“Sheri’s paintings are refreshing and inspiring,” said Verde Valley Verde writer Teri Baugh.
“It’s such a wonderful place to live and paint,” said Morris, who found her dream home on a knoll with picturesque views. “I love the Verde River, the surrounding mountains, old buildings and the Native American ruins here.”
Drawing and painting is something Morris has loved since her youth, but she said it was an art teacher at her high school in Phoenix who inspired her. “They had a really good art program,” she said.
Though Morris’s current work is exclusively oil painting, her career in art started with pastels. “I worked as an art therapy counselor, so I didn’t have time to paint. Then a colleague’s mother was teaching pastels. I took a class and really liked it. As soon as I retired, I took a two-week class with Richard McKinley Fine Art in Santa Fe. That’s when my career started.”
“Sheri’s artwork is amazing,” said Route 66 Images owner, Efren Lopez. “I can tell by her quality. I have friends in Oklahoma who have purchased her artwork and they love it. She has a lot of followers and she is a very kind human being.”
Two years later, Morris submitted her work to the prominent Arizona Pastel Artists Association. “Artists submit their work and they are juried to see if you are good enough to be in the society,” she said. “They give a yearly show in Sedona and this year they had an international show in Prescott.” Morris’s work was featured in several shows in Sedona.
Morris painted with pastels for 10 years but had to discontinue the medium. “I got pastel dust into my lungs and developed asthma. It was really bad and it took me five years to recover. Some of the pastels are made of cadmium and cobalt and I wasn’t careful enough.”
Changing over to oil painting has been a good fit for her.
“Sheri’s paintings are refreshing and inspiring,” said Verde Valley Verde writer Teri Baugh. “I have one original pastel displayed on my wall at home, along with five photos of her pastels and oils. She is an extremely talented artist.”
Washington state is where Morris was born, but she was raised in Phoenix. She returned to Washington for a few years and then moved to Kingman and finally Camp Verde. Professionally, she has worked as a teacher and counselor and also as a senior instructor for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Kingman. “I have a Master of Arts degree in secondary education from Arizona State University and a Master of Arts degree in counseling from Northern Arizona University.”
“While living in Kingman I did several one-woman art shows at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts and I won several prizes at different shows in Mohave County.”
Three years ago, one of Morris’s paintings of Camp Verde monsoon clouds was featured at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. “It was a temporary show, so the piece was returned.”
Recently, Morris says she donated 27 paintings to the Friends of the Camp Verde Public Library. “All proceeds went to the library.”
Keeping fit, Morris walks three miles a day with one of her daughters and belongs to an active Taking Off Pounds (TOPS) weight loss chapter in Camp Verde and a book club. She is also an avid traveler and has visited several countries. She says her mission is to teach people to look and see the beauty of color in nature: “To learn how to see more when they look at the beautiful place we live in.”
Morris is a member of the Verde Valley Culture Collective and also a member of an experimental art group that meets regularly and paints together.
“Sheri was one of the first members of the Verde Valley Culture Collective and helped in forming the organization. She is a wonderful artist and an even more special member of our community,” said Verde Valley Cultural Collective Coordinator Barry Brennan. “Sheri also helped a lot in the fundraising that enabled the Camp Verde Library to be built.”
Morris has four daughters, two grandsons, one granddaughter and three great-grandsons. QCBN
By V. Ronnie Tierney, QCBN
For more information, Sheri Morris can be reached at windwarrior23@gmail.com.
Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney at Fresh Focuses Photography: Inspired by her surroundings, Sheri Morris captures a monsoon cloud on canvas in her studio.
Leave a Reply