When it comes to technique, Cheply considers himself somewhere between the Photorealists and the Impressionists. People frequently think that his precisely detailed paintings are photographs. He does take reference photographs, but only as a starting point. “I need to paint the essence or the feel of that particular situation or time element,” he offers. Cheply also prefers to “work large,” declaring that in a small painting, the feeling of grandeur just doesn’t come across to the viewer.

As far as artistic goals go, he says he is living them. When the Arizona Museum of Natural History put out a call for artists, “they had a stack of resumes, many from artists who are world-renowned. They called me in for an interview and said they needed a backdrop for the lion that was in the La Brea Tar Pits, that showed what was going on in the world at that time.” Being chosen to create the museum’s murals was the fulfillment of a childhood dream, says Cheply. As a boy he had seen trompe l’oeil murals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. They left a lasting impression.

In addition to the Mesa museum  honor, Cheply’s accolades include numerous Best in Show awards, and his work is in the permanent collection of Phoenix’s Burton Barr Central Library.

The hope of this painter is that his art encourages people to enjoy nature while it is still around—before it turns into a “shopping mall or a parking lot or a freeway,” he asserts.

Visit craigcheply.com for more about the artist. Upcoming juried exhibits include: Herberger Theatre Center in Phoenix, April 4 -June 30; and Tempe Public Library, May 7-June 27 and Aug. 29-Dec. 3.