Late artist gives back to arts

NEWPORT — Care and craftsmanship will be some of the main focal points of an upcoming benefit auction for two non-profits, one of them Create Arts Center, at the American Lutheran Church 6–8 p.m. Saturday, May 2.

There will be over 100 rosemaling works by the late Pend Oreille County artist Cherilyn “Cheri Folk Art” Anderson available for auction, as well as pieces by Thomas Kincaid, Doug Miller and Bjorg. Proceeds from the event will be split between Create Arts Center and The Wilderness Fellowship Ministries.

Anderson, who passed away in December 2021 from ovarian cancer, was proficient in rosemaling, a traditional Norwegian form of decorative folk art, featuring intricate scrolls, floral patterns and delicate brushwork.

“I don’t think she got up one morning and said, ‘I’m going to be a fine artist,’” said Tim Anderson, son of Cherilyn and Arnold Anderson. “She was just surrounded by it (art) in so many different forms growing up. She tackled this medium (rosemaling) and made it her own.”

Cherilyn’s art has been on the covers of various magazines, and she was interviewed several times by the Spokesman-Review, according to Anderson. She studied under folk artist Jo Sonja and television art instructor Bill Alexander, the precursor to Bob Ross.

Her passions were various, from serving as a Spokane Rodeo Princess, raising and breeding Arabian horses, traveling the world with Arnold and even helping convert a Burien Chapel into a Norwegian Prayer Sanctuary adorned with rosemaling she did by hand. She spent over 5,000 hours painting the Legend of Saint Nicholas on panels, including finite details using gold paint.

“There wasn’t anything she was afraid to take on,” Anderson says. “She and Dad were both like that, even though she was an introvert, and he was an extrovert.”

Compassion was also a trait well-exercised by both Cherilyn and Arnold.

While serving as the pastor of Glendale Lutheran Church in Burien in the middle of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic, Arnold was one of the few pastors willing to officiate funerals of those who died from the disease. The congregation also partnered with Seattle's Chicken Soup Brigade to ensure the non-profit could provide nutritious meals for the hundreds of Puget Sound Residents fighting AIDS. Cherilyn was also a supporter of Priest River Animal Rescue.

Having both grown up in Northeast Washington, with Arnold herding sheep in North Pend Oreille County as a teenager, Newport held a special place in Cherilyn’s heart. She was involved with Create Arts Center and wanted to see it continue indefinitely.

“It keeps that creativity and art going,” Anderson says. “She would say of Pend Oreille County that it’s always beautiful, never ugly.”

The American Lutheran Church is located at 332801 Hwy. 2, Newport.

SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.