The John Wesley Powell Museum celebrated the May Artist of the Month, Cheri Brown, with a reception and exhibit held during the First Friday Night Artwalk of the summer. A gathering of friends, patrons, art appreciators and local artisans joined the celebration to glimpse the rarely seen work by Brown in her first exhibit.
Brown describes her canvas paintings as landscapes, but upon further appreciation, the paintings come to life the longer a person studies them. The landscapes painted with an array of techniques gave the scenery a distinct texture and quality of realism.
“I like pictures that you can walk into, that have distance and depth, that is why you will see a lot of mountains and stuff,” said Brown. “With a still life its just there, it doesn’t speak to me like a landscape does, especially around here, the land is what speaks to me.”
Brown begins her process with photography, which her and her husband, Tony, both enjoy. They find new locations or famous places and capture the moment on camera with the potential to become a canvas painting. From there Cheri will take the liberty of recreating the moment. She uses vibrant colors and various techniques that lend texture that doesn’t give reference to just one many styles.
The prime example of the medley of styles is the “Snowed In”, which Brown admits she experimented with a putty knife, which in turn highlighted the impressionistic style. The blend gave the snowcapped rooftop of the adobe a look that could easily translate to an invitation to ‘walk into the painting’.
“I try to be as realistic as possible. You have to be when your painting [landscapes]. I paint off photos because the information doesn’t change, of course, you are limited to how good your reproduction is of the photograph.”

Another painting titled ‘The Alley’ incorporates a vibrant use of colors and realism that parallel a still life.
Staring into this piece gives you a sense of a familiar place that provokes memory and, possibly, an urgency to return to the Alley that leads to a familiar place.
The painting is eye-catching and unlike her landscapes uses bold colors she blended from her memory of a small town in Arizona.
“I do take painter license. I will try to make things more [vibrant] but not to the point that it is not believable,” said Brown.
Brown’s self-described “paintings you can walk into” have accomplished that goal with every piece in her collection. The small collection is a rare treat to witness the bold incorporation of a variety of techniques.
“I have always been a kitchen able artist. When I got an easel at the [thrift] store I really started [to paint again]. To be considered an artist is a whole new world for me.” Brown said.
Although humble and having fun with her paintings she adds, “I am nervous, I am not used to being the center of attention.”
Another venue Brown has introduced is her Painted Rock collection. The smooth river rocks have delicate landscape scenes of famous destination places painted on it, such as Monument Valley. This fun project began as a way to keep busy during a hiatus to recover from a work injury. As the days at home became longer, the pictures she painted on the rocks became more elaborate. Soon they became full landscapes and then works of art.
The small works of art were an instant favorite.
“I call those my mini-masterpieces. I had some friends at the farmers market ask me to draw on rocks for them, so I started drawing, which was fun but not the same thing as painting. When I got to feeling better I started to look for larger, smoother rocks. So by Christmas I had painted a really large one of Lake Powell and a good friend of mine bought it. From there I was offered to teach rock painting lessons at the library.”
The museum has her entire collection of painted rocks but they have been a popular item and many have already sold. The museum will exhibit Brown’s entire collection until June.