Cheryl Humphreys is a visual artist based in Los Angeles whose work in printed matter, specifically paper, transcends the physical realm. Using handmade materials and an impeccable eye for color, she creates evocative monoprints with blind embossings on a 500-pound press in her home studio. These printed paintings feature shapes that play on shadow and movement and have the ability to transport the viewer to another dimension. Her artwork has been featured by Tappan Collective and l’Editions Arts Gallery, to name a few. Cheryl’s career only continues to reach new heights and creative opportunities, and still, her ever evolving spirit is in a constant state of reinvention. “We’re living in a world where a lot of artists can pave new paths and redefine how they work,” she says. “It’s up to me how I want to share my work and put it out into the world.”

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Cheryl, like many other artists, found herself in a creative lull. “I didn’t really have much on my agenda because it was COVID and no one was reaching out.” At the same time, serendipitously one might say, Otra Vox, a new Los Angeles-based residency for artists, opened its doors and was looking for its first resident. “They wanted me to be their case study, and I took one look at the space and said, yes, absolutely.” The space is an industrial type building in the Downtown Arts District that was once an underground venue where Siouxsie and the Banshees allegedly played. Cheryl created her own world inside of this building, transforming the nondescript white-washed interiors into a bright, colorful playroom where she began to cultivate her desire for artistic expansion. “I think the world more than anything right now needs healing,” she told me a few weeks ago for this interview. Inspired by her research in color therapy, Cheryl realized now was the perfect time to explore alternative methods to rehabilitation in the form of an art book.

In Color: Spectral Meditations for Healing, Cheryl’s first published book, features seven colors and their scientific healing properties and is accompanied by full-scale reproductions of original monoprints from her Otra Vox exhibition. From initial conception to physical production, Cheryl poured her soul into a labor of love that will ultimately stand the test of time. Art is so often relegated to something we can see, and not touch. Cheryl has removed that divide, and she’s only just begun. “I just wanted to try something new, something you could experience in the living room or take with you to Joshua tree with mushrooms.” —Maya Eslami.

Inherent Bummer: Tell me about your research on color therapy. Was it always about seven colors?

Cheryl Humphreys: Yeah. So Roland Hunt talks about the seven keys to color healing, and those colors are the seven colors of the visible spectrum.

As in, the colors we see.

Exactly. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Some scientists mention 12 colors that are healing, but the seven really spoke to me because it is the rainbow as we know it. And it felt foundational. If I'm going to start this project – and this project still feels like just the start; it's a seed, I know it's going to grow – I like the idea of making more, adding to the colors. But the seven felt like a perfect foundation. That's just the start. And I wanted this to be for everyone. I think the idea also came from people coming into my studio over the years and describing to me that my works are really meditative. And they're meditative for me, for sure. I get into a rhythm when I'm in the studio and it's where my healing happens. So I loved hearing that [my art] transcends, but this was the first time I decided to call them meditations. They make people feel like they're meditating without even knowing it. Thinking about meditating on a color, seeing all the shades of it, all the hues of it, the dimension of it, the vibration of it.

Did you already have this project going?

No, it was completely created here. I entered [the residency] with two different book ideas, actually, and this is the one that stuck. Color therapy felt like the right thing to be researching because I think the world more than anything right now needs healing. It's going to be a long road ahead, and healing and thinking about healing more resourcefully and alternatively really interested me.

Speaking of colors, talk to me about your process making monoprints.

Every process starts with tearing down paper, measuring it out and tearing it down to the size that I need. And that takes me out of my mind and gets me into my body. Because it's a really physical process. And even the sound of it is so very satisfying.

What do you mean, “the sound of it?”

I’m hand tearing everything with this metal bar that has a sharp edge.

What kind of paper do you use?

I use traditional printmaking paper most of the time. It’s affordable and takes the dye so well. It really absorbs and takes on the color like skin in this way.

How do you choose colors?

The colors just come to me. The measuring and tearing down of paper has to be very intentional and slow. But when I get to the colors, I really just turn off my brain and let my hands do the work and trust them. And then ask myself, “How do I feel in this moment? Does it need a little more yellow?” Every dye is custom made. During this time I've also been exploring natural dyes, but for this project, because it was so much about color, and I have way more control, it had to be synthetic.

So once you did your research on color therapy, how did that influence and affect your art?

There was a period of time where I was researching, head down, highlighting what spoke to me and absorbing the information. And then when I got into the studio, it was very separate. I knew that what I learned was going to influence what my hands did in the studio. Each piece is made from a single plate that I shifted down or rotated. So as many shapes as you see within the composition, the paper was run through the press that many times. It's every wave, every line, that's as many times as it went through. It was a real practice in precision.

That sounds maddening.

