About the Artist
Artist Statement
“Painting is a spiritual, meditative act for me, as is the case when I experience nature itself. Therefore, I have found the joining of the two to be a very natural process. Painting mainly from photographs, my work can be described as representational with some abstractions and variations occurring as the piece progresses. My paintings are also influenced by the fact that I am a constant observer of color, shadow and light present in the natural environment, instances recorded in my subconscious and not necessarily photographed as I hike along a trail or even drive down the highway.
Much like the Impressionists, my paintings are an attempt to capture a specific movement, an experience. An attempt to convey the excitement I experience from the view at the top of a hill or around the next curve in the road.”Cherie Courter was born in north central Iowa and spent much of her childhood on her grandparents’ farm involved in such traditional tasks as walking beans, bailing hay, feeding livestock, etc. Consequently, her paintings demonstrate a fascination with the Midwestern landscape, incorporating winding gravel roads, tall grasses, seemingly endless fields of crops, big sky and clouds, and bodies of water into bright, colorful, energetic oil paintings.A graduate of Buena Vista University for both undergraduate (BA) and graduate degrees (MS), Ms. Courter was an art educator in the Iowa public school system for thirty years and was also an adjunct professor of art at Buena Vista University and Iowa Central Community College. A working artist and art educator during her teaching career, retirement has allowed Cherie to focus entirely on the further development of her paintings depicting subtleties of color, texture, light, and pattern as well as the many differing landforms present within the Midwest.Ms. Courter’s past works have won numerous honors and awards, including Judge’s Choice Award at the Wanda J. Skogerboe Juried Exhibition, Pearson Lakes Arts Center, and the featured painting on the exhibition banner for the Artisan Road Trip Exhibition at the Pearson Lakes Art Center. Her paintings have been shown throughout the Midwest and many of Ms. Courter’s works are included in public and private collections in Iowa and neighboring states.