Cheri Christensen - In the Best Light

Cheri Christensen concentrates on value, temperature and color relationships in her animal art

My paintings, no matter the subject matter, are about color and the path of light. Most people know me for my backlit animal paintings. My grandfather was a cattle rancher, and I grew up in a small town surrounded by dairy farms. Both had a big influence on my life and my artwork. No matter the subject matter, I try to find the path of light, to lead the viewer into my paintings and into my world. I believe the artist’s job is to simplify the subject matter so the viewer can see what we are experiencing and perhaps bring their own experience into the painting.

The play of warm and cool colors on the form excites me. I want the viewer to be dazzled by this. Not only seeing the path of light, but having it play against the warm and cool colors in the shadows too. I like to create the drama of the painting with the shadows, having more shadow than light. That way when I place the path of light on the form, it dances across it, leading you in. Some artists overlook shadows, or they see them as gray, when there really is a lot of color happening there. I don’t want to miss it!