Cheryl Pettigrew graduated from Western State College, now Western State University of Colorado, in May, 2000. During her education she gained a wealth of knowledge about painting by studying the masters. Among her favorites to learn from were Cezanne, Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh. While in college her emphasis was the human form and still lifes but has since preferred to work landscapes, seascapes and images of the cosmos and what lies beyond our sight.