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"Garden of Eden" by Cher Shaffer
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"Garden of Eden" available in 3
sizes:
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8" x 10": $50
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16" x 20": $195
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32" x 40": $800.
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 Cher Shaffer was
born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1947 on a small farm. She spent her
youth surrounded by earth, sky and the whistling pines of the
American South. Her mother, who was of Native American decent,
accompanied Cher on many of her long walks and taught her about
the woods and lands that they both cherished. Cher's mother shared
with her young daughter the beliefs and customs of her Native
American heritage. Her father was German and a descendant of
Martin Luther as well as a practicing Baptist. Through this parental
combination Cher developed a deep respect and appreciation for
nature and it's Creator. She began painting shortly after the
death of her gifted mother. As Cher explains this event opened
a "Pandora's box" of emotions and memories. Painting
these memories seemed the best way to express and preserve her
cherished childhood.
In 1978 with no formal training, Cher began transferring
her memories to canvas. It was a significant factor in healing
her grief over the loss of her mom. As in the case of happy childhoods
our memories tend to be tinted with a hint of fantasy. Her early
works are depictions of church gatherings, warm holidays, festive
celebrations and the everyday chores of life on a rural farm.
They are idyllic and flavored by the innocence of youth. Cher's
work developed and began a departure from these traditional folk
art scenes into true fantasy interpretations. Electric color
with smooth graceful lines evolved.
In 1985 Cher's life again took a tragic turn. Due to extreme
exhaustion Cher's heart failed. She emerged from this terrifying
event with a greater sense of responsibility for what she would
leave behind. Her work began to explore the question of death.
Ghostly images began to haunt her style. She describes her work
from this period as coming from a "primal level". In
addition to painting, Cher also works in wood, stone, mixed media
and designs three-dimensional creations such as dolls and masks.
As Cher explains she is a "double- minded "artist.
One side of her art is carefree happy idealist and the other
is a little on the wild side. You never know what will come out.
While being interviewed by Millard Lampell, co-founder of the
movement to recognize Appalachian Art, concerning her art training
or lack of it she replied, "When people ask me if I am a
trained artist, I have to laugh, I'm not a trained artist, I'm
barely civilized."
Cher's career as an artist is highlighted with many accomplishments.
Her work has been shown nationally and internationally in many
one-woman shows including the 1992 Owensboro Museum of Art and
1993 a retrospective exhibition at Colorado State University.
She is represented in several public and private collections
including that of Whoopie Goldberg, Jane Fonda, Richard Dreyfus,
Rob Reiner, Henry Winkler and one of her most appreciated, fellow
artist, Thornton Dial. In 1989 Shaffer's work appeared in the
traveling exhibition O, Appalachia: Artists of the Southern Mountains
and in the publication by the same name. Also in 1989 she appeared
on the "Today Show" on NBC. Her work has been featured
in several publications including Art Voices South and Country
Homes.
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© 2 0 0 8, W
i l d f l o w e r s F i n e A r t P u b l i
s h i n g
58 High Country Square
Banner Elk, NC 28604 (888) 3-GICLEE (828) 898-3423
info@wildflowerspublishing.com |
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Located in Beautiful Banner
Elk, NC and convenient to upper east Tennessee and southwest
Virginia, Wildflowers Fine Art Publishers use state-of-the-art,
digital photo scanning combined with wide format printing to
produce the finest quality Giclee reproductions available on
the market today. Our services include: Digital Photography,
digital scanning, full color calibration, wide format printing,
conservation framing and matting, shrink-wrapping, website development
for artists and much, much more! You’ll find that our pricing
is very competitive within this exciting fine art publishing
industry niche and you simply will not beat the caliber of personalized
service and expertise offered by our team of fine artist technicians.
Call us today to schedule your free consultaion. Your satisfaction
is always guaranteed!
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artist page: Cher Shaffer