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.

Lemons in Vintage Saucer

Lemons in Vintage Saucer

by

Cheri Wollenberg

Another lemon painting as a result of being challenged by Van Gogh's Pitcher with Lemons.

Daisies and Lemons

Daisies and Lemons

by

Cheri Wollenberg

Inspiration came for this painting from a art challenge provided by another etsy member, http://www.danamarieart.etsy.com/. Originally we were challenged to be inspired by Van Gogh's painting, Still Life with Pitcher and Lemons. I met the challenge, posted it, and while I had those beautiful lemons I began to arrange them in different compositions. I have been painting lemons for the last week! Please enjoy these lemons as I have and visit Dana Marie's art. She is a fantastic etsy artist and very special person.  To purchase this painting you may go to my etsy shop, http://www.chatterboxart.etsy.com/.

Van Gogh Inspiration - Lemons

Van Gogh Inspiration - Lemons

by

Cheri Wollenberg

This simple little painting is one I painted  for the Inspiration All Around Us challenge blog.  Dana Marie challenged and inspired us with Van Gogh's "Still Life with Pitcher and Lemons".  The prints we see of this painting by Van Gogh are probably a little altered.  I've only been fortunate to see a few of his in real life.  I found other images of this painting online and in some of my art books.  Most of them were a little different in intensity and/or value.  I like the image Dana Marie gave us best.  It is more high key and the colors are more intense.  I like to believe that this is the way he painted. 

As mentioned above the later image is more intense and is high key in mood.  The patterns he used behind his still life set up are vertical in nature and stops the viewers' eye from leaving the composition ("very clever, Mr. Van Gogh").  It is painted in a warm palette, but intense enough to create an exciting visual mood.  Some movement is made with the brush strokes around the saucer...leading the eye up to the vertical patterns...also holding the viewers' eye to the composition ("kudos again, Mr. Van Gogh").  The glass container also repeats patterns that create stability.

Now...my painting on the other hand is not high in intensity, not nearly as exciting, but the dark contrast creates a little drama.  Great practice!  Painting the lemons inspired me to paint other still lifes with lemons. I especially enjoyed doing this painting.  Dana Marie you inspired us again!  Thanks.