Cheri Cappello
Golden, CO cougarcreekranch@yahoo.com
The connection and deep reverence that Cheri Cappello feels for Native people began as a child. Cappello was born and raised on a large cattle and sheep ranch in the Colorado high country. Many hours were spent exploring encampments and burial grounds on her family’s ranch. She collected artifacts and arrowheads while working the ranch with her family. Her respect and kinship grew through the years and were fueled with education, the interest her father instilled and her involvement with the Native people.
Life on the ranch and living in the West taught her the value of nature, animal life and the bond that runs between man and the land. Cappello’s artwork was a natural progression, born out of her respect for Native Americans, the land and the Western lifestyle that she loves. Each one of her pieces is a one-of-a-kind museum-quality work. They are close reproductions of the ceremonial and war shirts, wedding dresses and horse masks produced in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These striking works are created by hand, using elk and buckskin. The hides have been brain-tanned or hand smoked. The artworks are painstakingly brought to life with fine beadwork, done in the traditional lazy-stitch, and authentic adornments originally found on period pieces. The result is a powerful statement honoring Native American culture. Collectors can find Cappello’s work in public and private collections across the country and in Europe and Australia.
She is represented by numerous galleries and has won awards at many prestigious national and international shows.