Pastel painting of a rushing river

Pastel painting 12.5 inches x 25.5 inches SOLD

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Another in my continuing RiverStone pastel series–but this seemed to take a bit of a different turn than the others. Its inspired by the rushing waters in Montana’s creeks in the spring after the winter thaw. But it also reminds me of northern Michigan rivers. Bright, crisp and clean. I’m currently working on some new floral pastels, this time inspired by our own back yard treasures!

Pastel painting of old, dilapidated barns and out buildings

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches $300

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Sunday was another gorgeous day to paint plein aire. I’ve been pining to paint this place but there are “no trespassing” signs posted all over it. Yesterday I decided that as long as I sat out on the edge of the road, I wouldn’t be encroaching. I set up and began to work on the pastel painting, and sure as shootin, up drives the landowner. I thought I was in big trouble but he was a delightful older man who told me the whole 200 year history of the farm. He was honored that someone still thought it was worthy of notice and welcomed me to walk among the ruins. This type of real world history fascinates me and made the pastel landscape all the more relevent to me…

Pastel painting of a mill reflected in the river

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches $300

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YAHOO!!!! Finally nice enough to get outside to do plein aire work in Michigan! It was a stunning 82 degrees today and all of the grasses and trees are turning green. I stopped by Curtis Park in Saline and happily set up my supplies among the dog walkers to paint this pastel landscape of our local mill. Its no longer functional, but Wellers has become THE spot to have your wedding or private party. The grounds are beautiful and are adjacent to the park.

Its supposed to be cloudy tomorrow but I might brave the weather for some watercolor landscapes plein aire…

Sample commission paintings of pet portraits

I have really fallen in love with painting pastel pet portraits. So, being the marketing freak that I am, I decided to create a printed card to advertise my services. The image above shows just a few of the very personal pieces I’ve painted in the last few months.

Pastel is a wonderful medium for this type of work. It is very soft and expressive, perfect for catching the special characteristics of dogs, cats, horses and other furry creatures. Each of these portraits are 8 x 10 inches but I am comfortable working larger or smaller depending on my client’s needs. I have been distributing the cards at pet stores, shows and grooming businesses and have gotten a wonderful response so far. If you know someone who would like to have a favorite pet or other animal made into art, please let me know!

Pastel portait of an young soldier.

Pastel painting 12 inches x 18 inches $200

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This week’s model was a handsome young man who had just signed up for military service. His pose seemed very strong and assured for someone so young. It was a 2 hour pose so I had time to layer color and build up a textured surface on this pastel portrait. I worked on leaving some of the drawing loose and unfinished so the viewer’s eye would be drawn to the soldier’s chest and face.

Watercolor painting of a street in southern Spain lined with stucco houses

Watercolor painting 8.5 inches x 6.5 inches
$80

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This small watercolor was painted plein aire in southern Spain a while ago. The little villages there are filled with white stucco houses topped with red tiled roofs, and the surrounding hills are beautiful. I sat in a bar and sipped the local wine while I painted this watercolor landscape. Hmmm…this drinking and painting seems to be a trend. Well, when in Rome…

Pastel portrait of a woman in a bar wench costume

Pastel painting 10 inches x 14 inches $200

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In our portrait session this week we had a model dressed as a Renaissance bar wench! What a hoot! She has lots of different historic costumes and comes in a different one each week. This pastel portrait took about and hour and forty-five minutes. Just enough to get a quick likeness and not overwork it too much. I love to watch a human face grow from just a few marks on paper. Luckily, pastel painting is a very forgiving medium. If you don’t get the nose just right, you can rub it down and redraw.

Watercolor painting of an outdoor cafe in Naples

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 7 inches SOLD

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This watercolor painting will also be available thru the Circle of Art fundraiser for Food Gatherers on May 17. I painted it sitting on a step on one of the main streets in Naples, Florida. Plein aire paintings can be quite a challenge when you do them in public. Everyone who comes by has to sneak a look. Sometimes they ask to take a peak, other times they just belt out their opinion loud enough for everyone to hear.  It used to really fluster me but I have become used to the process. Most people are very kind and encouraging and I can always use that!

And Food Gatherers could use you. Click on the Circle of Art website in the next couple of weeks and see if there is a piece of art you can’t live without!

Watercolor painting of tables and palm trees around a pool in Spain.

Watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 8.5 inches SOLD

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I painted this watercolor painting plein aire when we were in Spain a couple of years ago. We stayed at a fantastic hotel near Malaga and spent a bit of time lounging around the pool. Not wanting to be too slothful, I painted as I sipped cocktails! What a treat!

I’ve donated this piece to a charity art auction run by Saline Picture Frame Company to raise funds for Food Gatherers. In the last couple of years they have raised over $58,000 to help feed the needy in Washtenaw County, Michigan. To quote Saline Picture Frame’s website:

2009 marks the fifth Circle of  Art benefit for Food Gatherers.  The Circle of  Art is a party, a project and a group effort by artists and art lovers to help fight hunger where we live.  Simply stated, a bunch of artist donate small works of art, Saline Picture Frame Co. mats them all and hosts a party, lots of people come to the party and bid on the art and then Food Gatherers uses the money raised to feed hungry people.

I donate to this great cause every year. If you have a chance, please visit their website or go to the auction and support them!

Watercolor painting of farm and fields along a country road.

Watercolor painting 8.5 inches x 6.5 inches
$80

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The fields are turning green here and I am getting excited about getting out and doing plein air watercolor paintings again. There are still many old farms in the Saline area of Michigan that I haven’t captured yet. But soon I will have to widen my scope and head farther west. At some point, I hope to have documented nearly every farm in the area with a landscape painting.

Pastel painting of a Lake Michigan cove

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   SOLD

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Its been a while since we have traveled “up north” but the landscapes there are always on my mind. We visit the Charlevoix area every year in May and are looking forward to our trip this year. This pastel painting captures the rough surf and lakeside terrain between Petosky and  Harbor Springs. It was a cold, dark and windy day–not the usual sunny scenario so often depicted in tourist magazines. But that was the very reason it inspired me. When I paint, i often think about what the landscape looked like hundreds of years ago. Maybe the early indians saw this very same view….

Pastel painting of rosy sedum in a light filled garden.

Pastel painting 18 inches x 18 inches $800   (Giclee prints are available)

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Writers are always told to “write what they know”. So keeping that good advice in mind, I try to “paint what i know”. This floral pastel painting is a scene from our own garden last fall. Sedum are great plants that have beautiful blooms that change color through out Michigan’s growing season. They start our a pale green but by September they morph into a rosy hue. And in the winter they create interesting texture in an otherwise dead landscape. Ours are just peaking through the dirt right now. Spring can’t be too far away!