Sunday, July 25, 2010

Pink and Yellow Floral Arrangement

Pink and Yellow Flowers
by
Cheri Wollenberg
I did this arrangement of vibrant pink and yellow flowers in impressionistic style. Beautiful analogous colors are laid in heavily with brush strokes and palette knife.  I loved the warm colors in this composition.  A young lady in Canada bought it in my shop in Etsy.

Bouquet of Lilacs

Shirley's Lilacs
by
Cheri Wollenberg

Each spring my friend Shirley shares bouquets of her beautiful, fragrant lilacs with me for still lifes. I can hardly wait till I get home to set them up in a composition using some of my favorite containers and objects. The process is so exciting and the fragrance enhances each brushstroke.  In this particular set up I chose a copper pot to place them in.  It made a lovely color combination, and I particularly admired the reflection on the black table surface.  I also added strewn lilac petals around which further filled the negative space in an exciting way.  

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Little Girl Jumpers - Jumper Parade

Jumper Parade
16x20 Original Oil Painting on Canvas
by
Cheri Wollenberg

This is an original oil painting that features five patterned and colorful, little-girl jumper dresses hanging on a clothesline. The inspiration for it came from a fellow etsy seller. Lauren was gracious enough to give me permission to paint it. It reminds me of my mother's clothes line. There were lots of girls in our home. I was especially drawn to the different patterns and colors of these little clothes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did painting it. Please look up OriginalsbyLaurenToo (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7994230) on etsy. She is a fantastic seamstress. Her clothing line for little girls is a treasure to find.






I sell giclee prints of this painting on etsy (http://www.chatterboxart.etsy.com/) under the description of Lauren's Laundry. To buy the original you may contact me at that link or contact me through my blog.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Oklahoma Black-eyed Susan Meadow

Oklahoma Black-eyed Susan Meadow
by
Cheri Wollenberg

This is yet another meadow of black eyed susans that I spotted on a drive to Oklahoma. Through the years my husband has quit being startled when I say “stop” to take a photo! In fact he has begun to be on the lookout with me (smiles). Though the black eyed susan is considered a weed I cannot ever dislike it. The golden carpets they make are so inviting. It is like they are speaking to us, telling us to come….run through them, smell them, touch them, pick them, and enjoy them.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Green Apples and Turquoise Pitcher

Turquioise Pitcher and Fruit
by
Cheri Wollenberg

This painting features a turquoise pitcher that I use quite often in my still lifes.  It has great shape and color and has a country feel.  It will also reflect other colors beautifully which makes for exciting color in  compositions.  This particular painting has a neutral background with seinnas splashed occationally with red oranges and oranges....to complement the blue greens in the pitcher.  The green apples make a great  discord interest. The fruit is cradled in a vintage tea towel.
If you are interested in purchasing this painting you may do so by following this link:

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

White Lilies

White Lilies
9x12 Original Oil on Canvas
by
Cheri Wollenberg

There is a first time for everything!  I have never attempted painting the lily.  Oh my, they are elegant and dignified white flowers.  I enjoyed the creating the curls and curves of each petal with my brush.  This is a small, 9x12 painting that I practiced on before beginning a larger still life composition in which I included a bouquet of the white lilies.  Great experience!  You can purchase this painting on http://www.chatterboxart.etsy.com/

Monday, July 19, 2010

Pink Roses

Pink Roses in Pale Turquoise Vase
by
Cheri Wollenberg
(Sold)
In the late spring one of my students brought fresh roses from her garden for several weeks.  She provided quite an array of colors each week.  My class had the best time painting the still lifes we set up.  We are still painting on some of the images taken in the photo shoots of those sessions.  This painting is one that I cropped so that I could enhance the roses to their full potential.  I wanted some discourse colors added to the composition for interest, but I wanted the pinks to be very  prominent.  I loved doing them.  I had better luck getting these subtle tones of pinks by adding light red to my palette.  I used alizarin crimson and light red for the lightest pinks and added a primary red that I tucked away to given an additional red tone.   I decreased the intensity of the pinks by adding yellow greens and I'm really quite pleased with the result.  I still have a tendency to overwork some, but I'm satisfied that I didn't completely do it in (smiles).

