Where Oceans Meet
Cheryl Wheeler’s paintings are about connection – to the ocean, to the land, and to the quiet moments that often pass unnoticed. Over the past 25 years, she has developed a body of work that captures the changing rhythms of nature, using her unique process of acrylic mixed media pouring.
Formally trained at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and through mentorships with established artists and ongoing professional classes, Wheeler has built a strong foundation in the technical side of painting. But it’s her openness to the unpredictable – the way paint moves and settles, much like the tide – that has become the hallmark of her work. She layers pigments and organic elements, letting them interact naturally to create the depth and movement that many find captivating.
Published in the 2025 Summer Issue of ZOOM Magazine
Cheryl’s inspiration comes from her life spent between two oceanside communities: the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Each place adds its own colours and textures to her palette. The misty greens and deep blues of the Pacific Northwest meet the vibrant, sunlit tones of the Mexican coast. Together, they shape the feeling of her paintings – calm, grounded, yet full of life.
Collectors often describe a sense of calm and excitement when they bring Cheryl’s work into their homes. Many have shared how the pieces seem to shift with the light, revealing new layers and details over time. One couple, Bob and Heather Thomson, commissioned a special painting capturing a Puerto Vallarta sunset with a sailboat passing by. Now hanging in their Nanoose Bay home, they say it brings a daily sense of peace and happiness, describing the work as “a window into a perfect moment.”
Though some paintings may seem to come together in a matter of hours, what unfolds on the canvas is really the result of 25 years of dedication, learning, and careful observation – plus those final few hours where experience and instinct meet. Each work reflects not just the time spent painting, but the lifetime spent seeing.
For Cheryl, creating art is less about control and more about listening – to the materials, to the environment, and to the feeling she wants to share. Bringing one of her paintings into a home offers more than decoration; it offers a quiet, enduring companion. Even on the darkest days, the beauty, colour, and calm of nature are right there, within reach – a reminder of the world’s wonder and the beauty each of us carries within ourselves.