Tea and Talk events, organized by Coastal Arts Guild, are informal afternoon gatherings for anyone curious about art and artists. Learn about inspiration, techniques, materials, and more from practicing artists. Free and open to all, held on the 2nd floor of Newport Visual Arts Center.
This month’s event will feature Interdisciplinary Artist Cheri Aldrich. Her show Nature, Paper, Fiber, Found is currently in the Upstairs Gallery (through July 27). This is Aldrich’s first solo show and celebrates her 50 years as a full time artist in Newport. Her talk will share her history and the path in the development of her art over the 50 years.
Examples of the processes she uses and tips and techniques she has mastered over the years will be explored. Themes of Nature and a love of rich textures and layers are a common thread in her art, and she loves to combine elements from all areas of study in her work. Jewelry, basketry, weaving, stitching, surface design, felting, eco printing, mixed media , book making and assemblage are her current passions.
“What I’m really enjoying now, at the age of 78, is being able to select parts of the many processes I have studied to make a piece that I couldn’t have made when I started 50 years ago”, says Aldrich. She especially loves finding challenges in how to make the different processes work together and finds great joy when she finds a solution. Aldrich says, “I think it’s that wonderful rush that I get when things start to flow and I get in the Zone, that has kept me engaged for 50 years. I have a very low boredom threshold which is what has led me to incorporate so many disciplines.”
After the talk, for those who are interested, she will give a brief tour of her show in the Upstairs Gallery, and answer questions about her art.