Artwork copyright Cheryll Leo-Gwin. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Your Ticket Out, 1993-1994

Cheryll Leo-Gwin
American (born 1944)

Location: Valley View Elementary, Ellensburg

About the Artwork

Filled with dream-like imagery, color, and symbols, artist Cheryll Leo-Gwin created Your Ticket Out as part of a series of four winged-horse-shaped steel sculptures that celebrate the imagination. Leo-Gwin notes that her choice of imagery was derived through "stream of consciousness" and contains both beautiful and challenging images. She created this piece as a tribute to her mother, and states: "as in dream, the images are disjointed, time is disjointed, and again, as in a dream, the beginning and end of the experiences are blurred." The steel shape of the winged horse was a castoff that Leo-Gwin found outside of a porcelain enamel plant. It was previously used to make old gas station sign reproductions.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Ellensburg School District.

About the Artist

Northwest artist Cheryll Leo-Gwin creates fantastical compositions using a variety of materials including enamel, metal, painting, and digital. Many of her artworks draw on imagery from dreams as well as her Chinese heritage.