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Falls Church Arts: Cherry’s 'Dinner Party' Receives People’s Choice Award in ‘Home’ Exhibition

Falls Church Arts: Cherry’s 'Dinner Party' Receives People’s Choice Award in ‘Home’ Exhibition
Caroline Cherry's "Dinner Party" received the People's Choice Award at Falls Church Arts' "Home" exhibition. Photo courtesy Cherry Day Art.

Just a year after her 2023 graduation from Clemson University with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts (BFA), Arlington vivid color painter, craft designer, and prodigious talent Caroline Cherry of Cherry Day Art has received the Falls Church Arts’ People’s Choice Award for her painting “Dinner Party,” in the gallery’s ‘Home’ exhibition, running through Sept. 29.

Cherry’s “Dinner Party” is an 18” x 24”, oil-on-canvas painting depicting a homey, cheerful and romantic, pink- and red-hued still life of cozy dinner place settings, wine bottles, and cheerful roses on a gingham tablecloth, with pink flowered wallpaper reflecting the warmth and homeyness of lighted table candles. 

The painting was voted the popular favorite by the show’s visitors. The theme for the exhibit, “Home,” was selected by Falls Church Arts’ Instagram followers. 

Caroline Cherry with her works "Dinner for Two" (above) and "Birthday Happy" (below). Courtesy Cherry Day Art.

“As someone who is in their early twenties, home is a fluid concept for me,” Cherry wrote for the gallery’s blurb on “Dinner Party.” “In college, I was surrounded by my peers and close to my family. However, after graduating, I moved 8 hours away and the concept of what ‘home’ meant continued to change. Home has become an abstract concept surrounded by my friends, roommate, and partner. Home has become the people I surround myself with, not just a place where I live.” 

A Painting Prodigy

A glance at Cherry’s artistic background on her website, cherrydayart.com immediately reveals not only her preference for the color pink, but her prolific artworks since she was six-years-old. 

“I was born and raised in Georgia where my parents encouraged my artistic journey from an early age,” she says. “When I was six-years-old, I attended an art studio, You Gotta Have Art, where I recreated life-size Van Gogh paintings. I particularly remember painting Starry Night, because I was given artistic freedom to paint the houses and, of course, I painted them bright pink.” 

Six-year-old Cherry with her Van Gogh-inspired painting. Courtesy Cherry Day Art.

“These classes I took for fun as a child had a huge impact on my artistic style, creating a love for bold brush strokes and color,” she says. “Fifteen years later, my artwork continues to reflect my love for impressionistic style and vibrant colors, particularly pink!”

Continuing to follow her “passion for art,” Cherry completed her BFA in Visual Arts from Clemson University, with her culminating exhibition “Consume Me” displaying easy facility with color compositions, depth, shadings, settings and moods.

Cherry stands before her culminating art show pieces for her "Consume Me" show at Clemson University. Courtesy Cherry Day Art.

“After graduation, I moved to northern Virginia and started the journey of being a business owner!,” Cherry continues. “I started a mentorship with @not_sorry_art (who is amazing and you should check out!!) which has been such an amazing experience. I was able to rebrand and create Cherry Day Art! I am very excited to see where this journey takes me and thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way!”

On her Instagram feed @cherry_day_art, you don’t have to search back far to see Cherry excelling in her crafts. At age 6, her Van Gogh-inspired camp activity painting could light up a gallery space. 

In March, 2019, her artwork “Wonder” was entered in an All State Competition.

Cherry with her painting "Wonder." Courtesy Cherry Day Art.

In Oct., 2023, Cherry’s “having fun participating in the Falls Church Plein Air contest!” 

Cherry painting in Falls Church Arts' Plein Air Festival, Oct. 2023. Courtesy Cherry Day Art.

For her Consume Me show culminating her senior year in Clemson's BFA program, Cherry’s painting “Date Night” already shows mature mastery as it “represents the way dating has changed over the years with technology with apps like Tinder, but also helps [people] stay connected to the ones we love.” “Dinner for Two” in the same show “explores the relationship we hold with technology as shown by food.” On Instagram, Cherry said, “This painting in particular is from a make-shift dinner I had with a friend during my study abroad in Italy!”

Cherry holds up "Dinner for Two." Instagram photo.

Before graduating from Clemson, Cherry opened a pop-up shop displaying a variety of crafts – from prints, to cards, to candles, to hats, to paintings – at True Orange Boutique at Clemson. “Shop custom art and prints and celebrate Clemson Graduation in style!,” she advertised. 

Cherry's pop-up at True Orange Boutique. Instagram screenshot.

On May 11, 2024, she thanked her mom, Melissa Cherry, the owner of True Orange Boutique, for inspiring her career in art from an early age. “Thank you so much for always inspiring me, pushing me forward, being my support, and helping me with my business! I would not be doing what I am now if it wasn’t for such an amazing role model I had growing up. Watching you grow your business from the ground up inspired me in so many ways and I am so proud to have such a smart, beautiful, hard working mama! I love you!”

On May 30, 2024, she posted on Instagram: “Seeing all my artwork displayed in my own pop-up was surreal and I wanted to share how everything was set up!”

Then, on June 26, 2024, we see the first inklings of inspiration for Cherry’s People’s Choice Award-winning work “Dinner Party." Cherry posted to Instagram: “This was my first time painting a gingham pattern and honestly I was so intimidated by it that I saved it for last! Surprisingly i actually really enjoyed painting it!! The overlapping colors and shadow areas had a lot of subtle temperature changes that were fun to mess around with! I’ll be showing the final piece soon!!”

Cherry takes on painting the gingham tablecloth for "Dinner Party." Instagram screen capture.

Just weeks before the “Home” show opened on Aug. 24, Cherry displayed “Dinner Party,” on Instagram, posting: “New fun painting experimenting with patterns, different glass shapes, and lighting!”

Still life materials for Cherry's "Dinner Party." Instagram screenshot.

The “Home” exhibition will continue at FCA’s gallery spaces at 700-B West Broad St. through Sept. 29.

The gallery of Falls Church Arts is at 700-B West Broad St. (Route 7), Falls Church. The gallery is open Tuesday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

Artworks can also be viewed online at www.fallschurcharts.org. All pieces can be purchased at the gallery or on the website.

For our article on the "Home" show's Juror's Choice Winner see below:

Falls Church Arts: Dubliner’s ‘Rome Sweet Rome’ Wins Juror’s Choice Award in ‘Home’ Show
A sculptor of sacred art from Dublin wins the Juror’s Choice Award for his quite dark and striking memento mori painting “Rome Sweet Rome” in Falls Church Arts’ new show “Home.”

By Christopher Jones