Cheryl studied engineering and fine arts in Saskatchewan before settling on a career as an interior designer, with her own practice for over 30 years. Her creative day to day work fostered a love of building and making things. Evenings and weekends were spent working on her own projects where she had complete creative control, allowing her to explore ideas on a personal level. Making silver and gold jewellery is a balance between technical and creative. It is a constant challenge to see how far ideas can be pushed and where the limits are. Her studies have included training in England, Italy and California with some of the best and most skilled metalworkers in the world.
In addition to hand fabricating each piece, Cheryl explores ideas of colour in enamel work, combined with semi precious stones that have resulted in unusual combinations. Her latest work will be featured summer 2025 at the Vancouver CCBC earring show, where her earrings were juried and accepted for inclusion in the show from an international list of artists.
Cheryl’s approach to jewellery making and metal work is to approach each piece as a story, that the object must have a meaning. The meaning could be something that makes you smile, that reminds the viewer of a past event, or that elicits a feeling. Sometimes it is only about the colour or mood. ‘I want each piece to be unique, something that is original and that makes me happy. I make things that are personal without trying to overthink what the outcome is.’
Cheryl shares a home with her husband, John, a guitarmaker and her 3 dogs. They collaborate on ideas for their projects and share tools, sometimes. Currently in her workshop, Cheryl is working on new ideas for enamelled bowls on copper and sterling silver that she hopes to showcase this June at the Coldwater Studio Tour.
