Thankfulness and appreciation for Summer 2016!

Greetings from CherryArts at Stanley 2016!
This summer I participated in back to back Juried Art Shows, Summer Art Market in Denver, Crested Butte ArtsFest, Castle Rock Art Festival, and CherryArts at Stanley Marketplace in the Stapleton area of Denver.  It was a super busy season, and my collectors got the chance to see my new series, Landscape Love Songs, which is an aerial perspective collection of farmlands and atmosphere studies I am very proud of.  I sold many works and received several commissions, super excited for all of them!

At the beginning of the Fall Season I like to reflect on the spring/summertime activities and give thanks and appreciation to the excellent support I have been receiving for my artwork.  Without my wonderful collectors, this experience of being a full time painter would not be nearly as exciting.

Through their encouragement, their support, their love of my work, and many collecting more than one work to place throughout their homes, I am deeply honored and grateful.

Cheri Vilona
2016

Crested Butte is the most lovely place, with an amazing vista you get to enjoy from Gunnison up to the mountains.  The drive is well-worth the time, with a quaint small mountain miner town that has a clean and historic feeling.  The Crested Butte Arts Festival is one of the best around, and this year I get my first opportunity to showcase my new landscape paintings there!  Super excited for both the trip, time away, and time to meet new art enthusiasts at this year's show! The following photos are a sample of some small works I'll be bringing:

BreckCreates Show July 7-Aug 8 2016

Heading to a Gallery Event, BreckCreates in Breckenridge, Colorado. The Arts District will be hosting my Oil Painting exhibit titled "Feeling Distance through Color", which showcases over 19 paintings in my series "Landscape Love Songs".

 These works resonate atmosphere and distance while conveying a sense of peaceful space, and reflects my love of our Colorado Landscape.

Gallery Show July 8 through August 7, 2016.  Reception July 8 from 5-6PM.  Old Masonic Hall, 136 S. Main Street, between Washington Ave & S. Main Street.
www.cherivilona.com

Final days at the Breckenridge Arts District March 2016

My last day at Breckenridge, with full mountain snowfall expected, I packed up all my belongings, 17 newly completed and still-wet paintings, and headed down the hill towards Berthoud and home.
Had an amazing two weeks here, painted a lot of new work that resonates mountain vistas (no small coincidence) and am prepared to re-enter my world, happier for the experience, and ready to continue my painting journey!!!
This group of photos shows progression from the beginning sketch through the final work, named Colorado State of Mind, 18x24, oil on linen:

Day Ten of Twelve-Painting Journal

Well, its been a long two weeks painting away from home, and as productive as I've been, I'm tired!  I've got two more full painting days, and will make the most of them, having loved this experience here at Breck Creates in Breckenridge Colorado so much!

Thus far, I worked on two canvases each day, with one day of rest and an edge-painting day I've completed 14 canvases all together.  They range in size from 24x30 to 10x12, with a personal favorite size of 18x24 included.  I've worked on perspective and atmosphere, and developed more foreground and structural elements in my work that give viewers a sense of recognition of place, something that my knife painting thus far suggests.

I'll keep painting with my palette knife as I feel such freedom of expression with that tool, but am pleased that I've worked foreground shapes and pieces that add another dimensional aspect to my work.  This painting, 18x24 Oil on Linen, was painted yesterday, and sums up my expressive experience to date.  It started with a general landscape plan and then the colors just compelled my continuation of the scene.  Its abstract, stylistically interpretive, and yet tells a story of place.

Day Seven Painting Journal

I rested yesterday and got a good start in the morning, I'm posting a few extra photos to show you the process and small adjustments that take so long and so much concentration and evaluation!  Check the final photo, I reduced some foreground and think it works much better!  This is once again a painting from a view looking down into the Hudson River where I grew up.  I get so much inspiration from that scene!  So beautiful!!

Day Four & Five Painting Journal

Saturday and Sunday were pretty busy here in Breckenridge, lots of visitors came into the Tin Shop to watch me work and ask me about my process.  It was also great having my family visit, getting homesick for them!!

I still have 8 more days to paint!  What will I work on next you probably wonder!

I decided to heed the local landscape call and painted two mountain scenes reflecting my time here.  I liked how the foreground and mid-ground was high value, it balances the far-off mountain range well in this first painting, and the second painting I worked on looks more like winter:

This second painting was more winter-y with snow-caps on the mountain range:

Day Three Painting Journal

I had a major painting day Friday, and afterwards went to Riverwalk in Breckenridge and watched a National Geographic slide show featuring a woman climber who, after 6 tries, forged her way to the top of K2 with no bottle oxygen!  I thought my day was productive til I learned just how many tries it took, and she persevered and made it to her goal!  Quite an inspiration, as all I want is to paint paint paint!!!  And paint well.  Something wonderful to keep a hold of, a goal, no matter what it is, is always a great thing to steer oneself towards.
Today's Painting is an 18x24 Oil on Linen: (Let's see if you can see all the subtle adjustments in the photos!)