Cheryl Sorg: To Reach the Clouds at Hillstreet County Club Gallery

by Patricia Frischer

"If you are in pitch blackness, all you can do is wait until your eyes get used to the dark"

Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

I have been an admirer of Cheryl Sorg's art for many years and I have been following her progress with great interest.I nominated her as an emerging artist for the SD Art Prize.  I have been waiting for this show To Reach the Clouds since she helped us promote SDVAN with a Giving Tuesday image two years ago. 

I have been seeing Portals to Hope appearing in all sorts of location through my Instagram account and I have visited her website but this is the first time I was able to read about her reasons for making art. Your first impression of Sorg's objects might be well constructed, good composition, great colors and for some that is more than enough. Although this is not conceptual art, these works are born out a deep need to see a positive force in a world that can be dark and scary. Sorg answered a series of questions that are posted at the show and I recommend that you read them and the quotes that she has chosen to share from inspirational sources. Parts of these quotes make up titles to many of her works.

The video below gives you a better idea of the sparky joy of the dichroic film that changes color as you move or in this case when I blew on the little upside down rain drops. After all what better way to reach the clouds than to be an ascending raindrop. 

"thus in a sense we are doomed even if we stay away from the black hole."Stephen W. Hawking 

"I try to remind myself that I am connected to others".Haruki Murakami, The Wind-up Bird Chronicles 

A selection of Portal to Hope

A chance to communicate and interact