Cheri Christensen is blessed with the ability to capture the uniquely individual personalities of the animals she lovingly portrays, radiating their charm and joie de vivre as she does so. Her love of animals traces back to her childhood in Enumclaw, Washington, a small farming community, where her family had a butcher shop, and her grandfather raised Herefords.
“I spent a lot of time at his ranch, and I idolized the lifestyle of being surrounded by animals—sheep, horses, cows, cats, and dogs,” Christensen says. After graduating from high school in 1979, she enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle and took courses in clothing because she wanted to “do something artsy,” she says. “Nobody ever told me I could simply major in art.”
Read the full article in the March/April 2022 issue.
Fredericksburg Influencers
Oil
36” by 60”
“I photographed these calves on my way from New Mexico to Texas. I loved how curious they were. This painting was done with a combo of palette knife and brush. The palette knife works well for the grass upfront, and the brush works best for the cows.”
Spring Chick
Oil
6” by 6”
“I love taking a different viewpoint, and this little chick is a great example of that. Why not show the cute, sassy booty of the chick?”
