Menu
Featured Artist: Sheri Trepina.
“Exploring Botanicals in Collage”.
Statement:
My art is a deeply rooted expression of my profound connection to the land and its ever-evolving texture, shape, and hues. It’s a journey fueled by the diversity of the natural world and the elements it provides. I find myself drawn to botanical elements as a recurring design layer in my collage work, where every piece tells a unique story.
I source my materials from the land itself, often collecting plants from my family farm. I use them fresh for monoprints and mark-making in wet paint, I also preserve leaves for winter painting. My preferred approach is a mixed-media one, using watercolor, acrylic, and or ink to capture the energy of the natural world. The interplay of paint and water against layers of paper is exciting, infusing my work with an abstract quality.
Each painting represents a fresh opportunity to learn, explore, and document the world around me. It’s a journey of creative discovery, where the process itself is as vital as the final piece. My art reflects my deep connection to the land and the ever-present influence of nature, combining to create a body of work that is deeply personal and constantly evolving.
Artist Bio:
Sheri Trepina is an American artist whose creative journey has been profoundly shaped by her deep connections to both her family and the natural world. Born in Washington State, she spent her summers amidst the lush landscapes of the family pear orchard in Cashmere while living part time in Honolulu, Hawaii. This duality of environments, with the Cascade Mountains’ breathtaking beauty on one hand and the vibrant land and seascapes of Hawaii on the other, had a profound impact on her love for color, texture, and design.
Sheri hails from a family of artists, with her maternal grandparents, George and Lula Cruickshank, being notable artists themselves. Her formative years included time spent in her grandmother’s pottery studio, learning the craft and continuing to use some of her grandmother’s porcelain bowls, which are now over 60 years old. Her artistic inspiration was further enriched by her aunt, Julann Campbell, an accomplished artist whose work encouraged her to explore art in shapes and colors as an integral part of her everyday life.
The roots of creativity run deep in her family. Sheri’s father, Mel Babcock, is a master woodworker and a creator of intricate magic apparatus, used by magicians and collectors worldwide. As a child, she participated in her father’s magic shows. This early exposure undoubtedly played a pivotal role in shaping her artistic career.
Before finding her artistic voice, Sheri attended the Pacific Floral Institute in Seattle, where she earned a certificate in design and business management. Though she didn’t follow a long career in the floral industry, she enjoys finding creative ways to arrange flowers for friends and family.
In California, where she spent the majority of her professional career, she secured a position at the renowned Otologic Medical Group/House Ear Institute in downtown Los Angeles. Her work at the House Institute included unexpected encounters with movie stars and world leaders, including President Ronald Reagan. During her time there, she also welcomed the birth of her son, Michael.
Later, Sheri relocated to Northern California and spent twelve years working in the environmental industry. She managed a hazardous transportation facility in Oakland and lectured at UC Berkeley on specific regulations for the safe handling, packaging, disposal, and transport of hazardous materials.
In 2002, Sheri and her husband, Don, embarked on an entrepreneurial venture, opening a successful sign and graphic design business in Concord, California. They embraced cutting-edge design technologies, eventually establishing one of the premier sign businesses in the Bay Area. During this period, Sheri honed her graphic arts skills for the sign business and also engaged in fine art classes throughout the Bay Area. She actively participated in juried fine art festivals and joined local art organizations.
In 2011, Sheri and her husband sold their sign business and made a life-changing move to Kalispell, Montana. This transition was a return to their roots and a slower pace of life, in alignment with their lifelong plan. The new landscape of Montana inspired and refocused Sheri’s artistry.
Sheri was invited to participate in the Montana Artrepreneur Program, a community of ambitious artists dedicated to honing their business skills to bolster their artistic pursuits.
In 2012, her stepmother, Margaret Babcock, an accomplished ceramic artist known for her wheel-thrown dinnerware and intricate sculptures, passed away. During this time, Sheri and Don commuted from Montana to the family farm to support her 80-year-old father with farm chores and responsibilities. Eventually, they decided to make the farm their permanent residence, renovating a smaller home for her father, while living in the main house, built by her Great Grandfather Charles Westley Babcock in 1909.
Sheri actively contributes to the art community as a board member of the Two Rivers Gallery in Wenatchee, Washington. She mentors local artists, showcases her work at several galleries, including the Two Rivers Gallery and The Confluence Gallery in Twisp, Washington, and welcomes visitors by appointment to her studio in Cashmere. She is a member of the Wenatchee Watermedia Society and regularly submits her work for juried shows in regional galleries.
Sheri’s artwork has received national recognition through publications and awards, including features in publications such as the Wenatchee World and the Kalispell Daily Interlake. Her work has been selected for publication in two North Light Books: “The Best of Mixed Media Incite 3 and 4.” She earned First Place for Mixed Media Excellence for her botanical collage piece, “Hostas Following the Sun,” as awarded by Cloth Paper and Scissors. “Fiber Arts Take Two” featured Sheri’s work in their student exhibition book, “The Process & Possibilities Exhibition 2021,” where Sheri’s art was chosen for the cover. Carolyn Edlund of Artsy Shark showcased a new series of Sheri’s watercolor collage paintings in 2015.
You are invited to Two Rivers Gallery on First Friday June 7th. Exhibition runs from June 7th to June 28th.
***Live Music
***Local wines
