Cheryl Komis

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I grew up in the rolling farmlands of rural Wisconsin.  The scenes of patchwork fields, abundant flowers, quaint towns and the remembered joys of home and family remain in my thoughts and inspire my art.  Weaving the shades and textures of nature with nostalgic scenes of Americana, my paintings portray sentimental themes and show life as it once was and often still is today.  Inspired by Charles Wysocki and Grandma Moses' folk art, my technique reflects both primitive country painting and realism, the styles merging and blending into the subject matter I'm painting. 

After my first large mural in elementary school, I fell in love with painting "'big".  I often use trompe l'oeil or "trick the eye" technique to project realistic 3-D scenes such as a mural I painted of an1800's railroad station and general store. The nostalgia theme carries through in my barrel design which pays homage to the Pepper Distillery of 1200 Manchester Street, one of the original bourbon producers in Lexington.  Looking into the window, the old merges with the new as contemporary bourbon bottles are displayed with old Pepper bourbon barrels in a planned eatery which will be housed in the original brick distillery building and surrounded by flowered walkways and greenspace along Town Branch.