Arts & Entertainment

Faces of Artspace: Cheryl Frey Richards

Meet painter, illustrator and designer Cheryl Frey Richards, our first subject in a series profiling the talented residents of Artspace.

Welcome to our new series profiling the creative artists who call Artspace home. Artspace, located on Terry Street, held its last summer with the goal of attracting artists to Patchogue Village. We will use this series to introduce you to some of the talented faces behind its doors.  

Cheryl Frey Richards

Age: 34

Find out what's happening in Patchoguewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Background: Moved to the Patchogue area eight years ago after living in a multitude of places including Kentucky, Indiana, Boston and her hometown of Elyria, Ohio. Now lives in Artspace with her husband and children. 

Talent: Richards specializes in modern/pop landscapes and figures in acrylic, and has been doing it for 13 years. She has several art pieces on display in the halls of Artspace, including an interactive comic strip piece in which anyone can take a marker and fill in the word bubbles to add life to the scenes. Aside from painting, Richards works as a teacher on contract, teaching interactive art history classes at libraries and schools throughout New York.

Find out what's happening in Patchoguewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Q & A

Patch: What drew you to Artspace?

Frey Richards: My family and I were living in Patchogue and we wanted to be able to stay on Long Island. Artspace afforded us the opportunity to remain on Long Island and provide much needed studio space.

Patch: What benefits have you found by living in an artist community?

Frey Richards: I have learned that you do not have to live in a large city to be apart of a fantastic arts community. I feel inspired to create more and experiment with new art forms. It is teaching me to push my art to higher levels.

Patch: What is your favorite aspect of living in the Patchogue area?

Frey Richards: The downtown area has really grown since I moved to Patchogue. I really appreciate how everything you need is in walking distance of my place. I love to support local businesses and I frequent our fantastic library!

Want to learn more about Cheryl Frey Richards and her work? Visit her website here or check out her Facebook page here.

Live at Artspace and want to be featured on Patchogue Patch? Email michael@patch.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here