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Cheri Blum
Morning glories, climbing vines and an eclectic cottage garden welcome any visitor to the studio of Cheri Blum. Cheri's cat Scrappy lazes in the sunshine among flowers that grow from worn-out shoes or assorted cans, wash basins, and crab pots.
"My studio has become my sanctuary." Nestled on the banks of the Sassafras River in Maryland, the historic tenant farmer's house is filled with items that have been shared by generations of owners. Here Cheri Blum surrounds herself with an ever-changing array of artifacts collected in antique shops, flea markets or on walks along the beach. A fragment of an old loom is used to display her paintbrushes. A broken lamp now serves as a candleholder. Even the sign outside the door is unconventional: it was made from a racing sail.
"I'm drawn to things that are old, have character and a sense of history. To me, the older an object gets, the better it looks. It doesn't wear out, it wears in."
The overall effect of Cheri's surroundings is one of natural everyday elegance. Like the paintings of this talented young artist, her studio is beautiful, casual and comfortable.
Clearly, Blum's paintings take on the character of the antiques she loves. Blum has perfected a method of painting on cracked linen that conjures up images of Italian frescos. "My goal is to take the fine art aspect of the Old Masters and combine it with a worn handcrafted look that suits today's styles. I love to find unusual painted surfaces and create something from nothing."
To create the effects of time and weather, Cheri Blum has gone so far as to put a completed painting in the washing machine. Even if she buys something new, she paints it to look old. Blum continues to experiment so that each piece of artwork pays homage to the beauty of time passing by.
In her brilliant but brief career, Cheri Blum created more than 400 original paintings.