Featured Artist

Cheri Aldrich

Ceating has always been a large part of my life. My earliest creative memories are from kindergarten. I come from a family
of creative people who were always making or building things. I love exploring wide variety of art techniques.
I am a self taught, intuitive mixed media artist.

I have explored jewelry making, beading basketry, paper arts, clay work, weaving, macrame, felt making, wire work, glass fusing,
kelp, gourds, collage, and nature crafting. This varied background has led me to mixed media artwork.

Themes of nature and a love of rich textures are continuing threads in my art. I walk and collect in the woods and fields, the mountains
and streams, and along the beaches of my home in Newport, Oregon.

Bringing home an intriguing assortment of scavenged items, I then just jump in and start creating. It feels like the piece is telling me what to
do or what it wants, and I am just along for the ride! Having a wide range of interests and a whole storehouse of techniques available to call
on makes each piece unique.

Often challenges arise in incorporating two new mediums in a piece, and a new variation of technique presents itself as the mediums cross over.
What a rush when it happens!. I'm sure that is why I am so prolific, I'm hooked on creating.

My kelp art incorporates everything I collect on my beach walks form Newport to Yachats. The pouches, pod arrangements, jewelry, rattles,
baskets, roses, art dolls, and wall art pieces are created from Bull Kelp washed ashore. The pouches are sewn with rafia, and embellished with
seaweeds, shell, kelp beads, fibers, feathers and wire. Once dry, they will last forever in a dry space indoors..

Cheri Aldrich.
January, 2009.