Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Cherrington.
Hi Drew, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a family with seven sisters and one brother. I am the 8th child in my family with only one sister younger than me. Both of my parents were creative in their own way. My mother loved to sculpt and draw fashion gowns, and my father wrote music and played piano (and accordion).
However, given the size of our family, my parents didn’t have much time to pursue their own interests and sacrificed much in order for us to grow and develop our own talents. I had a knack for painting and illustrating at a very young age. I don’t recall when I started painting and drawing, but I’m sure it was before the age of 5.
A pivotal point came in my life when I started high school. As a freshman, I wanted to sign up for an art class, but the art class and teacher my sisters told me to sign up for was completely full and had a long waiting list.
I remember distinctly the teacher (Harold Petersen “Pete”) saying his class was unfortunately full, but I could put my name on the waiting list in case a space became available. Pete asked me what my last name was and I said “Cherrington”. He looked at me and said “Cherrington?” (knowing all of my sisters who previously took from him), and he discreetly penciled my name in his class that was full.
It’s been over 45 years since that day Pete took me into his class (and under his wing) and I have remained close friends with him ever since. He is now over 90 years old and has recently retired from teaching at the “Petersen Art Studio”, but I still keep in touch with him by email and send him photos of watercolors I’m currently working on. I am forever grateful for the impact he has had on me as an artist, and as a person.
After high school, I was fortunate enough to receive a 4-year art scholarship to the University of Utah in Design and branding, and have continued to apply those skills I learned in my current position as a sales and marketing manager.
In my free time, I enjoy painting watercolors and illustrating.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No one is immune to obstacles and challenges throughout their life.
But it’s how you react to those challenges. I have experienced the loss of loved ones, been laid off from a job, and had health challenges that keep me from doing the things I love to do, but I wouldn’t swap my challenges with anyone else.
All the obstacles and challenges we face throughout our life refine and mold us into what we have the potential to become.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love to paint watercolors. I guess my style would be classified as “realism”.
My favorite artist is Andrew Wyeth, and I think his style and subject matter reflects in my work. I guess I’m most well known for my “cookie” watercolors. Over the course of about seven years, I painted 17 different cookies that I had planned to use for a book I was writing – “The art of dipping cookies”… to this day, the book is still a work in progress.
What am I most proud of? I don’t have anyone specific thing I could say I’m proud of. I love all of the work I’ve done. I did set a goal for myself to paint a watercolor for each of my sisters that reflects what reminds me of them. For example, I’ve painted a piece of pie for my sister who is a master at making/baking pies. I’ve also painted a watercolor of some raspberries my sister grows in her garden because it reminds me of the fabulous raspberry jam she bottles and gives to me.
What sets me apart from others? People close to me say I have a definite style for my watercolors but I don’t see it. My subject matter tends to be “untraditional”, but I paint subjects I find interesting and sometimes out of the ordinary.
What does success mean to you?
Happiness.
Contact Info:
- Email: cherringtondrew@gmail.com
