Sheryl Knight: The Artist

Sheryl was born and raised in Northern California, but has live all of her adult life in Santa Barbara County. She has loved nature and art since early childhood, and began painting as a teenager in oils and acrylics. Later she studied in watercolor and painted with this medium for many years. Several years ago she went back to painting with oils and has added plein air painting to her "favorites". She now paints regularly on location as well as in her studio. Sheryl is represented by three galleries in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties and her work has been very well received.

Sheryl loves portraying the seasons and capturing the color, the light, and the mood of the scene. She loves being able to not just paint what she sees, but sometimes to paint it the way she would like it to be, moving things around or combining several scenes into one to make the best composition possible. She describes why she loves painting nature so much in these words: "I have always been intrigued with the beauty of the world around me and of the seasons with their continual changes and colors. There is order and design everywhere I look, you cannot help but be awed by the creator. Being outdoors and attempting to paint a two-dimensional replication of a piece of nature is an incredible privilege, but difficult as you see how intricate all creation is.

“Though I strive for excellence in all my work, I think I enjoy the process as much as the finished product. I love to experiment and try new ways of conveying what I see. I am constantly working to improve my art. My goal is to be able to say exactly what I want on the first attempt, and to make my paintings sparkle with light and life.”

“For my audience, my goal is to get their attention and to hold it for as long as possible. I want them to like what they see and be drawn into the painting. I would hope they find themselves transported to another place where they can get excited about what they see like I was when I painted it! I feel very blessed to be able to be able to paint, and feel it makes life exciting!”