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Three Little Pears

Three Little Pears
6x6 Oil on Stretched Canvas
by Cheri Wollenberg

This painting is a vignette of a larger still life that I set up recently. The three little pears sit perfectly in a saucer against a very dark background. The colors of reds, red oranges, yellow and yellow ochre with greens of the pears are enhanced by the light coming from the right….giving a big chiaroscuro effect on a very small canvas.  This painting may be purchased online at http://www.chatterboxart.etsy.com/.

Watermelon - A Summer Snack

Watermelon - A Summer Snack
by
Cheri Wollenberg

This painting of watermelon was something I’ve wanted to do all summer. In fact I have another one started at the moment that is much larger. Creating the texture, color and form in this small 6x6 format was a pleasant process. My grandson, Cole, ate this piece plus a couple more as soon as I finished.  This painting can be purchased at my etsy website:  http://www.chatterboxart.etsy.com/  

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Indian Paintbrush in Oklahoma

Indian Paintbrush in Oklahoma
by
Cheri Wollenberg


We visit Oklahoma quite often.  We have a farm home there and our grandchildren live just down the road.  One early morning  in the spring I drove some country roads looking for different landscapes to paint. I didn't have time on this particular trip to set up a field easel so I took my camera.  I guess you could call me a visual scavenger (grin).  It had been an especially good year for the wildflowers and I came upon this equisite view of Indian Blanket with several tree lines graduating into the distance of a couple of miles. What a sight! This is one of the paintings that came from the beautiful view that day.
Prints for this painting can be purchased at http://www.fineartamerica.com/



Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Free Peppers

Peppers
by Cheri Wollenberg

Yellow Pepper
by Cheri Wollenberg


As my husband and I entered our church one Sunday evening, we saw a box at the information desk. On it was a sign, "Free, take what you want." It was not signed so several people who were in that area began to guess who the generous person was.  What a nice gift!  I have to admit I was thinking...........Oh, what beautiful subjects to paint! How can I decide on so few? Do I really take what I want, or should I think of others and take only a few.  I just have to tell you that they were a tempting lot....right there in church! So I did a very thoughtless thing and took several of the most beautiful and unusual shaped, brilliant peppers that I have ever seen.....and the variety of kinds were amazing. The shorten this story, I will say that I painted two today and I plan on painting more. I think I might place one of my paintings in the same place we found the box, and place a sign on it, "Free, to the thoughtful one who brought the peppers."

Monday, July 12, 2010

Oranges and Poppies

Oranges and Poppies
by Cheri Wollenberg
(Sold)
Exciting complementary composition that dazzles the eye in vibrant yellow-oranges to blue-purples with rusts, browns, and golds splashed throughout as discords. This painting is framed with a wooden cradle stained in dark brown.

Pink Vase and Strawberries


This small painting is one I produced after I did several daily painting studies of strawberries. I wanted to create a feeling of warmth and enticement with warm, brilliant reds and pinks. It is feminine in nature and mood and appeals to me.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Blue and Pink Hydrangea


Blue and Pink Hydrangea
12x12 Original Oil Painting on Wrap Around Canvas

by
Cheri Wollenberg

Composition is always one of the first things I think about when I begin the process of painting. I have found that it is better for me to think things out first. When painting from a picture as beautiful as the one Dana Marie has provided, many decisions seem to be already made for me. It is rather tempting to paint exactly as the image. Since it is such a wonderful image in the first place, I began to think first in terms of originality and format. Where should I place the focal point? I didn't want to copy her image exactly. I decided to go for a square format, 12x12, and squeeze the clusters of hydrangea a little closer. Next, I changed a couple of the flowers to shades of pinks and red blue-purples. Early on as I painted I wanted to use more yellows and yellow oranges in the background to complement the blue and purple shades of the hydrangea. This set a perfect stage for the little yellow beauties to become more harmoneous to the whole composition. What fun! Thank you Dana Marie. Hope your move goes well.

Poppy The Pig, Original Oil Painting by Cheri Wollenberg

Poppy Original 8x8 Oil Painting On Canvas by Cheri Wollenberg   Poppy is pig who might be hungry and waiting on his master to bring corn or ...