White Peonies in Pink Vase

White Peonies in Pink Vase

10x10 Oil on Canvas

by

Cheri Wollenberg

I have white peonies that bloom every spring in my yard.  Each year I hardly can wait to paint them.  Their anatomy is so delicate and beautiful.  There are yellows and oranges that radiate out in the middle and through the slender petals from the center of the bloom itself.  Then on the outside of the bloom away from the bulbular center fall these very pale pink and white petals that catch light blue reflections from the sky and artificial light.  Peonies are a little challenging to paint, and sometimes I feel more successful in painting them than other times, but they are always a joy to try to emulate.  The pink vase is one of my still life favorites and I save it for very special flowers.  It is like a favorite child (laugh).  This year it seemed to cry out to me, to place these few peonies in it.  They compliment one another very well.  This painting is pretty high-key and has a pastel overtone.  To buy it you can click Peonies.

Mixed Rose Bouquet

Mixed Rose Bouquet

11x14 Oil on Canvas

by

Cheri Wollenberg

I love to paint roses.  I just finished all of my small series of musical bovines and I'm feeling like spring.  Flowers are calling!!!  My husband brought in the prettiest mixed bouquet of roses to me for Valentines Day.  I have arranged those beautiful roses in dozens of ways and I'm anxious to get started on one.  They are a week old today and I have clipped the stems twice and they are still absolutely gorgeous.  This painting is one from an older image. To buy this painting you can click:  Roses.

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

Lilac Bouquet

Lilac Bouquet

by

Cheri Wollenberg

Lilacs are some of my favorite flowers.  Actually when I think of them I begin to remember times when I was a child.  My grandmother had huge lilac bushes.  I can almost smell their wonderful fragrance thinking of them.   They are lovely to paint.  Fresh colors of orchids, purples, maroons, and pinks.  Using a cool palette of colors in the forground with a warm background creates just enough contrast to allow this simple little composition to hold it's own.

Pink Cabbage Roses

Pink Cabbage Roses

9x12 on Stretched Canvas

by

Cheri Wollenberg

I love painting roses. A friend who paints with me every week brought roses to class for about four weeks this spring. Her gardens overflowed with beautiful roses of all colors and varieties. We painted from life and took dozens of pictures as references. What fun it is to try to recreate such gorgeous flowers.

This painting may be purchased at my etsy store: http://www.chatterboxart.etsy.com/

First Day of Spring - Ha! Ha!

After long winters, freezes, gray skies and icy roads we look forward to springtime.  We look forward to spring because it brings newness, recovery and promise of beauty and good things.  Today is the first day of spring and guess what?  We have approximately 11 inches of snow with predictions of more to come.    A major cold front with two separate blasts from the north began to invade our "warm" town last evening and has continued to drop huge snowflakes.  Just about the time we see budding of trees, spring bulbs popping up from the soil, fresh air and sunshine....what a surprise.  It IS the most beautiful snow by far that I can remember.  I choose to enjoy it and be glad!  I choose to see the good! (Romans 8:28)  Spring will eventually come and bring colors that will warm our hearts.  The painting of the single rose below will suffice until the real thing!

From our Lower Deck

Painting for the Day

Single Pink Rose