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CHERYL HUDSON has followed her dreams to the
northwestern
Oregon
countryside with her husband George, where they live on a little ranch in a valley
at the foot of the coastal mountains.
They share their ranch with their horses, dogs, cats, chickens and cattle, while
Cheryl pursues her two loves, art and horseback riding in the backcountry.
She grew up in the rolling hill country of southern
California
, surrounded by ranches, hills filled with wildlife, and the looming
San Bernardino mountains
towering over the land.
Immerged in
a world of horses, cowboys and the backcountry, the land she grew up in shaped her
loves and passions, and she developed a deep love for both horses and art at an
early age.
She began riding when she
was small, exercising other people’s horses, all the while dreaming of having one
of her own.
She made friends with
the local cowboys, who were her heroes, and sat for hours sketching them as they
trained young colts and worked cows.
Artists
abounded in her family, and her mother was her greatest source of inspiration, giving
her a set of brushes, oil paints and an easel when she was nine and telling her
to always follow her dreams.
She began
a lifetime of painting, interrupted by the joys of raising her children, being a
scout leader and several careers, including proposal writing for a community college
system.
Her love of horses and the backcountry has broadened the scope of her painting. When her children were teenagers, Cheryl’s
childhood dream came true and she bought her first horse, a Missouri Fox Trotter
who bucked people off and ran away.
She rescued him, brought him home and named him Rebel.
On one of their first rides, he bucked her off at a gallop, and then on the
next ride she had to ride him out until he stopped bucking.
In time he learned to trust her, and she was soon trading pencil sketches
for his training sessions with an old cowboy.
She and Rebel have
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became a close team, and have ridden rapids and high mountain trails, followed wild
horse herds across the desert, and helped blaze new horse trails so the next generation
can enjoy the wildness of the western country.
Painting a Poem: Inspiration for her
work comes from the beautiful country she hikes and rides and from the many horsemen,
horsewomen and cowboys she knows. Cheryl
finds great joy in getting to know the animals and people she paints and conveying
their own uniqueness, moods and feelings through her painterly use of color and
brushwork. She has formed lasting friendships
with her many clients, with whom she shares a love of animals and the western
way of life. Their enthusiasm for her artwork
inspires her, and these unique people have made a tremendous difference in her life,
western riders showing her new trails, showing her how to drive a stagecoach team,
teaching her how to (hopefully) understand mules, sharing with her around the campfire
a
treasure trove of old cowboy stories, songs and knowledge, almost forgotten, and
Friesian owners graciously
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introducing her to the magic of their horses.
She uses sketches and photography in her highly detailed, accurate work,
but most importantly, strives to convey the inner light and spirit of the animal
or person that goes beyond line and shape.
She believes that her artwork should be “painting a poem,” capturing a moment in
time, held, breathless, on canvas.
She has always “chased the light,” seeking that illusive glow and play of light
and shadow that touches the heart and brings a horse and landscape to life.
Loving
innovation and inspired by her clients’ love of historic artwork and scenery, Cheryl
has developed a technique that she calls a “Theme Portrait.” She feels that sometimes
it is fun to base portraits on our dreams of a life we wished we could have lived. The portrait of horse and rider, based
on from one to six photographs, is incorporated into a background, or theme, reflecting
the person’s interests, loves or dreams.
It can be the person riding in a cattle drive, exploring the wilderness or riding
into a western town. Other times she
combines six to ten photographs to create a portrait, using the best photographs
of the rider, their horse, and their favorite place to ride.
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Later in life she met another “seeker of light” and had the opportunity to study
under one of her favorite western and landscape artists and a good friend, the famous
Jack King. She has participated in
workshops by other well-known artists through her membership in the Redlands Art
Association. Galleries in
Palm Springs
and
Redlands, California
, have sold her artwork, and she has done many privately commissioned landscapes
and portraits of saddle and show horses and their owners.
She has been in numerous juried and non-juried art shows, including competition
in the Norco Western Art Show in
California
. Following their dream to move further
out into the country, in 2005 Cheryl and her husband bought a ranch in northwest
Oregon
. Here she is devoting more time to
her artwork and exploring new themes, while she rides new trails.
Currently, Cheryl’s paintings are in Soda Creek Gallery in Sisters,
Oregon
and The Hawk World Gallery in McMinnville.
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Although she has taken numerous art and painting classes through the years and has
trained under a number of different artists, Cheryl’s painting techniques are basically
self taught and have evolved into a unique blend of realism and impressionism, chasing
the light. Her first and main love
is oil painting, with explorations into watercolor, pencil and mixed media. Her expert use of light, color, detail
and knowledge of animals and landscape bring her canvases to life and reflect her
love of animals, the outdoors and the history of our Old West.
Her knowledge of horses and the hidden backcountry shine through
the canvas with the spirit and feeling of moments lived, loved and captured in art. |
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