Issue link: https://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1547391
14 WAC Magazine | wac.net first take grand staircase artist C H E R Y L Y O K O YA M A ( 2 ) Member Cheryl Yokoyama's first-ever art show debuted in the Grand Staircase Gallery this November. An encaustic artist, Cheryl suspends pigment and found objects in wax applied to a rigid board. An ever-changing medium, encaustic can be manipulated by heat and marking, both techniques Cheryl explores in her work. "I'm still finding my art voice," she says. "I'm continuing to learn new tech- niques to find my mark." Cheryl came to encaustic during a workshop in 2022. It was there she dis- covered the medium that so resonated with her. With a new sense of creative freedom, Cheryl began making mixed -media collages, encaustic work, and dabbling in cold wax and oil. "My work reflects an ongoing jour- ney of experimentation, learning, and growth," she says. is experimentation is evident in her work, which changes from piece to piece. New color fields, compositions, and shapes appear across the collection as a testament to Cheryl's exploratory nature. She incorporates found mate- rial like prayer flags and bark collected during travel into her work, infusing the pieces with a sense of place and identity. Recently, Cheryl took a woodworking class to build custom boards for her art and also moved into her own studio space. "Creating with my hands has always been a natural part of who I am," Cheryl says. "I see the creative possibilities in everyday materials and approach mak- ing art with curiosity, resourcefulness, and imagination." Come peek into Cheryl's artistic world and witness her creative evolution when you stop by the Grand Staircase Gallery now through January 2027. —Meet Cheryl at her artist reception ursday, November 19; 5:30–7 pm; com- plimentary. Captured in encaustic Cheryl Yokoyama brings wax work to the Grand Staircase Gallery