Kevin Cherry has a way with metal. In fact, steel is his favorite medium and what comes out of his studio is at once practical, whimsical, architectural, and often just plain fantastic. Pretty much whatever his clients dream up, Cherry can create using metal and a welder’s torch. His vision is artistic and his eye for design is unmatched.
Since arriving in Sonoma in 2002, Cherry has struck up a friendship and working relationship with developer, philanthropist and Ramekins owner Darius Anderson and his wife Sarah, owner of Chateau Sonoma. A restored farmhouse on Fifth Street East is one place the Andersons hang their hats and it is on a piece of this property that Cherry has created his ramshackle studio.
Upon meeting the Andersons and completing numerous jobs for them, including all the metal work in the new Ramekins event center, word of Cherry’s work has spread like wildfire. He is too reserved to say that he is in demand but many of the contractors for whom he has worked now try to hire no one else – so meticulous and creative is his work.
A transplant from Reno, Cherry is a completely self-taught sculptor. He dabbled in painting and graphics for a while and then moved to San Francisco to try his hand at building furniture. A temporary job working for renowned metal artist and art professor Fletcher Benton turned into a three-year stint, bringing him invaluable hands-on education and exposure. From there, he scored a much-coveted nod from Limn Studios in San Francisco for whom he created a sleek, 10-foot long stainless steel bench. The piece was accepted for the prestigious Limn furniture show and quickly snapped up by a collector – a feat almost unheard of for beginners in custom-made furniture circles.
Today Cherry creates whatever his clients ask for. He is particularly fond of a sculpture called Kiddo! Point. His first commissioned public art piece – for the Mill-Valley based after school program of the same name – it is a giant, floating red exclamation point that no one can ignore.
Back home in our Valley, Cherry is known for his custom pool furniture, railings, range hoods, wine cave doors, lighting and unique sculpture. Local contractor Jon Curry has sought out Cherry’s expertise on numerous jobs throughout Sonoma. Curry himself has a top-notch reputation to protect but he never worries when bringing Cherry into the picture.
“Kevin is a true artisan. Everything he gets his hands on is unique – never off-the-shelf. Everyone is bored to death with the sameness of manufactured fixtures. So to get someone who can create something with a sense of design – a true piece of art – is extraordinary. When that happens, you start to create something really special in a home,” said Curry. “Kevin is not only a fabulous mechanic but a great, incredibly professional guy to work with.”
It should be noted that rust is one of Cherry’s best friend. In that vein, another of his favorite pieces now stands at the top of Trinity Road on the Lookout Ridge Winery property. Called Dos Amigos the piece was inspired by the legendary Mexican artist Jose Guadelupe Posada and brought to life for a Dia de los Muertos celebration at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. Looking at the piece, it is hard not to picture the Grateful Dead’s dancing skeletons as sombrero-clad hombres or to notice the nod to wine country with the conspicuously placed holes for wine bottles.
Cherry will try his hand at most anything including creating a custom, moveable tequila bar from a horse trailer that he dreamed up for a friend venturing to Burning Man. Most recently, he created a pop-art sort of carousel for Prestwood School’s graduating class. The rotating sphere comes complete with custom-made tiles bearing the names of each fifth-grade student. It now stands in the school’s Maloney Perfect Moment Garden – a gift to the school and a permanent monument to the class.
“I’ve met some really great people here in Sonoma who have helped me network and make contacts,” said Cherry. “For me, it’s about doing what I love – creating art that people can enjoy.”
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