Cheri Reckers

Cheri Reckers graduated with honors from the Columbus College of Art & Design. Her award-winning paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums nationally and internationally as far away as Japan and New Zealand. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and is in public and private collections worldwide. Cheri’s most recent work focuses on her fascination with the seasonal rhythms and colorful textural patterns of the plants, animals, and wide luminescent skies of the Sonoran desert surrounding her home in the San Tan Mountains. “Nature provides me with endless inspiration for painting. Every morning when I walk through the desert (my morning meditation), I “see” a new painting. I’m always eager to get back to my studio, to interpret and share my experiences through my art.” Adding light to my silk paintings is something new. The vibrant colors on silk are intensified and glow like stained glass when illuminated. Current designs range from desert sunsets and cactus to abstract fun florals and geometrics. I like the useful versatility of working with silk. It’s very satisfying to create fine art wall pieces that connect with a collector who chooses it for their home. My art-to-wear garments become three-dimensional flowing kinetic art when worn and my hand painted silk lampshades create colorful ambience with functional art lighting. No matter what I’m creating with the silk, each type of art begins the same way—with white silk as my “blank canvas”. Transparent fiber-reactive dyes are brushed directly onto the silk and layered until I achieve the desired colors, image and design. Details are added using very fine brushes. Once the painting is complete, the silk is steamed for permanence. Finally, the fabric is washed and can be mounted and framed as a fine art piece, made into a lighted sculpture or sewn into an original garment design.