Local Woman Turns Grief Into Art

At 21 years old, Sherie Sloane’s life changed.

She was studying accounting in the Philippines and on the brink of starting a career when her father died.

“I was very close to him,” Sloane said. “I didn’t know how to express my grief.”

Sloane knew she needed a way to cope with her father’s death and deal with her emotions. As it happens, while taking a stroll with her mother, Sloane saw a poster advertising an art workshop. Not being the artistic ‘type,’ she was hesitant. But her mother encouraged her to try something new.

“The course changed my life,” Sloane said. “This was the perfect way for me to express myself.”

And an artist was born.

Sloane tells a story with every piece. She paints with purpose. She has a memory with every stroke of her brush. With every color lies an expression of her past. The finished product carries a piece of her history, of the family that used to be complete.

Sloane started her art using acrylics and oils but water coloring, a hard medium to learn and master, is her favorite style.

“I always want my paintings to be lively and fresh,” Sloane said. “I want my paintings to be full of life – to tell stories.”

Sloane has won a host of awards including a national art competition sponsored by greeting card company Himme Productions and national art showcase Paint America. Her work has been featured in showcases ranging from Tinley Park to Chicago. 

But she has not forgotten her past or her homeland. Sloane continues to give back with art through volunteerism. Every two years she goes back to the Philippines where she was born and raised to volunteer at the orphanage where she would help out before she moved to the states.

Her favorite portrait was from a picture she took outside of a church of a girl selling flowers. It hangs as a centerpiece in her living room.

“It’s a visual reminder of our roots. It’s the reason we give back,” she said.

Aside from her two children, Sloane and her husband supports a child with a monthly donation through the Child’s Fund organization. In addition, Sloane founded Kids Art for Peace, a worldwide online organization of young artists advocating peace through inspirational art. 

With two small children of her own Sloane only finds time to be creative in the early morning hours when her family is asleep.

“Sometimes I want to hit the snooze button but I need to have that creative outlet even if it’s just for an hour or two,” she said.

She started the morning artist blog as a result of her early bird retreats. Samples of Sloane’s new works can be viewed on the walls of in Mokena. She will also hold her yearly summer class at the Chicago Children’s Museum in June.

“The art catapulted me into more roles,” Sloane said. “And the rest is history.”