Interview
Cher Pruys
Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years, she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, 4 dogs and 2 cats. By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal and ink over the years, until, she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, water color and gouache. Although self taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 320 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non juried shows.
She has won 388 awards for her work in the International Juried Exhibits. She was the first recipient of a major Canadian National Award and the Mary Pratt Crystal Award of Excellence at the 2014 SCA Open Juried Exhibition. She was the winner of the Biafarin/SCA Award of Excellence at the 2022 Elected Members Show. In October of 2021, she was the winner of the Exclusive Harmony of The Arts Contest by The Blue Blood Gallery in Prague. She was the gold medal recipient for Figurative Painting in The Mondial Art Academia’s International 2018 Competition. She was awarded the silver medal for Portrait Painting in the 2020 International Art Professional World Art Acadamia Competition. In 2020 and 2021, she was awarded with the most wins in The American Art International Awards. She was the grand prize winner in The AWA (American Women Artists) 2022 Spring Online Show with a perfect score for “In Retrospect”. She got second place in the AAPL elected Members online show 2022, and a third place in the NOAPS Spring Online Artist Members Show. She has had 15 solo exhibits. Cher is also an avid fused glass artist, and a certified teacher of piano and guitar. Her painting "The Bubble" had the honour of being part of the Masterworks from The International Guild of Realism Tour. Her work has graced the covers of 3 books, 32 magazines, including The Best Of Acrylic Fall 2021 and has been featured in over 215 international publications. Cher's works have found a permanent home in private and public collections worldwide.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am a self taught artist. When I was 4, I spent hours with a pencil and sketch pad, sketching anything in my world that caught my eye. Even at that young age I was fascinated with producing with the pencil, exactly what my eye was seeing. Through the years, I progressed through photo realism into the world of hyperrealism, where I have found my true artistic passion. That said, I believe that if you can draw and paint well, then you should be able to paint anything you choose to paint with good results. I am also a musician, playing both the piano and guitar, and have been teaching for 35 years. With music, one can evoke emotion in their audience by way of sound, so translating that to painting seemed like a logical step allowing me to evoke emotion in my viewers, by sight, with a line, a swirl and a colour.”
What inspires you?
“I find great satisfaction manipulating reality by creating illusionistic depth, filled with visual, spiritual and cultural flavours as I see fit, all on a flattened surface with a three dimensional look! As an artist I find myself excited with the new pieces I am working on, but I do have a connection to a number of prior paintings, for various reasons. “Catching Snowflakes” is a piece that rekindles memories of winter days as a child, tongue out, waiting for the feel of the cold snowflake melting as it lands! “Entranced” was a piece that brought me back to ballet days, with dreams of being center stage as a ballerina. “Innocence” spoke to me of the pure, clean, unbiased outlook of childhood, before the journey through life puts its hooks in and takes the magic away, painting makes it possible for me to recapture the magic, and to express my innermost feelings in a nonverbal way.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Unlike many contemporary artists who choose to repeat themselves in subject matter, I find a strong desire to continuously change my subjects. I try to find excitement, beauty and interest in the everyday things in life, like crushed cans with their amazing shine and reflective surface, to a bag of apples, ripe for tasting, and glistening behind the plastic bag they are encased in. To find beauty in the seemingly trivial objects that really are a part of our everyday lives is so rewarding. I love to make emotions a theme, the eyes, the corners of the mouth, simple hand gestures, the overall feeling that is on display on the faces around us if one just takes the time to really see. My message is one of positivity, acceptance, celebration of differences and that common thread that connects us all.”
“My message is one of positivity, acceptance, celebration of differences and that common thread that connects us all.”
How would you describe your work?
“My artwork is an intimate relationship. It is a way for me to communicate with those around me who perhaps speak a different language but who understand the universal language of creative pieces. Art also gives me a way of living and functioning with chronic pain due to rheumatoid arthritis, since I can’t think my way out of it, I can behave my way out of it, with hard work, tolerance and routine. It is a real blessing to be able to experience art in many forms, as a painter, glass fuser, photographer and musician. My daily artistic work is inspired by many of the trials and tribulations life has presented me with. The unrest and uncertainty that is a hallmark of our present time, has given me an extra dose of determination to produce works that portray a sense of calm, happiness, beauty, innocence, and a reason to greet the day with a smile. How one functions in the present is I feel a prediction of what degree of sunshine will light the way for one to emerge better once this storm has passed. Art helps me manage my fears, desires and hopes. I love hyperrealism! That is where my work has taken me.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Michelangelo has been my greatest influence, with his insight, intensity and overall drive which saw him become accomplished in numerous art forms, sculpture, painting, architecture, poetry to name a few, he was undeniably a super talent. I also find I am influenced by a number of todays hyperrealism artists.”
What is your creative process like?
“I mull an idea over for a number of days and nights. Then, I pick my subject and proceed to go an take numerous photos of said subject to get to know it inside and out. I will then put the images on the computer, combining numerous ones until I come up with a composition that I am comfortable with. Then, I start my detailed sketch of the composition with the exception of landscape which I do with no prior sketch. I will then do an underpainting in a light wash colour pertinent to the actual desired shade and then lay in the lights and darks. Then, I will start layering on the paint and layering to build up to a 3 D look. I then take photos along the way and view them on my computer screen where I can rotate the image and find any areas that I can't see while viewing the painting on my easel, this step really helps find problems in the composition.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artists role has so many uniforms; historian, teacher, examiner of human rights, preserver of memories, story teller, a provider of hope, love, warmth, positivity or a provider of a realistic look at what haunts our society today. An artist is a vessel for change climate action wise, with human rights etc.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have been in too many International Exhibitions to mention, but a few of the most memorable besides my solo shows have been with the following groups, NOAPS, IGOR, AWA, AAPL, SCA, Allied Artists of America and Mondial Art Academia.”
