Monday, February 8, 2010

Who the Heck is Cheri?


Hi!  My name is Cheri and I'm an artist.  I love to paint and I've had my art published all over the world - you've probably seen it somewhere (the martini paintings with olives in the background or the cosmos with the fruit, or wine images etc.) as a print or as an image on a product.  My art has sold in galleries and at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, where I was the poster artist two years ago.  

So, what does an artist do in this economy?  We smile a lot . . . and we get creative in our approach to art.  I've never had the time to give art lessons, so I started doing that.  I get a bunch of non-artists and show them how to paint.  And they leave my class - after one day - with a finished piece of artwork ready to hang on the wall.  Or give to a friend.  Or put in a closet.

And I sell prints.  They sure are a lot less expensive to buy than the original art.  And almost all of my products, like the prints, magnets, mousepads and cards are Made in the USA so that we can keep our jobs here (we need them!).

All of these things help pay the bills.  And my pup still gets to have treats.  So he is very thankful. And my wonderful husband, who is surviving cancer - never one to do something small, he got three different kinds at once - gets to have his scans and medicines.  And that makes both of us thankful.

And every once in a while I polish my tiara and meet with my girlfriends.  And we have a glass of wine and talk about the good old days when it was a little easier.  But, overall, life is good.  I'm an artist and I get to play with paints and create what comes out of my heart and mind.  What could be better?  Just about nothing!