Cheryl FIGSBY Reeves was born in Montreal, Quebec and schooled in Ottawa, Ontario.  She fondly remembers her favourite art teacher J.J. Tokaryk, who fostered her natural ability in drawing and painting and encouraged her keen sense of observation.  Cheryl was an art student in many classes in Victoria during the 60's and 70's while teaching palette knife painting on the community level in Saanichton, B.C. and in Qualicum Beach, B.C. in the late 70's.

 

During her child rearing years, Cheryl put her brushes away and devoted her time to her family.  However in the year 2000, she returned to her love of painting as a form of therapy while her mother was ill."She was always the one who encouraged me from childhood to draw and paint.  She had distilled confidence in my artisitc ability".  Because her father died before she knew him, Cheryl preserves his memory by painting under her birth name, Figsby.

 

"I've always valued realism and the many hours devoted to master the exactness of life.  Now, I am exploring other ways of expressing my own individual personality.  My desire is to realize a style of my own and grow in imagination and creativity".