It is wonderful to be a painter and to feel so spiritually connected on lifting your paintbrush that peace descends and envelopes you. 

We can all relate to the words of artist Cerise Washington, an oil painter, guided by her rediscovery of the British master J.M.W. Turner.  Stylistically, her practice draws on Turner’s landscapes from the Romantic Era through painterly abstraction. Acknowledging Impressionism too, this is a distinct style marked by the subtle yet varied use of colour with expressive impasto brush work and emphasis on atmospheric light. With a vision set on evolving her amorphous style, her practice borrows from Turner’s preoccupation with depth and colour, while picking up bright light sources, and reflection in clouds and waves through keen observation feeling her way with daubs of thickened, multiple-pigmented layers.

Early Years, Trials and Tribulations

Vocationally led to a degree in graphic design despite her prevalent aptitude for oil painting since the age of 14, Washington found herself in prestigious creative roles in Dubai and Beirut, working with well-known firms such as Ogilvy & Mather and Orbit Showtime Network as a Graphic Designer and Art Director. Here Washington’s life took a transformative turn, through marriage and motherhood she found time to rekindle her passion for painting. With its wealth of light, vibrant culture, euphoric atmosphere and lifestyle, these Middle Eastern countries reinvigorated Washington’s desire to return to her oils and turps.

This golden period was followed with difficulty. Contending with the sudden loss of her father to cancer, her marital separation, relocating to Beirut, living apart from her children for extended periods; painting became not only a source of solace but a means of healing, reflection and connection – and it still is.

Change followed with a new chapter; a 2016 return to Wimbledon, London relocating from Dubai, and a contemporary art course at Christie’s Education, to develop her knowledge of contemporary art and Western European painting. In this third chapter of her life, Washington found J.M.W. Turner in a new light; “The Slave Ship ”, 1840 is a prime example of Turner’s finest work in the brilliant waves of light dancing brush strokes and composition. Of course, Turner was himself inspired by Claude and Rembrandt, and in Washington’s artistic vision she adopts many of these motifs into her monumental seascapes, masterfully communicating a historic feel due to the meticulous understanding and sensitivity of the Old Masters’ fixation with light.

Critical Acclaim

Her early equestrian paintings were exhibited at the World Trade Centre in Dubai, presenting her work to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; more recently Washington has notably exhibited at the likes of the Oxford International Art Fair and venues across London, such as Covent Garden and Wimbledon. Beyond exhibitions, Washington does not limit her horizons, collaborating with other designers to integrate her artwork into diverse environments, interiors and most recently a new venture into the world of fine art silk accessories bringing fresh intellectual challenges. 

Washington has more recently garnered commissions from celebrities, CEOs, and prominent interior design projects. Her work is featured in private homes and offices in Dubai, Paris, America and London.

Future aspirations include further integrating her art into product designs, exploring other creative avenues and finding an “Artist In Residence” programme. Washington relishes the challenge of taking a client’s brief along with a sensitivity to their personality and environment, then transforming this into a monumental painting that they will live with for the rest of their life. In this way she is fulfilled by communicating with the collector by means of her individual creative language.