As an artist, I work mostly in mixed media. I have a special interest in biology and how it relates to our emotional and sociological perceptions.
Within Ourselves Series
Within Ourselves Series examines the microcosm of our bodies. The familiar processes of our biology are obscured through the macro view of internal structures. With the use of wintergreen oil transfers and the expressive application of paint, these structures become unfamiliar and universal. One can see that our insides are both contained within the small space of our bodies yet are as expansive and grand as the cosmos.
Within Ourselves – Growth
36 in x 24in
Mix Media (Wintergreen oil transfers and gouache on clay board)
November 2007
© Copyright Cheryl Kalberer 2007
Sensual Patterns Series
Sensual Patterns Series examines sensuality and the unfamiliar through organic patterns created by parts or entire areas of the human form in abstracted graphic shapes. The images are mirrored or repeated to elicit disbelief and refer to cellular mitosis. The figures are twisted around one another – pulling apart, merging together or almost touching to create the tension and excitement of the act. The two figures in the pieces become part of each other, yet are still foreign.
The structure of the imagery is based on the process of cellular mitosis that occurs during sexual reproduction. Cellular mitosis takes place in the nucleus of a dividing cell and results in the formation of two new nuclei each having the same number of chromosomes as the parent nucleus. Mitosis is the method by which a single human zygote (fertilized egg cell) becomes a complex organism comprising in excess of 100 trillion cells. Mitosis continues during a person’s entire lifetime. Only in certain tissues, such as skin, does mitosis actively occur to replenish cells and mend damage. [1]
The resulting forms are simultaneously disconcerting and beautiful, and also meant to emulate the similar range of emotions sometimes felt during sexual intimacy – the raw, unbridled lust felt with a new partner versus the almost ritual-like “oneness” experienced with a long-time lover. These emotions are communicated through the variations in color palette and the distinct gestures in the imagery.
Sensual Patterns – Six
5 in x 7in
ColorAid®
June 2006
© Copyright Cheryl Kalberer 2006
[1] Mitosis, Healthline Site, http://www.healthline.com/, July 24, 2006.
