Our Artists

BIOGRAPHY

Cherisse Pacheco

Cherisse Pacheco (b. 1955) was born in Billings, Montana and grew up in Pleasant Hill, Oregon. She paints and draws every day. At home, she mostly uses crayon on a sheet of paper taped down on the tray of her wheelchair. She spends 1-3 hours coloring on each piece, not letting her limited mobility hold her back from creating rich, colorful, textured drawings with a dense application of colors in gorgeous contrast.

Her medium of choice at the studio, however, is paint on canvas. Using a custom easel (designed for her by a volunteer) she paints large canvases with great intention and determination. Large color fields of brushstrokes cover the canvas and overlap with one another. Pacheco has been known to say “Oh, Golly!” when taking a break and taking a look at the piece she has created. Coloring and painting is her way of expressing feelings and ideas which she cannot verbalize due to neural damage from an accident many years ago. Pacheco has had several solo shows in the community. Her shows, with walls covered entirely with her work, give people a sense of serenity and joy as they contemplate her fields of color.

Pacheco is also interested in music and can be found singing and playing keyboard with her close friend and support staff, Ben. She has been coming to classes at the OSLP Arts & Culture Program since it was established in the fall of 2012.​