Featured Artist: Cheryl Juracich | by Falyn Morningstar | October 2024
Cheryl Juracich (b. 1986) is an American painter whose artistic journey began in childhood, driven by a natural inclination to study people across time and space. Her work celebrates sensory interplay and delves into themes of the metaphysical phenomena and sacred rituals.
At the age of 16, Cheryl gave birth to a son, an experience that profoundly shaped her development as both an artist and a mother. Painting became a powerful means of self-discovery and meditation, leading her to explore her ancestry and their stories of resilience and adaptation over the past century.
Cheryl earned her BFA in Painting from Arizona State University in 2014. In 2021, she made the pivotal decision to leave her job and dedicate herself to painting full-time. She currently lives and works in Prescott, Arizona.
Your artwork is deeply personal and explores themes of mental health and healing. Can you share how your own experiences have influenced the subject matter of your art?
I love this question. I also love that my work could be described as personal because it hasn’t always been that way. If you were to look at my work from before I began to paint full-time, it was mostly traditional landscapes and portraits. Occasionally, a more intimate idea or concept would sneak in. In the past, I was afraid of what would come through if I allowed myself to fully explore what was in my imagination. This is probably due to messaging I had received throughout my formative years about what was inappropriate or undesirable in social situations. I also had a lot of constructions in my mind of what being a good artist was supposed to look like and was really afraid of being seen in a way that meant my vulnerabilities could be exposed. Through a series of deconstructive life circumstances, (i.e. the end of a long term relationship, the sale of a long-hoped-for home, my adult son moving out), I was thrust into a “dark night of the soul” of sorts that required me to confront and embrace my shadow for the first time. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the parts of myself that I had rejected and subdued over the years held immense amounts of creative potential. It was the same inner well of creative energy that started to accelerate a process of self realization. I had a direct experience with alchemizing emotional upheaval into healing through art. What has come out of that is a vital connection to my subconscious and trust in what I am urged to create. Present themes that I’m working with revolve around loss, identity, survival and provision, shattering dualistic thinking, and the spiritual in the everyday; All told through the visual language of nostalgic figures and dreamlike symbolism.
As an advocate for mental health awareness, how do you hope your art will contribute to the conversation and help others on their healing journey?
Less than a year ago, I was applying to graduate programs with the intent of becoming a mental health counselor. I remember writing in one of my journals that my deepest desire was to be an instrument of the divine for the healing of others. “Spirit, create through me, a space for others to connect with their authentic selves, values, and highest purpose. Communal growth and awe.” Pretty audacious! This comes from a strong belief that the universe will sustain us according to our gifts if we are willing to serve and do what that requires of us. In this process, I’ve discovered that, if the aim of the “what” is established, the “how” will present itself. I feel that my course was redirected but that the desire to offer something to others is the same. My art is perhaps the vehicle for this service at this time. I think there is something powerfully healing about seeing a work that resonates with emotional content in a beautiful way. If you are alive, you’ve experienced trauma. That is not to minimize or trivialize, but rather recognize that we are all collectively dealing with some form of hurt or suffering and that healing is a continual process. Personally, I’ve experienced childhood sexual abuse and a resulting eating disorder, a teen pregnancy, familial brokenness, and the loss of meaningful relationships. My paintings may not explicitly talk about these things in a literal sense. However, my lived experience and compassion for people who are going through transition or trauma release is considered in my work. I try to talk about things symbolically and at a level of equanimity, while still fully feeling through the content. I think really effective art doesn’t repress emotional content or assault with overtness. It speaks in subtleties that are filtered through the viewer's own lens and becomes part of an internal dialogue.
Your illustrations often feature powerful affirmations and quotes. How do you select these messages, and what impact do they have on both the viewer and your own creative process?
It’s funny to put it like this, but I feel like the messages select me. I will be sketching or in a meditative state and a phrase will come to me spontaneously. Oftentimes, it’s related to something I’ve read or a theme distilled from my recent experiences. I’m learning as I go and I’m learning through creating with this inspiration as my influence. I’ve stopped questioning what these things mean when they occur. I’ll pair song lyrics, poetry, or these kinds of revelations with imagery that is simultaneously being inspired. The result is often pointing towards the deeper understanding of a life lesson. An example of this is when I was on the plane for a recent business trip. I was sort of stressed about the outcome of my time there and unsure of what was needed from me in this new environment. Suddenly, the phrase, “Beware of entities with the energy of stars that emit little light” came to me. At the time, it reflected my need for grounding and remembrance of my own light when in unfamiliar territory. This turned out to be incredibly helpful as I was challenged beyond my skill level because it urged me to remember my boundaries and basic human needs. I can’t speak for the viewer, but I hope that there is something resident within my artwork that allows others to at the very least, feel seen. At best, I hope that what I convey can allow others to access a kind of catalytic insight in their own learning. I don’t intend to guide someone’s experience. Much like a dream, a viewer's response to a work is entirely theirs, though it may share some of the same symbols as my own.
Your art is heavily influenced by the psychedelic and cosmic realms. How do you tap into these alternate states of consciousness, and what role do they play in your artistic vision?
I like to joke that my baseline perception is somehow already tuned to the psychedelic frequency. I’ve had ecstatic experiences with and without the influence of psychedelic medicine. However, the pursuit or invitation of ecstatic awareness is something I take care to cultivate. The painter, Robert Henri said, "The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” I see this as analogous with honing a presence of mind and dialing in my state of consciousness. Keeping this in mind does involve attention to my “set and setting” everyday. I also make proactive choices to keep my inner channel clear and open. This means:
feeding myself with foods that promote a clear awareness
tending to my needs, especially when there is potential to become overstimulated
removing irritants or things that cloud my consciousness in favor of things that connect me to a higher power.
