Pastel painting of an extreme close-up view of ripe apples on a sunny autumn day

Pastel painting 20 inches x 20 inches     SOLD   (Giclee prints are available)

Pastel painting number two for the Tvedten Fine Art “20 x 20″ show this summer. The Opening Reception will be July 29th and I am assuming the show will run through August. I’m really excited about this new series and looking forward to exploring new compositions and color combinations within this bright harvest subject matter.

Pastel painting of close-up view of ripe apples on a tree in the fall

Pastel painting 20 inches x 20 inches     SOLD  (Giclee prints are available)

The gallery that represents me in Harbor Springs, Michigan, Tvedten Fine Art, is having an intriguing show this summer. Margaret Tvedten requested that all of her artists submit 2 paintings that are 20 x 20 inches. They can be of any subject matter and in any medium. I LOVE working in square formats so I was immediately enthralled. I have been collecting orchard reference photos for years so I decided this might be a good time to start the series.

This piece isn’t really a pastel landscape. I call it a “micro landscape” and continues my fascination with extreme close up views of everyday scenery that we take for granted. Very similar in concept to my RiverStone series. I will post the “partner” pastel painting in a few days.

I’d love to hear what you think…

Plein air watercolor cityscape painting of a sunny art gallery in Naples, Florida

Watercolor painting 10 inches x 6.5 inches    $80

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

It was pretty cool and cloudy down south but I managed to get in one watercolor painting on a sunny Sunday morning in Naples. The city is filled with quirky little galleries that carry every type of art imaginable. I love visiting each one when we are in town. Galerie Soleil is bright yellow and reminded me of the warm buildings in Italy. Gotta grab the chance to do some more paintings of architecture…

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a golf course hole and water

Pastel painting 8 inches x 12.5 inches     SOLD

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I couldn’t resist the view of this hole at the Cork Screw Golf Course. I’m not sure if it was the “signature hole” but it made a great composition for my pastel landscape, I used a red toned sanded paper for my substrate and gloried in the lush greens of Florida. The snow was 2 feet deep in Michigan, so I was happy to play with bright colors.

If you or a friend have a favorite golf hole you would like commemorated, I’d be happy to talk to you about a pastel commission or watercolor commission!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a green and water on a golf course.

Pastel painting 6 inches x 9 inches     $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

On the last day of my trip down south I spent some time doing plein air pastel paintings on the golf course while the guys played. My husband has always told me that golfcourses are the perfect spot to do pastel landscapes. but this is the first time I’d tried it. I sure got some funny looks from the golfers on their carts!

Pleinair watercolor painting of a beautiful fountain surrounded by palms in Florida

Watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 10 inches    $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

When we were on Marco Island I noticed this beautiful fountain in a high-rent shopping area. It was a bit awkward, but i plopped my messy plein air self down on the ground in the middle of the fancy stores and began a watercolor painting. Sometimes you just have to live in your own little art world and not worry what others are saying about you!

My portrait group is having a show at the Side Door Gallery at Dexter Picture Frame Co. in Dexter. The show. About Face,  will be up from February 24- April 10, 2010 and we’ll have a reception on Friday, March 19th from 6-8 pm. I have 3 pastel portraits in the show. There will be a lot of interesting portraits in various mediums and some of the models will be attending the reception. It should make for a fun evening. Stop by if you can make it!

Plein air pastel painting of small palms on a lake shore.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11.5 inches     $300

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I like to paint what I call “MicroLandscapes”. I find a scene that I really like and create an intensely cropped, “close up” composition of it. My RiverStones series is a good example of this type of subject matter. It’s a non-traditional way of looking at pastel landscapes, and one that fits my sensibilities very well.

I usually do these types of paintings in the studio, but when I was down in Florida, I thought I would make a plein air attempt. These palms were right on the edge of a pond and created a neat, abstract composition for my pastel painting.

I am starting a new series of “MicroLandscapes” and am using apple orchards as my subject matter. So far I really like the results. I’ll post them soon…

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a bright Florida bridge reflected in a pond

Pastel painting 8 inches x 12.5 inches     $300

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This is another pastel landscape, that I painted on a piece of white art spectrum paper that had been underpainted with a rose- colored wash. Warm red is a great hue for outdoor painting because it is a natural compliment to the many shades of green that are found in most landscapes. Placing two compliments (opposites on the color wheel) close together creates a dynamic, vibrating feel in a painting. And although I know this theory from years of study, I sometimes forget it in the passion of getting all the gorgeous colors on the paper. If I underpaint before I start, I don’t have to be focused on adding reds to my greens…they appear on their own!

As a pastel artist, I try to keep the idea of contrasting compliments constantly in mind. For instance, if I want to paint a water scene, which is predominantly blue, I will often use an orange paper. Or if I am working on a pastel portrait with lots of golden tones, I might use a muted purple sheet.

Little tricks of the trade…

Pastel portrait of a woman reading

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $300

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

One rainy day down south we were trapped inside, so I did this pastel portrait of my sister. She made the perfect model because she was so engrossed in her book that she hardly moved an inch.

I really like doing pastel paintings on Kitty Wallis paper. It is a very rough sanded paper and eats up a lot of your precious pastels, but it is a wonderful surface to create interesting marks on. I think I work with a bit more expression on this paper.

We are having a portrait show soon and I will post that information in a few days.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of palm trees and their shadows along a resort walk in Florida.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 12 inches     $300

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

As a plein air pastel artist, I am always looking for 3 crucial elements when searching out a scene to paint: A dynamic composition, a strong sense of light and shadow, and of course, beautiful color. Sometimes I may find a majestic, monumental view that contains all of those elements. Other times it may be a simple, every day scene such as this shadowed walkway that caught my eye down in Naples. For this pastel landscape, I painted on white art spectrum paper that I had underpainted in various rust and rose tones. You can see the color peeking through all over the painting. I like to do this technique to unify and add some sizzle to the color.