Sheryl Ann Noday

I am a magical realism painter with a focus on figures, hybrids, whimsical, and the metaphysical. Life as it is and life as imagined. I explore dreams, meditations, and the cosmos. My studio, I have come to understand, is a work in progress. Sort of like a provocative daydream. I seek to discover the soul and spirit of what I am engaged with, making visual narratives about life in the now moment. In my work as a channel/healer, I often experience people in the most intense times of their lives, both in pain and joy. I have learned to draw upon this, creating narratives reflecting personal growth in my paintings. I am interested in the complexity of mysticism, spirituality, healing, and otherworldly explorations. I share stories about my personal life experiences, which can remind me that my work is a visual diary. I am inspired by Guillermo Lorca, Odd Nerdrum, and John William Waterhouse, who seek to tell stories within their art. And finally, I am forever inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Berthe Morisot.

Rather than subscribe to a particular icon, subject, ideology, or style, I prefer not to be limited. I start with large brushes, allowing for a free form “gliding” over the canvas. In that way, it’s easy to feel that my process is like an open-eye meditation. I point my brush in the direction to capture the essence, the soul of my subjects. Perhaps to give the viewer a sense of connection, a sense of timelessness, to enter the art and be part of it. I like to think of what I do as outrageous, spontaneous play with the Unseen, to make Seen. I am in constant dialogue with the muse to discover what’s next, to listen. In that way, my work feels less controlled.