Cheryl Prevost
Artist Statement
I spent my career as a Visual Arts teacher in a Connecticut public school district. I recently retired and spent two years prior preparing a retirement plan focusing on photography.
My traditional visual arts training took place at the University of Hartford Art School, a private University in the greater Hartford area, Central Connecticut State University where I explored ceramics as an art form, and the Marlboro Graduate Center in Brattleboro Vermont where I prepared for my technology focus in the classroom.
As I developed a style and body of work during my training in art school, I came to consider myself a landscape painter and this focus ultimately evolved into abstract landscape painting. I also came to prefer painting to most other medium, and oils to water based paints.
I grew up in Vermont and always felt a strong connection to the various land formations and amazing mountains in not only Vermont, but also all of northern New England. My fascination with, and appreciation of the natural shapes, forms, colors and textures that exist in nature and how these elements interact and complement one another to create amazing compositions has led me from painting to photography as a creative medium.
At the mid point in my teaching career, I became interested in technology, which prepared me to combine my love of art with photography.
I shoot year round and love the challenges manifested in each season through changing light and color qualities. Presently I am focusing on New England coastal areas, specifically the coast of Connecticut, the Cape, and Maine.
I constantly reflect upon the process of how I create images as I consider how others will appreciate those images. As a rule, I prefer solitary representations and rarely include people.
While there is a long list of artists I am inspired by, the simplicity of shape and color use by Ellsworth Kelly and the inquisitive expression of David Hockney continue to inspire me in my work now. I love the fact that they are contemporary artists still involved in the production of art.
The ongoing discovery of new and varied shooting sites and the seasonal changes of my favorite sites along with the challenges of capturing the perfect picture keeps me motivated and inspired to continue shooting through out each season.
