By Jehna Devraj
Before her first drawing class, then seven-year-old Cherry Zhi threw a tantrum and cried to her mother, dreading the impending experience. Now, however, after many years of formal drawing lessons, hobby painting and school lessons, Cherry has found visual arts to be her true passion. Cherry’s favourite mediums are acrylic paint, graphite, and coloured pencils. She derives a sense of control and precision by using simple media. Art has taught her to take risks and to stay determined; she loves that she can fully immerse herself in creating art, taking a break from her hectic life.
Before her first drawing class, then seven-year-old Cherry Zhi threw a tantrum and cried to her mother, dreading the impending experience. Now, however, after many years of formal drawing lessons, hobby painting and school lessons, Cherry has found visual arts to be her true passion. Cherry’s favourite mediums are acrylic paint, graphite, and coloured pencils. She derives a sense of control and precision by using simple media. Art has taught her to take risks and to stay determined; she loves that she can fully immerse herself in creating art, taking a break from her hectic life.
A self-described “sucker for realistic art,” Cherry is in awe of works that look photographic in nature, as well as works by Pissarro and Degas that are associated with impressionism. She loves everything from Vermeer’s “A Girl With a Pearl Earring” to Hopper’s “Nighthawks” because they speak to her and draw her in. Believing that art is simply its own entity, she does not think that art needs to be an escape from reality or a depiction of a better place. Her own work is influenced by her experiences and memories, as well as people that she looks up to. She loves portraitures, and depicting human emotion and character through the face and the body.
To aspiring artists, Cherry gives the following piece of advice: “Have perseverance and stay focused.” She maintains that art does not necessarily come as an epiphany – it usually takes hard work and dedication to produce meaningful work. For Cherry, the most important thing is learning from mistakes and never giving up in order to grow and flourish as an artist. Although Cherry does not plan to pursue art professionally, she hopes to lead a creative life following her artistic philosophy, always learning and appreciating art.