Cherida was born and raised south of Wingham,
in Huron County. She is married, with a teenage son.
She enjoys working with stained glass, chainmaille, wire, as well as drawing, and with different paint mediums. Furthermore, Cherida is always taking new courses when the opportunity arises to try different things.
Cherida has been working with stained glass for
about twenty-two years. It all started with a course at a glass store in
Ottawa, where her husband was posted with the military. She loves designing
personal pieces and has recently added sandblasting as a personal flare.
"Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, everyday can end beautifully" (Kristen Butler). Cherida and her son enjoy Lake Huron, and especially taking in the sunsets. She felt a sunset was fitting with the theme "All Things Bright and Beautiful". She combined the sunset with a wire-wrapped Tree of Life. The Tree of Life has many meanings; it is thought of as a symbol of family and connection to one’s ancestors. A tree symbolizes the generations of one’s family; a tree sprouts from a seed, grows and branches out, sees how far it can go, and then creates a new fruit that gives life to the next generation, to begin anew.
Cherida has been working with the chainmaille medium for about eight years. She felt the tiny flowers of hexapetalon chainmaille weave, paired with the aquamarine glacier blue rivoli stones, played well with the “Bright and Beautiful” theme. The stones make her think of an aurora borealis: a magnificent, natural phenomenon which some people say are spirits moving across heavens.
“Watching
fish and marine creatures going about their daily lives, swimming and
meandering over their aquarium’s terrain, is oddly soothing and hypnotic. And,
according to research recently published in Environment & Behavior, it’s good for your health.”
Cherida
McCullagh and Ruth Anne Merner teamed up to create this colourful mosaic bench
with the hope that it will not only be a place to rest and relax but to escape
to beautiful thoughts and memories.
These two local artists (from Belgrave and
Dashwood) shared laughter, excitement and surprises as they planned and
snipped. Sharing creative ideas
with a friend is indeed a bright and beautiful experience--which is hard to
beat.
