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 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 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

Pastel cityscape painting of the corner of an old building in Umbria, Italy.

Pastel painting 19  inches x 9 inches

The subject matter of this pastel painting of Italy might have been found in any town in Europe. You can see beautiful, quality craftsmanship in these structures and also the years of careful maintenance and restoration. It seems to me that Europeans value their historical buildings more than we Americans do. Maybe we could take some cues from them and restore our older buildings instead of ripping them down just to replace them with steel and glass behemoths.

Ooops, sorry to get off on a rant…. I am really thankful for sooooo many things in my life! Hope everyone has a MAHVELOUS Thanksgiving!!

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

Plein air watercolor painting of the door of a small chapel in Umbria, Italy.

Plein air watercolor painting   4.75  inches x 6.75 inches   SOLD

Little, tiny watercolor painting, but close to my heart. I sat on the stairs in front of an old chapel in the heart of a Umbrian hill town to create this painting of Italy. It was cold and damp but the intimate scene drew me in…

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Saunders Waterford Watercolor Paper
Medium: DaVinci Watercolors

Pastel painting of part of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, Rome.

Pastel painting 11  inches x 17 inches         

I was in Rome for just a few days last fall, but in that short time, I found a lot of awe-inspiring scenes to paint! The Piazza Navona has always been one of my favorite city squares in the world. It is filled with monumental fountains and sculptures and is a focal point of the city. This pastel painting is based on a close-up view of the Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini. Its not often that I am able to combine my love of the human figure and architecture in one painting! I transformed the greyish tones of the sculpture and church into vibrant color to give more life to these famous Renaissance monuments.

My sister, Beth, just taught me how to use the FaceBook share capability on my blog. If you are so inclined, feel free to share my art by clicking the blue share button at the top right of any post. Your support is always appreciated!

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

Pastel landscape painting of the river that runs through the city Prato in Italy.

Pastel painting 11  inches x 17 inches    SOLD

A couple of years a go I visited Amsterdam and Prato, Italy with my friend Susan. We stayed in Prato’s ancient central Piazza. On days when we weren’t exploring Florence or the Tuscan countryside, we would wander the old streets and riverbanks of the city. This scene really captured my imagination. I painted an Italian watercolor painting of it on site and enlarged it into a pastel painting later in my studio. This view probably looks exactly the same as it looked hundreds of years ago. That’s part of what I find fascinating about Italy. So much of the city and countryside has been untouched by our modern architecture. I am sure that is both a blessing and a curse to current Italians, but it is a joy to the traveler!

I have special holiday gift for all of my readers! Sorella Jewelry Studio makes gorgeous personalized jewelry in silver, gold, platinum and paladium. Pendants, rings, charms, pins, almost anything you could want, personalized with your own name, date, wording, or symbols. (I own quite a few of their beautiful pieces!) They are giving a 10% discount until November 20th! Just go to SorellaJewelry.com and use code “pre11″

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

Pastel cityscape painting of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy

Pastel painting 9  inches x 12 inches  SOLD

I usually try to stay away from the famous tourist sites in Italy. They have been painted and photographed so many times, that it is hard to say something new about them. But on a couple of my trips to Florence, I stayed in a small hotel located on the Arno River right at the end of the Ponte Vecchio. I spent many happy hours painting plein air watercolors of Italy from this viewpoint. So it has special significance to me, in ways that other well-known sites don’t.

I thought that, plus a new exploration of color warranted a pastel painting of the famous bridge.

Pastel cityscape painting of a sunlit lane in Tuscany, Italy

Pastel painting    24  inches x 36 inches   SOLD

This pastel painting is one of the two larger works that will be in my “Faraway Places” exhibit which opens this Saturday. At 24 x 36 inches, they are the largest pastels I have ever done. I really enjoyed working large, but it was a challenge to keep loose and not get tooooo detailed. This is a favorite scene of mine in Montepulciano, Tuscany and I have reproduced it as a watercolor painting of Italy also. I wanted to capture the compositional angles and the vibrant color, but in the end, like always, for me it is all about light and shadow…

“Faraway Places: history, objects, spirit & spaces”
Nov. 5th – Dec. 18, 2011
Reception: Nov. 5th 5-8pm
River Gallery, 120 S. Main St., Chelsea MI
www.chelsearivergallery.com

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Art Spectrum Colorfix MultiMedia Painting Board
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Plein air watercolor sketch of the Victor Emmanuel Monument in Rome, Italy

Plein air watercolor sketch of the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

Plein air watercolor sketches   4.5  inches x 6 inches

I spent a few days in Rome after my workshop at La Romita School of Art. I was busy revisiting a lot of the sites I had seen in the past and didn’t have time to do finished watercolor paintings. But I did shoot a lot of photos and did little (very rough!) watercolor sketches to capture light and color for later works in my studio. I had a killer cold (as I do again today!) but still wanted to get as much reference as I could for future paintings of Italy

I’m just about done framing over 40 pastel and watercolor paintings for my upcoming exhibit. If you are in the area, I hope you can stop by!

“Faraway Places: history, objects, spirit & spaces”
Nov. 5th – Dec. 18, 2011
Reception: Nov. 5th 5-8pm
River Gallery, 120 S. Main St., Chelsea MI
www.chelsearivergallery.com

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Saunders Waterford Watercolor Paper
Medium: DaVinci Watercolors

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of the Italian hill town of San Gemini

Plein air watercolor painting   6.5  inches x 10.5 inches   $150

Many of the hill towns of Italy are perched precariously on the edges of mini-mountains in the rolling Umbrian landscape. When they were built centuries ago, these castle-like cities were the first line of defense against the town’s enemies. You can see for miles and miles from almost any point on the ancient walls. It is totally breathtaking. For this watercolor painting, I sat on an adjacent hill and painted San Gemini’s outer structure, with the small farms and villas in the distance. This painting of Italy will always remind me of the unbelievable beauty of the country of my heritage…

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Saunders Waterford Watercolor Paper
Medium: DaVinci Watercolors