*Cheryl Buxton]: The Soul of the Basin**
**Cheryl is a Narrative Expressionist whose work is literally rooted in the earth of Louisiana.** Born and raised along the banks of Bayou Rouge and the Atchafalaya River, her artistic journey began not in a classroom, but in the wild corridors of Spanish moss, ancient oaks, and the red clay of the basin.
Before she ever owned a store-bought tube of paint, Cheryl was a chemist of the swamp. As a child, she gathered wild berries, charred wood ashes, and hibiscus blooms to create her own pigments. She fashioned her first brushes from willow twigs and locks of hair from a horse named BlackJack, mixing her concoctions in the iridescent bellies of sun-bleached clam shells. This primal connection to her materials—using cornsilk for texture and dampened ash for shadow—established the “Bold and Raw” style that defines her work today.
Though the “starving artist” myths of her youth led her into a distinguished career as a Registered Nurse, Cheryl never stopped seeing the world through a viewfinder. Traveling across the U.S. and abroad, she carried a sketchbook and camera as her constant companions, documenting a “long-gone era” of Southern life and international landscapes.
Today, Cheryl’s paintings serve as an emotional bridge between memory and canvas. Her work—characterized by high-contrast outlines and a deep, atmospheric mood—is designed to pull at the heartstrings of the viewer. She doesn’t just paint a scene; she invites the audience to step onto the dirt of Goudeau Road and feel the pulse of the Atchafalaya.
> *”I paint to share what I have seen and felt. My goal is for every piece to evoke a mood that stays with the viewer long after they leave the frame.”*—
