Sherry Klassen: Whistler And Art

Sherry Klassen is a free-style painter who lives in Whistler BC, a world-class destination for visitors from around the world. Ensconced in nature’s playground on the west coast of Canada, she steps out of her door each day to be inspired by the mountains, forest, and waters.

Sherry is connected to animals and loves to capture their personality and quirkiness. She paints mostly in acrylic on canvas. Sherry explains she started late in life and now she is growing her talent, working towards an art certificate at the famed Emily Carr University.

“I’m not a hyperrealist and I try hard to be free. I gravitate in a more experimental direction, maybe a little bit impressionistic and slightly abstract. Color is a huge draw. I love vibrant colors. I look at a picture of a bear and I see blue or purple in the shadows, so I push it in that direction.”

Arts Whistler Community

Sherry is involved in a one-of-a-kind chairlift project for Arts Whistler. Whistler is full of incredible artists, and they took recycled, decommissioned, gondola chairs and turned them into different themed art installations. They will install these chairs along the village stroll in Whistler and then they’re going to auction them off with the money going to charity.

Sherry does a lot of pet commissions, like a grizzly for a 60^th birthday or the creation of a hobby farm full of a man’s pets as a memorial to a man who passed away before realizing his dream.

How Did You Start Painting?

“I started about 15 years ago. It’s a discovery later in life and I just enjoy it so much.

I didn’t really do any art in school. In fact, I didn’t even realize that I had any kind an artistic bend or talent. I was fixing up our house and went out looking for new art and saw some pieces I loved, and of course, they were quite expensive. I thought I can do that. So, I went out and I bought some paint and some canvas and let me tell you, it was a hot mess. It was horrible. It was so bad. I thought, now I understand why it’s expensive.

But I kept going because I loved the process. There is something about playing with the paint and putting it on the canvas. I really enjoy the process. It makes me relax and focus on the moment. I find it soothing.

At first, though it was horrible. All of it. I don’t think I had one canvas that I didn’t paint over for the first two years. There are layers and layers of paint on every single one. But, eventually, I started taking a few workshops. In Whistler, they have this project Art On The Lake. They have incredible artists from all over the world because everybody wants to come to Whistler, so I get this opportunity for two or three days to work with these artists and learn from them. I’m improving and trying to grow and love it. It’s all fabulous.”

 

What is a key piece of wisdom that you’d like to share with women?

My big life learning is getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Anytime I’ve made a change, I’m always afraid of failing, meeting new people, not being liked, of rejection. Every time you do it, you’re growing and learning and hopefully, you gain a little bit of wisdom, some confidence and it moves you forward. If you don’t push yourself, you’re never going to grow.

Have you got a book that that’s been meaningful?

I love to read. I read all the time. Mostly fiction. I love strong female lead characters but that one book that I think was probably very impactful for me that I would recommend is basically teaching women how to manage money. And it’s fantastic. It’s David Bach, Smart Women Finish Rich. He also wrote The Latte Factor, he’s written a lot of books, but I found it easy to read easy to understand. They continue to update it and it’s very relevant. I would recommend it to everybody.

What is a key piece of learning that stood the test of time?

I’m extremely happy. When I start to feel unhappy though, I try to do something for somebody else. The one piece of advice I would give is if you’re feeling disappointed in your life or unhappy with yourself, do something for somebody else and it doesn’t have to be big. I really believe that little things make a difference and even if you just do something for one person, one day and brighten their day and surprise them or do something thoughtful or something that you would like somebody to do for you, well you can change the world.

When have you been most satisfied?

Now, which might be surprising as Covid has put some restrictions on all our lives, but in general, these past few years have been very satisfying for me. I am retired, married to the same man for 31 years and we are very compatible and share many of the same interests. Whistler, where I live is an amazing year-round outdoor wonderland. I have good health; great friends and I am enjoying my life immensely. I feel extremely grateful for my good fortune. Although I also believe that we can make our own luck.

What was the best advice you ever received?

I have had a lot of good advice from a lot of very intelligent people, and I try to absorb it all. Some of the best advice came from my paternal grandmother who told me to always live within my means and to set aside some savings.

 

Learn More

See Sherry’s Website

View and purchase Sherry’s art from ROAM Gallery and Arts Whistler

Learn more about Arts Whistler

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