Pastel painting of a sunlit porch of an old house in Saline, Michigan.

Pastel paintings   25.5 inches x 12.5 inches

I know it’s weird, but painting architecture just “flips my switch.” I love the play of nature’s organic forms against man-made structures. It is especially fun to capture old homes when they are lit by sunlight that casts deep, interesting shadows. I created this pastel painting a few years ago. I’ve sold quite a few giclee prints of it, but the original is still looking for a good home…

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel cityscape painting of a tower in Sienna, Italy.

Pastel painting    9  inches x 19 inches

The thousands of towers that rise from the cities and countryside are iconic symbols of Italian architecture. They were used for protection, to create beauty and to establish the status of influential families in Italy. Each one is different and many of them are mini architectural masterpieces. I was especially drawn to this sunlit tower in Siena when I visited in 2006. This scene inspired a watercolor and this pastel painting of Italy.

I worked on a board painted with a rough primer to create texture on the piece.

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Illustration board with Terra Cotta Art Spectrum Primer
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel architecture painting of the interior of an Italian cathedral

Pastel paintings   12.5 inches x 25.5 inches

Although 2/3 of the work sold, I still have a few pastel paintings of Italy available from my show last fall at the River Gallery. This was my first exploration of cathedral architecture. It’s obviously a rendition of columns, arches and windows, but what I was really doing was playing with both reality and abstraction. I like to zoom in on interesting structural areas and reduce them to shapes, colors, light and shadow. And I especially like infusing different hues into the somewhat monochr0matic shades of beautiful Italian churches.

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Aubergine Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel garden painting of flowers in front of a home.

Pastel paintings   5  inches x 7 inches

This is the second of my “little gem” garden paintings that I worked on last week. The flowers were so rich and bright in front of the shaded house. They just begged to be captured in a pastel painting. I think I’m ready to move on to a larger piece. I’ve been thinking of starting a sky series…..hmmm….

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Aubergine Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel painting of a blue chair in a garden.

Pastel paintings   5  inches x 7 inches

I had a touch of the flu last week and just didn’t have the strength to consider a large piece. But I was aching to paint in pastel! So I decided to work on a few “little gem” garden paintings. I like switching back and forth between large works and tiny ones. They each teach me something and inform the other. I gave myself an hour time limit on this one and managed to loosen up a bit.

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Aubergine Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel painting of the interior of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy

Pastel paintings   12.5 inches x 25.5 inches

I just love columns. In fact, most of my friends consider it a mild obsession. I have them everywhere in my house and office. They are so strong, stately and monumental. I especially love the columns that are topped with Corinthian capitals. So when I again visited the unbelievably beautiful Pantheon temple in Rome, I decided that I would try to capture some of the elements of Roman architecture that make my heart sing. In this pastel painting of Italy, I stayed true to the structural elements but bumped the color to create additional drama.

I was surprised an honored this week to find out that I was the Featured Artist on the Pastel News website. I subscribe to this site because I love to receive information about historical and current pastel artists. Never dreamed I would be one of them! Check it out here:

http://pastelnews.com/category/featured-pastel-artist/

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Aubergine Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel cityscape painting of a small street in Umbria, Italy. SOLD

Pastel painting of an extreme close up view of ripe apples on a tree.

Early Christmas Present!

I was notified last week that I had TWO pastel paintings juried into the International Association of Pastel Societies Exhibit. A real thrill and a great end to the year!

It’s an amazing exhibit filled with gorgeous artworks. You can see the full show here.

Pastel painting   9 inches x 13 inches

It’s way past prime garden time in Michigan right now. The plants and trees are all bare and the flowers are long gone. But I took hundreds of research photos from the 6 gardens that will be on next year’s Ann Arbor Garden Walk and I am starting to work on pastel floral paintings in my studio. A group of artists will be exhibiting our artwork at the event in June. These hydrangeas were in a garden of a beautiful old home, built by President Millard Filmore’s brother in the 1800s, just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I love the way the sunlight hit the petals and contrasted with the cool background of the old house.

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Burgundy Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel landscape painting of a distant village in the Umbrian hills of Italy.

Pastel painting     27.5  inches x 13.5 inches   SOLD

Another pastel painting of Italy where I am exploring the long distance views from the Umbrian hill towns. I’m not sure if this is really a village or a small villa that grew and grew over the years. Some of the family plots became compounds over the years, with each successive generation adding another addition or building to the original villa. Regardless, they create beautiful focal points in the undulating countryside.

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Illustration board with Terra Cotta Art Spectrum Primer
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel cityscape painting of sunlight cascading across the entrance to a home in Umbria, Italy.

Pastel painting 11  inches x 17 inches   $800

I’m always saying that my art is all about light and shadow. It’s what draws me to almost every subject I paint and  what I’m constantly exploring. This pastel painting of Italy is a perfect example. I came upon this little alleyway while I was wandering through an Umbrian hill town. Although the scene itself was interesting, it was the way the sunlight cascaded across the wall and steps that really drew me in.

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Terra Cotta Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels