Fish, Fruits, and Flowers

Fruits, flowers, vases, textiles, a Japanese screen and figurine, and even a bowl holding goldfish jostle for attention in Kathryn Cherry’s still life. The artist presents a riot of patterns, colors, and textures. Cherry was a dynamic figure in the St. Louis art scene in the early 20th century. In 1910, she became a founding faculty member of the University City Art Academy and Porcelain Works. For the next five years, she earned a reputation as the finest china painter in the country while teaching hundreds of students. In 1915, she became the head of the art department at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, and built a career as a nationally recognized still-life painter.