Held in the Light

This painting explores light not as a dramatic force, but as something gentle and sustaining — the kind of light that gathers quietly around living things. Soft wildflowers rise through a field of colour and atmosphere, surrounded by a glow that feels both natural and contemplative.

Influenced by early morning walks and moments of stillness in nature, the work reflects an interest in how beauty often appears without announcement. The blurred, luminous background suggests memory, presence, and the way light can soften edges — both in landscapes and in inner experience.

Rather than depicting a specific place, the painting invites the viewer into a state of noticing: a pause where colour, light, and form coexist without urgency. It is a meditation on gentleness, resilience, and the quiet abundance found when we slow down enough to see.

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“A Lifetime of Creativity Returning Home”

Some artists follow a straight line. Mine has been a long, beautiful arc — and every step of it has brought me back to the canvas.

My creative life began in 1972 at East Sydney Technical College (now the National Art School), where I first learned to see the world through colour, form and expressive movement. Those early foundations shaped everything that came after.

In the years that followed, my design path unfolded in many directions —
fashion, furniture design, interior design.
In 1977, I was honoured with an Australian Design Award from the Industrial Design Council of Australia, recognising my commitment to craftsmanship and thoughtful design.

But my journey didn’t stop there.

I felt called into a different dimension of artistry:
the shaping of lives, stories and spirits.
For decades, I served as an ordained minister in the Uniting Church in Australia, walking with people through their joys, sorrows, transformations and sacred questions.

That chapter changed me.
It deepened my sensitivity, broadened my emotional palette, and grounded me in the quiet places of the human spirit. It taught me how to listen — deeply — and how to honour what is fragile and beautiful in each person’s journey.

Now, in this season of life, I have returned to painting with a full heart and a lifetime of insight. I am an emerging artist, not because my artistic roots are new, but because this is a new beginning — a fresh unveiling of the creative voice that has been growing in me for decades.

My work is shaped by everything I have lived:
the discipline of design, the tenderness of ministry, the spiritual depth of years spent in reflection and service.
Each painting is a quiet space where colour becomes calm, light becomes meaning, and art becomes a moment of stillness in a busy world.

This is Art by Cherie —
a return, a renewal, and a celebration of a life-long creative calling finally coming home.