Cheryl B Hutchinson creates her joyful, colorful ceramic sculptures from her light-filled lake cottage near Syracuse, New York. Her animals or "bright beacons of happiness" uplift us andshine a light on our common emotions and shared experiences.
Cheryl began exploring ceramics in January 2017 as a way to continue her art career after the disappointment of being forced to stop creating one-of-a-kind artist teddy bears due to the severe hand pain it caused. Formerly an internationally-known, award-winning teddy bear artist, Cheryl was featured in multiple full-length magazine articles and even graced the cover. Thankfully, the soft, responsive nature of ceramic clay proved perfect and now holds seemingly unlimited possibilities in her hands.
Ceramics allow Cheryl to look at our inner and outer lives in new ways. Years of illness taught Cheryl that happiness in life is all about one's perspective which is why the emotions we feel and the attitudes we choose form the backbone of her artwork. Although adept at realistic figurative portraits and sculptures, Cheryl's current body of work steers clear of realism in order to avoid creating a false sense of separateness or "otherness" between the artwork and the viewer. Instead she opts for colorful quirky characters that lift us up and help us see ourselves and others with more compassion. With her work, Cheryl shows us our commonalities, connectedness, and "sameness."
Simply put, Cheryl makes things that delight her -- stuff that makes her happy. And ultimately she hopes her critters make you smile too!