Sheryl’s paintings express her love and reverence of nature, water, and the wildlife it holds, particularly, fish. For her, the act of fishing is awe-inspiring and she views it as not just a sport, but also as an intimate commune with the earth, a relationship that is both spiritually abstract and physically concrete. She likes to work elements into her paintings that create a subtle sense of looking through a frame, or a window, that holds together these two worlds of thought and action. The rhythm of the river’s current and that of a paddle breaking water, the constant casting, the dropping of a line - these are hypnotic mantras for inner introspection. They are incantations for summoning ideas, words, poetry, images. The tug of a fish on the line is a tug on the subconscious, and the mystery of bringing an unknown catch up from the depths, up to the shifting place where water meets air, is a reminder of the infinite surprises that life presents us with at any given moment. In this sense, fish are shadowy creatures whose shape and movement are akin to thoughts and dreams germinating in waters that spill forth life. Sheryl’s love of frozen lake ice crunching underfoot during a day of winter ice fishing or of pine needles warmed in the sun while hiking along a stream for springtime trout, remind her that this earth is frighteningly hard and softly delicious all at once. It deserves our reverence, our gratitude, and respectful tending.  Her paintings honor these introspections and the gifts that our natural environment provides.