Pastel portrait of a woman in gardening gear.

Pastel painting 13 inches x 14 inches

I painted this pastel portrait the week before our trip out west. Carol came all decked out in garden wear so in my figure drawing of her, I envisioned her in a lovely, plant-filled location.

Plein air pastel still life painting of an elk skull, flowers and stone wall.

Plein air watercolor painting   6. 5 inches x 10 inches

The lodge at Bonanza Creek is comfortable and inviting. It’s surrounded on one side by a stone wall with western paraphernalia arranged among the rocks. One day, after riding, I decided to do what I rarely do: a watercolor still life. Granted, the elements are a little different from the usual apples, lemons and wine bottles. But it seemed appropriate for this Michigan artist visiting Montana!

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of the woods on a Montana ranch.

Plein air watercolor painting   6. 5 inches x 10 inches

When we were out west, we all stayed in cozy, lovely cabins situated in private wooded areas on the ranch. One afternoon, I sat on our deck  with a glass of wine and did a plein air watercolor painting of the pine trees near by.

Its hard to explain the solitude at Bonanza Creek. You can see for miles and miles– ranch land, cattle,  forests, sky and mountains. But you don’t see cities, houses, cars, traffic, planes or much “civilization” of any kind. It feels like what our country must have been like hundreds of years ago, before we filled every available space with stuff. It is unfamiliar and overwhelming at first. But once you’ve been there, you pine to return…

The cowgals

I was just interviewed  by Peter Trippi, Editor of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, one of the best art collector magazines in the world! He was on an art tour of the area and of course, wanted to visit the River Gallery in Chelsea, Michigan. Peter chose a few artists from the gallery’s wonderful art makers–and I was one! 10 or so of my framed pieces were up and i brought along some of my new pastels of Italy which will be in my show in November. We discussed my work in detail and also the state of pastel painting in general. He’s a very interesting, informed and passionate advocate of the arts. I really enjoyed spending some time with him.

Peter also reviewed the work of Dan Barry and Elaine Wilson. I wish I would have thought to snap a photograph of all of us together. My mind was obviously not focused on photo ops…

No promises were made but we’ll be watching the magazine for possible mentions!

Below is one of my paintings of Italy that we discussed.

Pastel painting of the columns and arches in a Italian cathedral.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of ranchland in Montana

Plein air watercolor painting   6. 5 inches x 10 inches

Montana in June was marvelous! They have had a lot more rain this year than usual (maybe TOO much!) and the land was lush, green and covered with wildflowers. We spent most of our time at Bonanza Creek riding the 35,000 acre ranch, soaking up the unbelievably beautiful scenery. A couple of days were spent on culling out “pairs” (a mother and baby cow) from the herd, team penning (separating specific cows into specific pens) and moving one of the herds to new grazing grounds. Of course, all of these tasks could have been done with one experienced rancher and a dog, but our group of 7 plucky cowgirls did an admirable job.

I didn’t have much time for plein air watercolor painting but I did manage to do a few quick sketches in the afternoons. Whenever I travel to a new location, it takes me a while to “get the lay of the land.”  And believe me, the land out there is amazing! How do you suggest endless fields and valleys that lead, miles away, to huge jagged mountain ranges? Especially when it is not the landscape that you are familiar with? This is my first attempt at a watercolor landscape of the daunting but very beautiful western countryside…

Pastel plein air landscape painting of the woods near the Raisin River in Saline, Michigan.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11.5 inches

After painting the landscape at Weller’s that I posted a few days ago, I shifted my position and did a pastel drawing of the scene from a slightly different viewpoint. This scene incorporates more of the river and is in a vertical format. Same woods, rocks and tree but completely different effect.  Its amazing the number of compositions you can create from the same subject matter…

Plein air pastel landscape painting of the Raisin River behind Weller's in Saline, Michigan.

Pastel painting 13 inches x 5 inches

Both our Ann Arbor Women Artists and our Saline Plein Air Group meet throughout the spring, summer and fall at various beautiful spots in Southeast Michigan. I am so thankful for all the work the organizers do to make these outings possible. There’s nothing like working with fellow artists to improve your own skills. A couple of weeks ago we met at Weller’s in Saline. The sunlight streaming thru the woods by the river at the back of the property was electric and hard to ignore. Four of us set up on the lawn to capture the scene. I did a pastel landscape, and the other artists worked in various other mediums including watercolor, oil, and photography.

Just got back from a fantastic week at Bonanza Creek Ranch! I’ll post the few watercolors I managed to do between riding and pushing cattle in a couple of days. Right now, I’m working on re-entry…

Plein air pastel seascape painting from Fisherman's Island Park near Charlevoix, Michigan.

Pastel painting 11.5 inches x 8.5 inches

Last day “up north.”  Wanhhhh! I packed up our hotel room and worked my way toward the golf course where I would pick up my husband and head back down south. I had time for one quick pastel landscape on the way, so I stopped at the little Fisherman’s Island Park just outside of Charlevoix. It was a gorgeous morning but the mosquitoes were ferocious! I literally was eaten alive. But I was happy with way this pastel seascape came out. No pain, no gain…

Pastel plein air landscape painting of the Jordan River in East Jordan, Michigan

Pastel painting 11 inches x 14 inches

I almost always work on paper when I create my plein air pastel landscapes, using mostly Art Spectrum or Kitty Wallis paper. I recently bought a couple of Ampersand Pastelbords to try them out and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the surface. It is, of course, a heavier substrate, almost like masonite in weight.  When painting on it, the surface feels “harder” than other papers I have used, but it seems to hold just as much pastel. I used a sand-colored board for this painting of the Jordan River. I think this plein air artist will buy a few more boards to experiment with…

Plein air pastel seascape painting of a sand bar in the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11.5 inches

One day, while the guys were golfing up north, I spent the day painting pastel landscapes in the little town of East Jordan which is situated along the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix. This was my first work of the day, done early in the morning, before 9 am. As a plein air artist I’m always looking for interesting seascape opportunities. Although I really respect artists who can create a work of art solely from miles of endless water, I tend to shy away from scenes that are nothing but lake or ocean. I like to find something with an interesting center of interest that integrates with the water around it. This little sand bar did the trick.

I’m leaving for a week at Bonanza Creek in Montana today! Non-stop horseback riding and painting with close friends…Ahhhh!!! Check out their website at http://www.bonanzacreekcountry.com. If you are looking for a wonderful place to ride and experience the wonders of “out west”, I recommend it highly!

Plein air watercolor cityscape painting of a store in Harbor Springs, Michigan

Plein air watercolor painting    8.5 inches x 11.5 inches

I painted this watercolor architecture painting a couple of years ago when I was in Harbor Springs. I’ve always loved the little American Spoon store on Main Street and I couldn’t pass up the shadows on this sunny spring day. Plus, the crab apple trees were in bloom and added a scrumptious touch of color to the cityscape painting. Yum. It was a LITTLE awkward sitting right on the sidewalk while shoppers filed by, but I got over my nervousness soon enough. People are always so kind and interested in the work of artists.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11.5 inches

This is the last painting I made in Harbor Springs when we were “up north.” I stopped on a quiet little dirt road far from the tourists when I saw the bright light filtering through the trees. There was NOBODY around. Halfway through the painting a car stopped and a couple stepped out to see my pastel landscape. We chatted for quite a while. Turns out the woman’s brother was a plein air artist –who died of Lyme’s disease! You would think being an artist is a poor-paying but relatively safe career. I guess not. I quickly applied another layer of bug repellant.