Self Made In the Mountains
by Dee Ash
Pens of Whimsy ~ Cheyanne Valera
“I don’t want to just draw what I see. I want to draw how I feel,” says Cheyanne. From the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to the Brookdale Lodge is where you will find her and her digit
al art pad working diligently to turn her emotions into art. As an Alaskan native who grew up isolated on a goldmine, Cheyanne spent her days creating art. She said that if she wanted something, she had to make it with whatever resources she could find. From weaving to painting, Cheyanne explored many forms of art but fell in love with pen and watercolor mediums. She considered careers in cartooning, clothing design, and even architecture, eventually going to school for clothing design.
Over the years, her travels led her to California where breaking into the local Santa Cruz art scene wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped. She finally found kinship in Alameda, we’re a tight-knit group of artists who took her in as one of their own. Traveling back to the Santa Cruz Mountains with her daughter Athena, she settled in Felton, California where she helped as caretaker of the Rose Acres property until its sale in 2020. Cheyanne’s art is a direct reflection of her emotions, her free spirit, and her zest for adventure. With images such as the Brookdale Lodge, depicting a pinup-style girl leaning on a barrel of moonshine. A tattoo can be seen on her arm that reads “Burn it down, collect the ca$h” ~and tells a story of the infamous history that once shadowed the historic landmark. The cement ship in Capitola is held afloat by a mermaid just under the depths of the sea. Strange things are happening at the Mystery Spot, as the twins stare into the middle of the redwood trees. There is no limit to what Cheyanne’s imagination will bring us next.
Digital art is a fairly new medium for Cheyanne as all of her art supplies were stolen during a break-in at her Scotts Valley storage unit
in February, just before her gallery exhibit at Lille Aske in Boulder Creek. With the help of local printers and friends, Cheyanne was able to get her art printed in time for a successful showing. Her art “Walk me through the fire” , a drawing of woodland creatures such as Bigfoot and Albert, was featured in a fundraiser helping raise $1400 to support the community after the CZU lighting complex fire in 2020. Her giving heart is as big as her ideas.
On May 29th and 30th you can find Cheyanne
and her at the Hallcrest Vineyards May Day event in Felton, Cali
fornia. She’s also looking forward to various pop-up events in the San Lorenzo Valley this year. Her art is available online at www.umlautand kumquat.com or on Facebook and Instagram @pensofwhimsy.
Hard work, determination, and incredible talent is exactly what it took for Cheyanne Valera to truly be Self Made in the Mountains.
