Artist Statement

 

My work is driven by a desire to explore without rules. After spending over twenty years in the highly structured world of commercial signage and graphic design, moving to fine art was an act of personal freedom. In my studio, I am no longer meeting a client's brief or coordinating a massive project; I am simply following where the paint wants to go.

 

I do not confine myself to a single style, subject, or methodology. My portfolio ranges from traditional landscapes and quiet still lifes to bold figurative pieces and open-ended abstracts. Whether I am capturing the mood of a subject through an oil sketch or letting an abstract landscape unfold through intuitive brushstrokes, my focus is on the act of discovery.

 

I make art because it fulfills me to see a visual idea come to life on a personal scale. I reject the pressure to stay inside a predictable box, preferring instead to constantly push my own boundaries, enhance my technical skills, and let my style evolve naturally with every canvas.

 

Biography

 

Cheryl Doty was born in 1956 in Gary, Indiana. She came from a family of seven siblings. After high school she studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and later founded her own signage and graphic design company, Doty and Associates.  For over 20 years she grew the firm to offices in Chicago, Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Her clients were industry design leaders such as Nike, architects Skidmore Owings and Merrill, advertising agency Leo Burnett, and Seattle Art Museum. Doty’s company still thrives after 40 years and is now owned by her employees.

 

She studied at the Art Center College of Design, and has constantly enhanced her skills through a steady stream of workshops, seminars and classes.   For years she has studied closely with noted artists. When not working in California, she painted in China, Paris and Spain, focusing intently on the use of local color to reveal the essence of her subject.  She travels the world, exposing herself to the myriad designs, colors, architectures, fabrics, and cultures which she then integrates into her work. Her artistic vision is constantly evolving over time as she opens herself to the ever-changing richness and vibrancy that surrounds her.

 

Events 

 

2014 Solo Exhibition, Maison K, Montecito, CA

2017 Lobero Backstage Magazine Cover, Fall Issue

2018 Lobero Backstage Magazine Cover, Spring Issue

2019 Solo Exhibition, Funk Zone Studio, Santa Barbara, CA

2019 Santa Barbara Visual Artists, Santa Barbara, CA 

2019 Santa Barbara Tennis Club Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA

2019 Faulkner East Gallery - Santa Barbara Art Association, Santa Barbara, CA

2019 Gallery 113, Santa Barbara, CA

2019 Aquashow, Santa Barbara, CA

2019 Water Ways, Santa Barbara, CA

2019 Glenn Dallas Gallery, Santa Barbara Visual Arts, Santa Barbara, CA

2021 Community Arts Workshop (CAW), Santa Barbara, CA

2023 Fess Parkery Winery, Santa Barbara, CA

2024 Three Women Show, Santa Barbara, CA

2025 Black and White Show, Santa Barbara, CA

2021-2026 Funk Zone Art Walk

 

Articles

 

1995 Chicago Tribune

2017 Montecito Journal

2018 Lobero Magazine covers

2017 Montecito Journal

2019 Voice Magazine

 

 

Memberships | Associations

 

Santa Barbara Visual Arts

Santa Barbara Art Association

Santa Barbara Studio Artists - Board Member

Oil Painters of America