It was a challenging process. And I wanted to be resourceful. I liked the idea of just using one plate per paper, and they became breath meditations for me. Even while on press, there's the laying down of the paper perfectly in the same place each time. I'm holding my breath to get it in place perfectly. And then I’d roll it through the press. Then there was this lifting up moment where I was like, “Oh, okay, it worked.” But with each run through the press, they became more and more valuable. There was more and more pressure not to mess up. ‘Cuz it's like, even the 10th one, oh my god, it's all down to this, right now.

Were you using color in the press?

Yeah, so the ink, the actual gradation, is the ink on top of the dyed paper. And between each pass through the press, I soak the paper, so it's the same size every time it goes through. It was very tricky. It was a process.

Paper science.

I have an engineer’s brain. I have that in my family and I like figuring things out. It's very precise, but at the same time there's so much freeform in that, in and of itself. Even though you can see where it doesn't line up perfectly. And there were a couple of days that went by where I was like, “Do I reprint?” But, no, it shows they're done by hand.

Exactly. There is something to be said about being precise and having an engineer's brain in your ability to make art. But at the same time, the imperfections make it personal to you.

And I love the idea of just having one of each color. It was this pressure performance that had to happen on the day of, like a ritual, you know?

How long did it take you to do all seven colors?

Three months. But the whole project, the project as a whole, has been eight months. It was only meant to be a six month residency, and I said [to Otra Vox], “No one's ever made a book in six months, have they?” They were like, “No, but let's try.”

So the intention behind the residency was always to make a book?

I really wanted to make a book. I really wanted to make something for my friends that was affordable and accessible, something they could hang on the wall, in this “not break the bank” way. Something about healing, something to think about when they’re out walking around and they’re looking at the big blue sky. If I think about how that's making me feel peaceful or tranquil right now, or cooling me down physically, from the inside out, that changes my experience of walking through life. Each color is represented in this book as a print. And the shapes are definitely meant to evoke the vibration or the positive effects.

Because of the way we're taught to reference color, learning about their individual healing properties can be mind blowing. It's a new way to express yourself and see expression in color.

Or use a color, choose what color pot you want your plant to live in, or choose what color surrounds you in your home, what you wear every day. Orange is meant to be used at the start of any creative project, because it’s good for flow. It allows ideas to grow without attachment. It allows feelings to flow without weighing you down. It’s expansive for the lungs, which is a good thing, no matter what you’re doing. All of these things affect us, even if it's in a subtle way. Wouldn't you want to make sure it's balanced and nourishing for you? It's been fun to explore and think about and create, and now share. It's been really rewarding.

How did you link up with Otra Vox?

They reached out to me about their initiative and I was immediately onboard. They wanted me to be their case study artist, and I took one look at the space and said, yes, absolutely. It was during COVID, too. Like, how do you feel comfortable coming into a space during that time? And I did.

How would you describe the space?

A big warehouse with this cozy little back room. What's cool about this space is that it used to be an old paint factory and has a lot of creative history. This room specifically has had three different printmakers in it over the years. The owner apparently has photos of Robert Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees playing. Somewhere over in that region there was a stage. It used to be called the Dirt Floor, it was a gay club and…

This whole building?

This whole building. And it was called the Dirt Floor because it literally didn't have a floor. There was just dirt under here. And I imagine everyone getting sweaty and leaving muddy, but in the best, dirtiest way.

Tell me about the experience of releasing the book, because you self-published, right?

Self-published. It even has an ISBN number, which feels very professional. The plan during this time is to hopefully have appointments with some of my favorite bookstores and really get it out into the world. I love the idea of someone sitting in their living room, unwrapping it and being like, “This one speaks to me.” And reading about the color and being like, “Oh, that's why.” And having a connection with it.

It's a very personal interactive book experience.

Oh yeah. And different days, different colors are going to speak to you. I think we're all being asked to be more intentional about everything. Every gathering, everything we're doing. Everything is so much more intentional now. I also think everyone's missing art right now. And these pieces, I don't think you can experience them on your phone.

No, you have to stand in front of them and take the colors in. Are the full-scale prints for sale?

They're not available for anyone yet. Still, like I said, they feel like the artifacts of an idea. A big idea. I'm also curious about how an unrepresented artist adds value to their work. And so this is a bit of an experiment.

How do you feel about that, being an unrepresented artist?

I think it's cool. I think we're living in a world where a lot of artists can pave new paths and redefine how they work because for a long time that wasn’t the case. And so I think it's really exciting. It's up to me how I want to share my work, talk about it, put it out into the world. This book is definitely an experiment. I want to get my art out to my friends. I want them to be able to afford it. And I just wanted to try something new. Something you could experience in the living room or take with you to Joshua tree with mushrooms.

To learn more about In Color: Spectral Meditations for Healing, click here.