. These paintings combine familiar landmarks with a quasi-abstract representation as I let myself go where the paint takes me.

Pastels yield a softer and warmer result to fit the magic and mood of many coastal scenes.

I added oils to the media list for landscapes and portraits, especially for larger paintings. My latest evolution is mixing oil and cold wax. The combination gives greater texture for abstracts and allows for layering of color and pattern. Recent works include a Tapestry series. It links to my personal ancestry, which includes weavers of New Mexico.

I’ve worked to develop a full range of skills and techniques for each of the media I use. I have enjoyed the benefit of learning in workshops by several accomplished artists and teachers, including Mark Farina, Warren Chang, and Randy Sexton.

Today, I paint at my studio in Pacific Grove and with my very talented friends. I am now painting local subjects on the Monterey Peninsula and enjoying the support of the many creative artists in this community.

I continue showing my paintings and becoming involved in the art community of the Monterey Peninsula. I hope you enjoy the works presented in the Galleries of this website. See the Contact page to connect to me on Facebook.

Cheryl Kampe