Cheryl Humphreys - Mr. Wren & Friends

Quiet Rituals

In her downtown studio, Cheryl Humphreys somehow turns ritual and repetition into actual calm – even while life around her is anything but. As she gets ready for a cross-country move, we stopped by to talk about process, presence, and why printmaking might just be her most reliable coping mechanism.

Beautiful space – when did you move in here?

February 2021

You often talk about wanting to create a sense of physical calm. How do you know when a piece carries that energy?

I’m not sure that I set out to make works that create a sense of physical calm, but I do consider myself a process-based artist. Setting up to pull even a single print can take two meticulous hours. I like to maximize this time with a plan and a quiet, focused mind. In this way, my approach to printmaking is rooted in ritual; the result is a reflection of that process.

“I’m not chasing perfection – I’m chasing that drop-in state where everything finally goes quiet.”

Printmaking can feel meditative – how does repetition shape not just your process, but your mindset while you’re working?

I think there’s a drop-in state that occurs anytime you’re doing something over and over again. Each roll through the press and each pull off the plate creates a unique mark or flood of color, and the excitement never fades. Printmaking is like magic in this way: you never get to see the actual mark being made. It’s hidden under a blanket between the plate and the paper.

What’s an average day looking like in your world?

Oh geez, there’s no average day in this life right now. Between running a design studio, chasing after a wild three-year-old, preparing for a move across the country, spending intentional time with loved ones (whom I’ll miss dearly), and carving out time for my art practice, I can honestly say that every day is unique. The impending big life change is keeping me VERY present.

There is an average start to the day though… a warm cup of coffee in bed, in the dark, with my husband. Quiet time together before our son wakes. We talk about how we think the day will go.

Your design background clearly informs your approach – how do those systems and that discipline translate into your studio practice?

I can’t tell if my design practice helps me or hurts me in my fine art practice. There are so many rules in design. ‘Form follows function’ is the most difficult for me to ignore. My fine art practice is exploratory. I love working with paper: a utilitarian resource, affordable, for all; something so present in my design practice. It has always been an easy place to start. A mentor once referred to it as a ‘generous’ material. I love this.

My fine art practice is my time away from solving a client’s problem, so I really like to keep it simple. I need to keep it simple.

You and your husband run a design practice together – what’s that collaboration like?

Mike and I met working together at a small design studio in West Hollywood. We worked at another one in Culver before eventually starting our own, Arms Studio, Inc. Collaboration is the foundation of our relationship. It’s how we started, and we work really hard to keep it healthy, growing, and supportive.

“Printmaking still surprises me, and I hope it never stops.”

Becoming a parent often shifts how time moves through a day – has motherhood changed how you enter the studio?

ABSOLUTELY. Entering the studio has become the only time I’m actually alone in a personal space. Not ‘in service’. Time to myself, to think, do, and just be.

Your In Color project pulled together years of research into one tactile form – almost like a color field you can hold. What led you to make it so physical, and what did it teach you?

A color field you can hold is exactly right! Curiosity led to research, which led to its physical form. I created In Color during a residency here in LA. It was the pandemic, and I was curious about the colors we surround ourselves with and their effects on us. So many of us were reconsidering our personal spaces at that time in different ways.

You’ve spent time working in places like Mexico and Portugal – what did those environments offer that still echo in your work today?

Portugal was the most recent. I spent my time there learning how to make paper. Lately I’ve been exploring making paper lanterns out of what I made there. More to come.

You’ve hosted drawing workshops that focus on curiosity over outcome – what inspired that approach, and what have those sessions revealed about process?

The workshops have always been about community building and encouraging others to simply make. The healing powers of creating without an expected outcome or a need to sell are far-reaching. So many working creatives forget to just sit in a room, listen to good music, and get lost in a process.

My husband and I would host these figure-drawing workshops in our living room. To be in a room quietly for two hours while creating side by side with twenty other people will give you a buzz you haven’t felt since art school!

“There’s a magic in not seeing the mark being made – in trusting what happens under the blanket.”

You’re moving from Los Angeles back to Baltimore – what’s the plan for this next chapter?

HOT TOPIC! Even reading this question feels surreal. I’m looking forward to building out a studio in our home. The commute downtown has started to wear on me. Time in the car = time away from my son, and I like the idea of being able to dip in and out of work/domestic mode more fluidly. I’m feeling the pull to be more agile in my schedule.

I’m really looking forward to seasonal living, newness, and a space to get my hands in the dirt.

When’s the next Sunday Salon – and is that your last before the move?

Next Sunday Salon will be in the beginning of December. I think Mike and I will host <3. Yes, the last before we move. The beautiful thing about the Sunday Salon is that it spans coasts. There’s one in NYC and one here. My friend Colleen started the one in NYC in 2017 and has grown the list to over 250 people. She has taught me so much about holding space for others to share. She actually texted me this morning and told me that someone from LA is going to the NYC one tonight!

cheryllouisehumphreys.com
@cheryl_humphreys