Last of Mom's Zinnias 2010

Last of Mom's Zinnias 2010

6x8 Oil on Canvas

by

Cheri Wollenberg

(SOLD)

When we made our trip to Oklahoma last we worked on my mother's lawn.  She has lovely flowers that she grooms faithfully spring, summer and fall.  In one corner she keeps  a bed of zinnias.  The plants themselves were beginning to appear straggly (if this is a word).  The last few blooms were still so brilliant and colorful I asked her if I could have them for a painting.  Of course she clipped them for me and I set them up in a blue and white vase that has a frogged cover.  A beautiful primary color scheme began to appear.  This painting can be purchased here: 

 Last of Mom's Zinnias 2010

Sunflowers II

Sunflower I

6x8 Original Oil on Canvas

by

Cheri Wollenberg

Sunflowers defined are tall plants with yellow-petaled blossoms.  They are much more to artists!  They capture our eyes with their extremely warm and brilliant yellow petals that range from green yellows to rusty golden yellows.  They are in no way timid...they are wild and boldly attractive to us.  They tease us with different anatomy and design.  Their petals are sometimes wide and overlapped as opposed to slender and sparse.  Some of them have very dark, almost black, seedy centers while others have brown, green, or gold centers.  They all seem to have those grabby rough leaves which somehow reflect the sky as we examine them from a distance.  In Oklahoma the sunflowers grow up from red dirt which makes them more attractive than ever.  The reds complement the greens so beautifully.  We artists, like Van Gogh cannot help from trying to capture and express their image.   Oh my, what a privilege we have as painters to try to emulate with brush on canvas this excellent natural plant,

a gift from God the Creator.

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."