9-canvas watercolor family quilt painting

9 separate watercolor portrait paintings.     Finished size 36″ x 36″.     Not for sale.

I’ve been working on this project for a couple of months–which is a very long time for me. I usually paint very quickly because I have absolutely no patience and I want instant gratification. Kind of like a child, no?

But this piece was important to me and worth the wait. These are portraits of 2 generations of my family–myself, 2 sisters, husbands and children. I plan to expand it to 16 watercolor portraits and add my mother, grandkids and new nephews as they marry into the family. But I wanted to have at least part of the quilt finished and mounted on the wall for our family Thanksgiving which will be at our house this year.

Because, after all, this IS what I am most thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

(these 9 images were painted on the 12 by 12 inch watercolor canvas that has recently become available. I used only 3 colors throughout to harmonize all of the painting: alizarin crimson, utltramarine blue and cadium yellow medium. To finish and protect the paintings, I sprayed with Krylon finishing spray. No need for glass!)

Pastel painting commission of dowtown Saline, Michigan

Pastel painting 18 inches x 24 inches       SOLD

I was so honored when River Gallery notified me that the art consultants for the new wing of the Saint Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital wanted me to create a large pastel commission of downtown Saline. I shot a lot of photo references and we settled on this storefront scene of the area on South Ann Arbor Street. Its a quaint little row of antique stores, barber and coffee shops and always looks picture perfect. I like painting architecture and I LOVE painting local scenes so this was a dream come true! I’m in the process of framing it and when it is done it will hang in the new community room of the hospital.

Watercolor landscape painting of Seminary Ridge in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Watercolor painting      6 inches x 9 inches SOLD

I have a close friend whose son-in-law is a Gettysburg fanatic. I can totally relate. After our last visit there, I think I have become a life long devotee. The place is filled with awe inspiring history and emotion.  When you understand the story, and the horror, of those few days in 1863, it absolutely astounds you. My friend asked me to create a watercolor painting for her son-in-laws’s birthday and I was honored to do it. This watercolor commission recreates the view from Seminary Ridge, where the famous Pickett’s Charge began.

Watercolor landscape painting of Portofino, Italy

Watercolor painting      10 inches x 8.5 inches SOLD

I just delivered this watercolor commission to a woman who asked me to create it as a birthday present for her best friend. They had recently visited Italy together and she wanted this watercolor landscape to commemorate their trip. THey both loved Portofino, a beautiful Mediterranean port on the east coast. I worked from a photo she provided but made composition changes and simplified the scene a bit. She was really happy with it. Now I can’t wait to hear what her friend thinks about her surprise art present!

Pastel pet portrait painting of a chocolate labrador

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches   SOLD

I delivered this pastel pet portrait painting to my client yesterday morning. I think she liked it. When she saw it she hugged me and got all “verklempfed.” There is nothing like creating a piece of art that really connects with the new owner. Absolutely makes my day!

I spent the rest of the day painting plein air pastel landscapes of the the countryside north of Ann Arbor and will post some of those images in the next few days.

Looking forward to the Saline Paint Out on Saturday, July 25th. We will paint all around the Saline area and then have a reception at the Two Twelve Arts Center from 4-6pm with the paintings available for sale.  If you are interested, contact Taylor Jacobsen at

salinemills@provide.net

Plein Air watercolor of a pot of geraniums along a wall in a garden.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

One more plein air watercolor painting of our friend’s garden. These geraniums were perched jauntily on the garden wall and caught the bright sunlight perfectly. I especially liked the way they blooms were highlighted against the dark red maple in the background.

Pastel portrait of a young father teaching his daughter to fish.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches  SOLD

I just finished this pastel portrait for a client who wanted a special present for her husband on Father’s Day. They were very happy with the results. I am doing more and more pastel commissions and watercolor commissions and absolutely loving the process. There’s nothing like creating a piece of art that makes someone happy!

I’d like to offer a special incentive for my regular blog viewers. If you send a commission client my way, I will happily let you chose one of my small artworks for your very own!

Contact me on my website and we can talk!

I have found a wonderful source for creating Giclee prints of my pastel paintings and am now offering a few of my favorite pieces for sale as reproductions. They have been purchased by quite a few health care organizations and other corporate entities to hang as art in their buildings. They are less expensive than purchasing original art and make wonderful gifts.

Wikipedia describes giclees as: Giclée (pronounced “zhee-clay”)  is an invented name for the process of making fine art prints from a digital source using ink-jet printing. The word “giclée” is derived from the French language word “le gicleur” meaning “nozzle”, or more specifically “gicler” meaning “to squirt, spurt, or spray”. It was coined in 1991 by, a printmaker working in the field, to represent any inkjet-based digital print used as fine art. The name was originally applied to fine art prints created on Iris printers in a process invented in the early 1990s but has since come to mean any high quality ink-jet print and is often used in galleries and print shops to denote such prints.

My Giclees are available in many subjects, sizes and formats and are ready to frame. Please take a look at my Giclee Gallery to see all of the prints that are now available.

Sample commission paintings of pet portraits

I have really fallen in love with painting pastel pet portraits. So, being the marketing freak that I am, I decided to create a printed card to advertise my services. The image above shows just a few of the very personal pieces I’ve painted in the last few months.

Pastel is a wonderful medium for this type of work. It is very soft and expressive, perfect for catching the special characteristics of dogs, cats, horses and other furry creatures. Each of these portraits are 8 x 10 inches but I am comfortable working larger or smaller depending on my client’s needs. I have been distributing the cards at pet stores, shows and grooming businesses and have gotten a wonderful response so far. If you know someone who would like to have a favorite pet or other animal made into art, please let me know!

Pastel portrait of a golden retriever

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork or a commission

One more pet portrait to add to the group! Our dear friends have 2 golden retrievers and a blood hound. They are the sweetest animals around and their owners adore them. Every time our friends come to visit they bring our dog a little treat. To thank them, I did a pastel painting of one of their pups basking in the sun. Can’t you just tell what a lover he is by his big, happy smile?

Pastel painting of a brown lab

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork or a commission

My friend’s beautiful brown lab died a while ago. She was a really special dog and missed by the whole family– especially her husband. She asked me to create a pastel portrait of Yoshi  as a special gift for him. It was a challenge to catch just the right personality since I had never met the pup, but my friend says this commission is right on. I was so happy to do it for them!

Pastel portrait of a beautiful young woman

Please contact me if you are interested in portraits of people or animals!

This is the pastel portrait of my oldest niece, Jessica. I really like to do portrait work from life, but these days, it seems that no one is willing to sit for hours while I layer the color on paper. Not even my own family!  I took multiple photos of each of the girls at Christmas break and used various shots to come up with their final portraits. I know them both well and I loved capturing the little sparkles in their eyes…