Cheryl McAlister

Painter, Draftsman

I am a painter working primarily in chalk pastels and acrylics to investigate dramatic light and color relationships in coastal Maine landscapes. My current work uses environmental observation as a foundation for exploring compositional structure.

Rather than depicting landscape scenes directly, I develop compositions through formal relationships that emerge from natural phenomena—sky reflections, fractured water patterns, seasonal vegetation—that maintain a connection to observed coastal Maine environments.

My approach prioritizes dramatic contrasts in color and value, as well as geometric pattern relationships over traditional landscape description, creating work that functions through formal investigation while respecting representational painting traditions.