When Jim and Cherry Day met and married four years ago, they not only found a new and special life in East Texas, they found new careers as artists.
"Sitting around watching the birds is one of the most enjoyable parts of our peaceful lives out here in the country," says Jim. Enjoyable as it is. Jim and cherry not only watch nature in their rural Smith County home, they create it.
Jim, a psychologist and former professor at Texas Woman's University, sculpts in wood. His wife, Cherry, sculpts in clay . Cherry, whose mother was also a professional artist, has worked in various mediums, but finds sculpting the most satisfying. "I like to feel the clay. I like to put it on and work it and feel it. I get a tremendous amount of enjoyment out of it," says Cherry.
While Cherry's studio is in the day home, Jim's workshop has the look of a garden cottage, with one end opening up to the outside. He says, "I've always been interested in human emotion so I like to do sculpture that in some way reflects that interest."
The days' sculptures, which fill their home, create an art gallery ambiance that's both warm and impressive. Cherry's works are re-created in limited-edition bronzes, while Jim's sculptures are often determined by the individual pieces of wood he uses.
And while these two artists may ask each others' advice on balance and composition,for the most part their work is kept separate. "We mostly just encourage one another," says Cherry. "It's that creative aspect of our lives that I guess I find so interesting and exciting and fulfilling," says Jim. Those ingredients seem to make up a recipe for success in marriage... and in art.
You can meet Jim and Cherry Day and see their art at the Edom Art Fair, scheduled for the weekend of September 24th and 25th.
Oralia Ortega, reporting. ortega@kltv.com
