Pansies in Blue Enamelware Cup

Pansies in Blue Enamelware Cup

8x8 Oil on Canvas

Cheri Wollenberg

It has rained a lot in Oklahoma this week.  It is also spring break for most schools in Oklahoma so two of my grandchildren have been staying with us and we have had quite a time.  When the sun peeked through the clouds we planted flowers and seeds in our vegetable garden.  We have also transplanted a lot of small potted plants....a good project for grandchildren.  I also have found a lot of nests lately, and  I cannot throw them away.  So, as I arranged some pansies in a blue enamelware cup I placed one of the little nests beside it.  I had to borrow some chocolate candy Easter eggs to provide my nest with the look of a potential family and here my painting is!

Pansies in a White Gravy Boat

Pansies in a Gravy Boat

9x12 Oil on Linen

by

Cheri Wollenberg

My painting students wanted me to create a still life for them to paint this week.  I decided to arrange these cute little pansies in this wonderful ceramic piece that one of them had left with my still life container collection.  It made a delicate subject and extremely enjoyable one to paint.  The background was a gold piece of fabric and the gravy boat sat on a light teal colored cloth.  I decided to push the golds some by adding rusts and siennas so that there would be an orange hue to complement the teal colors.  The golden colors enhanced by the light made a great background for the purples of course.  The linen canvas is glued to heavy foam board so the painting requires framing. 

Pansies in Copper Pot

Pansies in Copper Pot

12x12 Oil on Canvas

by

Cheri Wollenberg

Pansies are so hearty.  Hearty flowers are for folks like me.  One of my goals in life is to become a great gardener.  I plan to spend some time raising these favorite flowers one day and have gorgeous flower beds.....goals or dreams, maybe a little of each.  I have grown pansies though, and they stayed beautiful for months at a time.  Since they can endure a lot of cool weather they seem to relish in the spots that I have placed them in the past.  This still life includes one of my favorite copper items, a blue pottery vase that was given to me by a sweet little friend in art school, a white rice bowl and pansies of whites and purples that I had in a large garden pot this fall.