10 Questions with Chérie Jerrard

Chérie is an English artist with a background in fashion, design, graphics, street art, and illustration. She spent a decade in London working as a fashion illustrator, with her graphic-focused clothing range worn by TV celebrities. She later pursued an MA in Illustration at Manchester School of Art, where she gained acclaim for her live sketching, earning recognition as a protagonist for LAMY and receiving an award from Moleskine.

Her career has been shaped by a desire to push boundaries, moving away from the rigid expectations of perfectionism and commercial constraints. Over time, she shifted towards a more fluid, instinctive approach, allowing spontaneity and exploration to drive her work. Years of sketching people in motion have trained her to capture energy quickly, using expressive mark-making and a mix of materials—including ink, charcoal, and collage—to strike a balance between raw expression and refined detail.

Now focusing on real-world engagement rather than digital sharing, Chérie invites audiences to experience her work in physical spaces, fostering a more personal and immersive connection with her art.

cheriejerrard.com | @cheriejerrard

Chérie Jerrard Self-portrait
Escape the circus, acrylic & collage, A2, 2025 © Chérie Jerrard

ARTIST STATEMENT

Using drawing as a tool to reveal the unseen, Chérie Jerrard has developed a practice shaped by materials and a lifetime of study. Her work is unconstructed, driven by response rather than design. She follows where the process leads, transforming the act of viewing into something unexpected, inviting a deeper connection to both the familiar and the undiscovered. This deeper connection takes her into a realm where the artist no longer controls the process, instead falling back on a lifetime of learning—allowing the work to unfold instinctively, without thought.

Recurring themes in Chérie's work include movement, identity, and self-expression, influenced by her fascination with fashion and dance. She is particularly intrigued by how people present themselves to the world—the choices they make in style and gesture, and the unspoken stories that lie within.

Adorn, Acrylic & ink, A2, 2024 © Chérie Jerrard

INTERVIEW

First of all, tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you, and how would you describe yourself as an artist today?

I am Chérie, an English artist living in the heart of the UK. My background spans fashion, design, graphics, street art, and illustration, and now I embrace a more fluid, instinctive approach by blending all of these influences into my art. Who I am today is a mash-up of those experiences, but without the rigid expectations of perfectionism or commercial constraints.

How has your background in fashion shaped your artistic vision?

It has made me a little cynical, and as such, I'm no longer invested in achieving perfection.
I spent a decade in London as a fashion illustrator, where I placed expectations on myself to perfectly communicate others' designs, moods, and expressions. Over time, I felt the need to disrupt those conventions and move away from the restrictions of interpreting others' visions. This led me to shift towards a more unconstructed, intuitive way of working—one that values spontaneity, exploration, and the unexpected.
My focus has shifted toward self-expression and losing myself in the work without fulfilling a brief.

Flipside, Ink & oil, 40 x 50 cm, 2024 © Chérie Jerrard

Was there a pivotal moment when you decided to fully embrace your own artistic voice?

Yes. I attended an exhibition where the artist had been inspired by something I believed was unique to me. It was a moment of realisation—I had been whispering when I needed to shout. It made me reflect on my artistic identity and recognise that I wasn't expressing myself as clearly or boldly as I should. That experience pushed me to fully embrace my own voice and be more intentional in how I communicate my ideas through my work.

Can you describe your creative process?

My process has evolved into a responsive and intuitive journey. I begin with something that catches my attention and then allow it to guide me, waiting to see where it leads. Drawing is my tool for revealing the unseen—a practice shaped by materials and a lifetime of study.
The process is unstructured, driven by response rather than design. I become a passenger, letting the act of mark-making unfold into something unexpected, inviting a deeper connection to both the familiar and the undiscovered. You can never fully escape the shapes you're drawn to or the movements that feel natural, so my visual language always finds its way to the surface. From there, I refine—gently editing to highlight my favourite details and bring focus to the elements that resonate most.

Are there particular materials or techniques that you feel best express your artistic philosophy?

I enjoy putting materials together in unexpected ways—paint with collage, fluidity with control. Multi Media is an understatement as I will often add something unexpected. At a recent magazine launch I ripped up the magazine cover and pasted it into my sketch.
Sketching moving people forces me to work instinctively, preventing me from over-perfecting the work and losing its energy. I need materials that respond quickly—ones that allow for spontaneity and immediacy. Ink, charcoal, and fluid brushwork help capture movement at the moment, while collage becomes a way to refine and rework the image afterwards. I love street art that is layered and worn down. This balance between raw expression and subtle editing aligns with my artistic philosophy—letting the process lead while knowing when to step in and shape it.

Self-effacing, ink & collage, 40x 32 cm, 2025 © Chérie Jerrard

THE PLAY, ink & collage, 50x50 cm, 2025 © Chérie Jerrard

How do you choose the themes or subjects you explore?

The more I try to move away from fashion, the more it pulls me back. I'm intrigued by how others express themselves through style, whether intentional or not. I enjoy considering the reasons behind their choices and what they are communicating through their appearance. Dance has also been a continuous thread throughout my life—something I've admired, learned, and taught. The shapes, movements, and transitions from one pose or motion to another continually inspire me. Both fashion and dance offer rich, dynamic themes that allow me to explore expression, identity, and fluidity in my work.

What role does experimentation play in your practice?

Years of people sketching have trained me to draw fast, capturing moments instinctively. Now, I'm more invested in experimentation—moving beyond reality into escapism. With the horrors of the world surrounding us, art becomes a necessary counterbalance, offering moments of refuge and imagination.
By allowing the art to draw me in, I enter a dreamlike state—one that can be all-consuming. Experimentation fuels this process. As I move into the second part of my life (turning 50), I can fall back on years of experience. It catches me, like muscle memory and forgotten lessons learned, preventing the process from going too far (with the occasional exception).

What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?

One of my biggest challenges has been the structure I impose on myself—a lingering habit from years of promoting and conveying products, designs, and ideas for others. I spent so long focused on pleasing clients and articulating their visions that I had to unlearn the instinct to question why—because art is more about why not. It has taken time to fully understand that my work must align with my own creative process to achieve the best results. For me, that process is about quieting the mind, accepting what unfolds, and losing myself in the work without thinking about the selling. Art doesn't have to be constructed or justified.

What do you hope people feel or experience when they see your work?

The viewer's eye should travel across the work—there is always movement, like a dance. Subtle elements may be hidden at first viewing, only to reveal themselves later when the art finds a new home.

Lastly, where do you see yourself and your work in five years from now?

I cannot look too far ahead, because that would carry my mind forward just when I've finally found myself in this moment. That is so important to me. I've been forward-focused my whole life, but right now, I'm right here—and I love it.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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