Cheryl C Johnson
Rogue River, OR
Viewing the world through artist eyes can convert mundane into awesome. When I am struck with awe by what I see, I must share it! Join me on this adventure!
MessageCheryl is a long-time resident of Southern Oregon who draws inspiration from her surroundings and the incredible people she encounters along the way.
Her interest in art goes back to her childhood in the Far East where she grew up surrounded by the lively, vibrant colors of the tropics. To this day, in her studio, there are pictures she Crayoned as a child of thatch huts with water jugs, and boats on the Mekong River illuminated by full moon and framed by palm trees.
She studied art throughout high school in Singapore, and minored in Art at Andrews University. Since then she has made a point of staying fresh with new approaches and techniques by studying with accomplished artists. Two of her favorites are Mary White, who is an well-known, published, and award-winning portrait artist; and David Taylor, an internationally renowned and award-winning landscape artist from Australia.
Over the years most of her art has been sold by word of mouth, informally online, and by small shows in businesses around the Rogue Valley.
Cheryl‘s work is represented in public and private collections across the country. It is her hope that those who view her work will experience that Ah-Hah moment she felt when she first laid eyes on her subject. She calls her work Captured Moments in Watercolor.
Statement
If you asked me what my specialty is, I would probably say “anything that totally captures my attention, moves me, and takes my breath away.“ It could be tree reflections on a quiet river, ghostly images through the mist, pounding waves, the expressive face of an old gentleman, storm clouds, or a sun-dappled street.
I love contrast of all kinds—light against dark, warm against cool, rough against smooth. Without contrast, to me, a painting is just a plain picture. Another characteristic of my work is the use of pure color with the exception of black which I never use. In my view, black creates dead space. Shadows are created by blending complimentary colors so that even in the depths there is still interest and life.
One of my favorite characteristics of watercolor is its ability to blend on the paper. Many times I will put two or more colors on my brush at once and apply them to the paper in such a way that they blend into a new lively color on their own. I enjoy using all the watercolor techniques at my disposal—dropping wet paint onto wet paper to get a foggy look, skipping my paint-laden brush across rough paper to get diamond-like sparkles on water, forming the details of an aged face by applying paint with little water (so that it stays where I put it!)
To me, watercolors are a grand, and sometimes intimidating, adventure. I look forward to sharing this adventure with you and am honored that you chose to spend this time getting to know a bit about me and my work.
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