CHERAINE COLLETTE | ARTIST STATEMENT

ARTIST STATEMENT

I create in a state that feels like lucid dreaming;

a source of infinite love moves through me, giving guidance for every photograph, brush-stroke, and digital layer. Whether I’m combining abandoned places with endangered wildlife in my ‘Marvels’ series, re-imagining Adam and Eve in Paradise in ‘Where Is Adam?’, or depicting Gods, demi-gods, nymphs or monsters for my ‘Greek Mythology’ series, the goal remains the same; to show the harmony and beauty connecting nature, human culture, and spirit. My composite technique fuses on-location photography, detailed retouching, and hand-drawn painterly light so that imagined worlds feel as real as possible.

Each finished work is a way of showing gratitude to God and his love, and I think in a sense, it’s also a way you’re showing gratitude for life, for love, and for the gift you’ve been given by God. The more you do it for this reason, the more uplifting and transformative it becomes, not only for you, but everyone touched by your art.

cheraine collette

What I Experience When Creating Art

Inspiration and Infinite Love

In essence, I always feel a sense of infinite love. The inspiration comes from God, and it feels as though His boundless love flows through my entire soul and every cell in my body. All the subjects I cherish, nature, animals, palaces, cars, etc., are creations of God as well, either created directly by His hand during the creation of the universe or formed through inspiration.

Three Ongoing Series

Of course, it depends on which series I am working on. With the Greek Mythology series, for example, different energies flow through me than when I am busy with my Where Is Adam series. In the Marvels series I really try to sense the old buildings, their spirit, history, and soul, and discover which animal species resonates with them. With the Where Is Adam series I seek to immerse myself in a very deep love for God and for Mother Earth, noticing and appreciating how everything, down to the tiniest atoms, fits together in perfection and is interconnected.

Freedom, Gratitude, Limitless Possibility

When creating I also always experience freedom, gratitude, and the infinity of possibilities. Your thoughts and imagination are a universe unto themselves, and it is delightful, inspiring, and loving to explore and develop that universe.

Fear of Failure and the Reward of not giving up

Whenever I take on new challenges or learn new techniques, I feel a kind of fear of failure hidden deep inside me, but so far my will to succeed has always been greater. Some things are frightening to try, yet I would rather do them than feel the regret afterward of not having tried. You simply know that the effort will eventually be rewarded, a euphoric ecstasy that washes over you when, after much time and effort, something finally succeeds, no matter how frustrating the process can be! Sometimes you have to set a piece aside, even for years, until you have grown enough, and found the amount of courage in some cases, to finish it.

A Lucid Dream Like State

It feels like a dream state, almost like lucid dreaming. The idea begins as an abstract painting where shapes and light and dark slowly take form. Through emotions and memories everything sharpens; a story becomes clearer and clearer, and it doesn’t matter if halfway through you decide the story should develop differently or have another ending, everything can still change at any moment. You are the master of this dream in this universe. Even though it is not physical reality, for me this alternative reality feels just as real. A reality beyond time and space.

A Spiritual Act

Sometimes I don’t even know how I got to the end results, because at some point, you’re in a state of flow: you no longer have to think consciously about every move or brushstroke; you just trust your feeling. It’s kind of similar to playing the violin or any other instrument you’ve mastered through years of practice. It becomes muscle memory and an extension of your body and mind; together you and the instrument are one, and in perfect harmony. You don’t have to think about where to place your fingers to play the right notes, or how much pressure to apply in your fingers to play the beautiful melody you hear or see in your mind, it just flows naturally, and you know you’re in tune and on the right path when you feel the vibrations of the strings in your heart and soul. For me, it’s also the same when I hear the powerful shutter of the camera, in those special moments that I just know I’ve captured the moment I’ve always wished for. Or when I’ve finally sketched the composition that was in my mind. And I think with creating art, you’ll feel some little pulses of energy from your toes to your fingertips when you’re inspired and in the flow, and especially when you feel that you’ve finally finished that piece you’ve longed to finish for so long.

Love as most important motif

I’ve always felt very strongly that platonic love is a super important one to share with everyone! The unconditional love God and Jesus have for us has always inspired me, and I feel that the beauty He created is love itself. Sharing that beauty and love through art… I believe it can uplift and inspire people to do more good in the world; I choose to believe it has a positive influence, just as beautiful music always has a positive influence.

For me, art, and that applies to all forms, although so far I have specialised in only a few areas, is the safest way to share my love. I can pour as much into it as I wish, and emotionally it gives just as much back. It asks or demands nothing in return.

Art is Life

I believe, in essence, that creating art is life. Your entire life, and every aspect of it, is art. It is how you look at things with your eyes, but also with your soul and spirit; how deeply you experience them, how they touch and inspire you. On a deep soul level you learn what is important to you, and perhaps at the same time what may also be important to others. It is a gift to share with others. I’m an incurable romantic, my heart overflows with romantic idealism, and I’m perhaps even a little unrealistic at times. That’s why I make art; it’s how I carry that love into the world.

Purpose

The endless complexity of life always fascinates me! And then there is the feeling of purpose. Apparently not everyone feels they have a purpose to fulfil during their lifetime. Yet when you zoom in on the tiniest details of life, the trillions of cells in your body, the fact that we can breathe and think and feel, it truly feels as though every living, breathing person is a miracle, perfectly engineered by God. And out of all the chances, you were chosen to have a life on this earth. Why wouldn’t that miraculous and beautiful fact alone excite you and give you the urge to explore your gifts as a purpose?

Becoming

In the end, when you’ve finished the piece that has been a part of your life for quite a while, and you have done your best to make it as good as you possibly can, it can often feel as though it has always existed. Maybe not physically yet in this moment in time, but you just feel like it has always been there, like you haven’t created something new at all. Something has been born out of dreams, your imagination, and long labor. You know it didn’t exist before, and yet, once the final piece is lying in front of your eyes, it feels so familiar and known to you, like it has always been a part of you, your life, and a piece of your memory. To experience this, is always a magical feeling. I think your brain doesn’t know the difference between “real” or “imagined”, but in this moment both dimensions have come together into the physical realm, to be experienced and shared by and with others. In a way, to create art is an act of “becoming”, your true authentic self. You find out what’s hidden deep inside you, what touches and grows your soul. It’s something you’ll want to do for the rest of your life. It’s a healing effect, not only for the artist, but everyone who feels touched by the art as well. I think in a sense, by discovering and following your purpose, it’s also a way you’re showing gratitude for life, for love, for the gift you’ve been given by God. The more you do it for this reason, the more uplifting and transformative it becomes, not only for you, but everyone touched by your art.

BIOGRAPHY

siena awards ceremony 2022