Cheri Christensen was born in Enumclaw Washington, a small rural town of horse, dairy and cattle ranches at the foot of Mt. Rainier. She attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and graduated with a B.A. from the University of Washington. Cheri study oil painting and drawing intensely for three years with Ron Lukas, a protege of Sergei Bongart, who taught in the tradition of the Russian Impressionists. Christensen concentrates on seeing and conveying the effects of color and light on form, and admires the Russian Impressionists for painting about “color and everyday life.” Christensen is a member of the Oil Painters of America, National Oil and Acrylic Painters, and the American Academy of Women Artists. Her fresh, spontaneous style intimately conveys her love of farm life and animals, by which she has always been surrounded.
“I am inspired by the simple everyday interaction of the animals in their environment: the way the light dances across the form, the harmony of color relationships and the shapes of light and shadow. I prefer early-morning light or late afternoon settings, with extreme back-lighting. My focus is on the farm animals, their character and the use of color, light and texture to convey a mood” -Christensen
EDUCATION
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Washington
PUBLICATIONS
American Art Collector
Western Art Collector
Southwest Art
“Art Journey, New Mexico”
“Finding Your Visual Voice. A Painter’s Guide to Developing and Artists Style”
AWARDS
Beatrice Jackson memorial Award, Best Traditional Landscape, Allied Artists of America 1995
