Cheryl Warrick, the Boston-based abstract artist, believes that art has the power to transform, change, and heal. This is probably why besides the numerous museums and corporations where her art is on exhibit, you will also find her work in places such as the Dana Farber Cancer Institute or the Yale New Haven Hospital. Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising as Warrick, whose artwork is currently on exhibit at the Academy Art Museum (AAM), is also a practicing nurse.
Born in St. Albans, New York, Warrick first got her nursing degree, and while practicing her profession in 12-hour weekend shifts, she began attending Massachusetts College of Art during the week. It was an appealing combination. “When I was driving away on Monday morning after working in an intense atmosphere of life and death, I was grateful to be able to live my truth and passion and express my creativity in art. It fueled both worlds. The fact that I was joyful at the end of the week also allowed me to go back to nursing with a kind of empathy and compassion.”
This type of philosophical approach to living can also be found in Warrick’s artwork, which she prefers to describe as ‘archetypal imagery.’ Using oil, acrylic, watercolors, and pencil, she finds inspiration in words and sounds and how people gather wisdom throughout life. “My art,” she says, is a metaphor, in a way, for those lived experiences.” Her images have been described as ‘quilt-like’ and infused ‘with expertly crafted patterns and textures.’ Look closely into those patterns, and you might find a word, a letter, a number, or something that evokes emotion. You’ll also find layers, a process she compares to ‘scraping away grandma’s old wallpaper.’ Underneath it all, a rich history needs to be brought up and made part of the story she’s trying to create.
For Warrick, it all starts simply by making a mark on the paper. “And then the dialogue happens between myself and the material. It’s really intuitive. I’ll use different things like ink and paint, watercolors, crayons, and oil. It’s this alchemy of things.” But that doesn’t mean she’ll create what she originally intended. “I think it was Paul Gaugin who said ‘a painting is never finished. It simply stops in interesting places.’ And that thought is my permission to change it. To turn it upside down and start painting again. You know, just break the rules. Because that’s how you can break through and find new ground.”
When asked if any particular piece stands out as meaningful for her, Warrick quickly points out that it’s not the artwork but the encounters she’s had with people observing the work that resonates with her. She recounts the story of a meeting over a painting titled ‘Untitled.’ 
“A man rushed up to me,” she said, telling me that the painting should be renamed ‘After the War’ because it reminded him of when he came home from overseas, and he then told me his story. That resonated with me. And that’s why art is so important. Right? It gives us the tools to talk to each other, to share our stories, if we allow it to—if we let ourselves learn how to look and listen.”
Like all two-way conversations, connecting with her audience is also essential to her as an artist. “Because what artists do is in isolation, until it’s out in the world, out of the context of your studio, and other people are talking about it, you don’t know the impact your work has had on others.”
Warrick considers her passion for art part of a journey that she’s had to expand in scope to continue to do what she loves. She’s still a practicing nurse. She’s also gone on to receive a Masters in Education. “Some years, she said, “you could make a living being an artist, but I’m also sending my daughter through college, so I’m doing other things, like surface pattern design work, painting flowers for people’s graphics and things like that. It’s the equivalent if I was an opera singer and couldn’t get into the opera and sing the songs I wanted to sing. Well, this guy wants you to do jingles. So I’ll do the jingles. Sometimes artists have to do different things.”
So how will this expansion evolve in the future? “As I look back over the years, things have changed, and I can’t predict how they will change going forward. But I think I’m trying to show up with a kind of honesty, knowing that my heart will lead my hand. And I think if I can trust in that capacity to create from that place, then it will evolve; it always does. Along with the willingness to trust that it will take me to where I need to go.”
Warrick looks forward to her appearance at AAM, where she will discuss her work and explore the intricacies of appreciating art. “It would be exciting to create dialogue around helping people learn to see with empathy and curiosity. Those are the things I think are important when visiting any piece of art.”
To register for Cheryl Warrick’s discussion on her current exhibition, Abstract Surge, at AAM on Saturday, February 18,5:30 p.m. please go here.
Val Cavalheri is a writer and photographer. She has written for various publications, including The Washington Post. Previously she served as the editor of several magazines, including Bliss and Virginia Woman. Although her camera is never far from her reach, Val retired her photography studio when she moved from Northern Virginia to the Eastern Shore a few years ago.. She and her husband, Wayne Gaiteri, have two children and one grandchild.
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