Cherise Ward – Page 2 – fresh milk barbados

“A Journey of the Imagination”

Before starting the residency, I attended a talk at Fresh Milk by three artists who spoke about their residency experiences. After hearing these, I was determined to start the residency (my first) with a clear mind and willingness to embrace new ideas.

Day one of the ‘My Time’ residency started with a talk with Annalee, where we discussed my intentions for how I will spend my time, and emphasised the importance of experimenting and exploring ideas over the necessity of producing finished work. I had a tour of the facilities, and then I took some time to explore the expansive grounds. Fresh Milk has a lot of space to explore: cows, chickens, the sounds of birds, breeze, plants, trees, flowers, and a swing. It was very easy to feel relaxed, and with a clear mind, I was excited to get started.

The Fresh Milk studio and the Colleen Lewis Reading Room

On that first day, Annalee recommended a few books for me to look through. One of them, The Art of James Christensen: A Journey of the Imagination perfectly summed up my intentions for how I will spend my time during the four weeks at Fresh Milk.

My plans for this residency included developing ideas for a story, and using this as the main inspiration for sculptural explorations. Week one of the residency was spent fleshing out the pages of the story. The idea was inspired by a fairytale I read for a class a number of years ago, called ‘The Doll in the Grass.” In this story, the doll falls into the water, and when she is brought to the surface, she has been transformed into a real girl. My story follows the adventures of this doll. Throughout her adventures, she is deep in thought. She laments about being made of wood, wanting to fall in love, wondering if she can without a real heart that beats, and finally, wishing she was a real girl. She is so caught up in her own thoughts that she does not realize that she is being followed by a real boy. The story reflects the importance of being present in your life, as there is a lot you can miss out on when you are caught up on what was, or what you wish could be. (This story has a happy ending).

Research material from the Colleen Lewis Reading Room

Cherise's work on her Fresh Milk Residency

The imagery of the story is very much influenced by Fresh Milk’s surroundings. My work in general is inspired by nature, and there was so much to be inspired by. I decided to make the grounds of Fresh Milk her environment in the story. So this is where much of her journey takes place.

For the illustrations, I used acrylic ink on watercolour paper. This story, and these illustrations, will be the inspiration for the sculptures/puppets/toys I will work on/experiment with/explore in the coming weeks.

Follow Cherise on Tumblr for updates on her residency & practice.

FRESH MILK is very pleased to announce Barbadian artist Cherise Ward as the winner of the Fresh Milk ‘My Time’ Local Residency prize for 2014. Congratulations Cherise!

Cherise’s one-month residency will begin on Monday April 14, 2014, and she will use her time to explore new ideas and directions in her practice, with an aim of producing a small book project and expanding on aspects of this book in various forms of sculpture, specifically puppetry, and designer toys.

About Cherise Ward:

Cherise Ward is an Illustrator living in Barbados. After completing her Associate Degree in Visual Arts at the Barbados Community College, Cherise received her BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Cherise’s work has been shown in exhibitions in America; including New York City, California, and Chicago, as well as in Barbados. Her illustrations have been published on the covers of graphic novels and the pages of children’s books. Cherise’s work is often inspired by nature and her love of fantasy and storytelling.

Artist Statement:

As an Illustrator, my work is often based on my interest in storytelling. This then takes many forms, from single narrative illustrations, to sequential (picture books or graphic novels), to sculpture. Whatever form it takes, at the core, my work is greatly inspired by an interest in telling stories, which has been my passion since childhood.

In my most recent body of personal work, my intent was to create narrative illustrations of original fairy tales, based on the flora and fauna of the Caribbean; that had the feel of the classic fairy tales I enjoy. Each illustration tells a story, but also invites the viewer to imagine a story of their own.

I build puppets, from sketching the character on paper, to sculpting, and putting together the parts so they can function. So along with illustration, I also use sculpture to bring my stories to life.