Pastel pet portrait painting of two sleeping cats.

Pastel painting 9.5 inches x 5.5 inches SOLD

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My friend, Peg, has the cutest little cats I’ve ever seen. They are siblings, very petite and just adorable. Although I’ve always favored dogs and have never been a big “cat person”, I’m a sucker for these two little devils. I asked her for some reference photos and thought this pose, with them cuddling together, would make the perfect dual pet portrait. I really enjoy painting animals in pastel and trying to capture their unique personalities.

Plein air watercolor painting of a pool and umbrella from above

Watercolor painting 7.5 inches x 11 inches $200

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Ahhhh….the view from our balcony, late one sunny afternoon a couple of weeks ago. On this watercolor landscape, I wanted to experiment with a simpler, more abstract composition. I loved the sparkles in the pool and the deep shadows from the setting sun out on the ocean. Sometimes I feel like I flit from subject to subject, never zeroing in on one signature scene that could be called my own. But there are SO many beautiful things to paint in this world and SO little time. I just can’t help sampling a bit of each one! Plus, I figure that each watercolor or pastel painting is a valuable learning experience and if I keep painting the same thing over and over, I will have missed out on many enlightening lessons.

Pastel painting of palm trees reflecting in a pond on Sanibel Island, Florida

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10.5 inches $200

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Another “travel” pastel landscape painting from one of our visits down to Florida. Sanibel Island is one of our favorite places down south. This is the view from our back window, right after a fish surfaced in the pond.

We had a wonderful southern vacation and a fantastic holiday. Now it is time to get serious in the studio. I have a whole pile of sketches ready to be made into full-blown pastel paintings and I can’t wait to get at them!

Pastel cityscape painting of downtown Cleveland at night.

Pastel painting 8.75 inches x 11.75 inches $300

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John and I spent a wonderful weekend in Cleveland a while ago. We visited the art museum and a couple of other exhibits and had some marvelous meals at unique little restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised at what an interesting, cultural and beautiful city it is. We walked the streets downtown and I shot a lot of reference photos to use for pastel paintings later in my studio. This scene really caught my eye. I loved the contrast of blue versus orange and modern versus old, and the sparkling lights were like icing on the cake!

I would love to do more plein air pastel landscapes in cities, but it is awkward to set up, and a little daunting to have hundreds of critics strolling by your easel!

Watercolor painting of a man reading a newspaper in a lounge chair by the pool.

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 5.5 inches       $80

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I captured this man at the pool, early in the morning, as he reviewed sporting events in the newspaper. He was a bit heavier than my usual models but made an interesting watercolor figure painting just the same!

Watercolor painting of a young woman sewing in a lounge chair by the pool.

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 5.5 inches       $80

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Another watercolor figure painting at the pool. I’m not sure what this lady was sewing but she was very involved in it. What a relaxing way to spend the afternoon!

Watercolor painting of two women talking while lounging at the pool.

Watercolor painting 5 inches x 5 inches       $80

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Lounging at the pool is the perfect time to catch up on all of the gossip you’ve missed over the last couple of months. These ladies talked non-stop while watching their kiddos in the water and made perfect unsuspecting models for a watercolor painter like me. Most people don’t even notice that I am sketching, but every once in a while someone will figure it out and come over to see their likeness. Nobody has had a bad reaction and I’ve even sold a few watercolor figure paintings at the pool!

Watercolor painting of an elderly man relaxing poolside.

Watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 6. 5 inches       $80

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This elderly man looked like he had spent a lot of time by the pool after putting in years of hard work at his career.  In this watercolor painting I wanted to catch his total relaxation and they way the sun created deep shadows on his body. Using Yupo paper is a great way to create vibrant, loose figure paintings that have a dynamic feel about them. The surface just doesn’t allow too much “fussing”.

Watercolor painting of a young woman in a bathing suit engrossed in a book.

Watercolor painting 4.5 inches x 7 inches       $80

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Nothing better than a good book at the beach! This woman was completely engrossed in her novel and never noticed me painting her. And she barely moved an inch the whole time. A perfect model for a  watercolor figure painting on a sunny lazy day.

Watercolor painting of an older woman relaxing at the pool

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 5 inches       $80

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We will be taking a trip down south soon and I thought I would post some of the  watercolor paintings I’ve done on previous trips. Although I spend a lot of time plein air painting at interesting landscape and architecture locations in Florida, I must admit that I also spend a fair amount of time lounging at the pool. I always feel guilty just relaxing (its part of my workaholic syndrome) so I bring my watercolors down with me and quickly paint unsuspecting victims. Its almost like figure drawing class!

Pastel landscape painting of a wandering creek in a grassy field in Michigan.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 14 inches    SOLD

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A couple of weeks ago, I found this small, meandering little creek while I was out walking. It just called out to be captured on paper.

I’m really excited about the pastel landscape painting of it that I finished last night. It closely approaches the original vision I had of the piece when I started out. Sometimes I have a very strong idea of how I want a completed artwork to look and yet it comes out totally different. Sometimes my ideas change midstream and I spark off that, other times I just can’t reach the original dream and have to hope for a better outcome on the next piece. On this pastel, I feel that all my artistic intuitions “played well together” and we came to a good conclusion!

Poster for Braun Farms Exhibit in Saline, Michigan

Part of what I love about being an artist in Ann Arbor, Michigan is the great art associations we have in the area. I am a board member of Ann Arbor Women Artists and belong to Ann Arbor Pastelists, Whitmore Lake Portrait Group and the Michigan Water Color Society. I’m also a member of national art associations like the Great Lakes Pastel Society, the National Watercolor Society and Pastel Society of America. But I feel much more connected, and have learned much more, from my daily dealings with the dedicated painters in our local groups. These individuals range from seasoned professionals to novice beginners, but they all bring unique insights and solutions to the everyday tasks of being a working artist.

Recently a group of Saline painters decided to organize an exhibit of paintings of a beautiful local farm in our area. I think it will be a very interesting experiment–almost like a documentary in paint–one place seen from a variety of different viewpoints and created in different mediums. I was happy to be asked to participate and put together the poster for the event.

If you are able, please stop by to check out the many artworks on view at My Favorite Cafe at 101 South Ann Arbor Street in Saline. The show will run from January thru February of 2010.We’d love to see you at the reception on January 8th from 7-9 pm!