Pastel portrait of a woman reading

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $300

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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 watercolor painting of two women by the pool.

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Another unsuspecting pair of models falls prey to the wandering watercolor artist! I wonder if they would recognize themselves lounging at the pool? They stayed put just long enough for me to create a watercolor figure painting of them.

Pastel portrait painting of a man in profile

Pastel painting 11 inches x17 inches   $300

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We had a great pastel figure drawing session this afternoon. Our scheduled model didn’t show, but we were very lucky that Jack lives nearby and could run over to help us out.  We’ve all drawn him many times and you think we’d pine for someone new. But Jack is a great model and has such an interesting face. The more we paint his portrait, the better we are able to capture his unique look.

This pastel painting is one of my favorite portraits ever. I think I caught Jack’s likeness but I also like the painterly effect I was able to achieve.

Jack told me his friends all over the country check out my blog to see his portraits. Hi all!

Pastel Portrait of a man resting on a couch.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 5 inches     $80

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Felt bad that I had to miss my figure drawing class today so I thought I’d post a recent pastel painting that I did of my husband. I’ve captured him in his usual pose: watching TV from the couch. None of my family will pose for me anymore so I have to catch them when they are doing something else. I have hundreds of sketches of John in this position. I always joke that if I ever get famous, when I die the curators will look through my past work, and marvel at this reoccurring model. “This figure seems to have a deep and profound meaning in her work. Obviously he is a muse who she felt the need to recapture over and over in her paintings.” HA! Although he is immensely important to me, he also is the only free model who will stay still long enough!

Thanks for putting up with me, sweetie!

Watercolor painting of people waiting at the cheese counter at Zingerman's Deli.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 11 inches $300

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Here in Ann Arbor, we are soooo lucky to have one of the best delicatessens in the world. Zingerman’s is a true food bonanza! They carry the finest cheeses, meats, olive oils, breads and make unbelievable sandwiches. My husband adores the store and spends way more than he should there, buying mouth watering treats every week. I shot a reference photo of him parked at his favorite location: right in front of the cheese and meat counter.

It was a challenge to do a watercolor painting of this scene which is crowded with so many items, especially on yuppo paper. I cropped in tight and left out a lot of extraneous detail so I could focus on the dynamic composition and the light emanating from the food cases.

Pastel portrait of an elderly woman in a hat.

Pastel painting 11 inches x17 inches   $300

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Betty made a great portrait model at our pastel figure drawing session this afternoon. At first I was worried about the view I had, with her hat obscuring most of her face. But after working on it for awhile, I really started liking the unusual angle I had.

Pastel portrait of a man with cap.

Pastel painting 12 inches x17 inches   $300

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Its been a while since I’ve been able to attend my pastel figure drawing session. With the holidays and travel, I always ended up skipping it. It was great to get back in the groove this week. We are going to mount a portrait exhibition in late February at the Side Door Gallery at the Dexter Picture Frame Shop. Our fearless leader thought it might be a good idea for the artists to act as models for the next couple of weeks. Jim is a fine watercolor artist and was the first hardy soul to volunteer. We all loved his jaunty cap and serious expression.

Watercolor painting of a man reading a newspaper in a lounge chair by the pool.

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 5.5 inches       $80

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I captured this man at the pool, early in the morning, as he reviewed sporting events in the newspaper. He was a bit heavier than my usual models but made an interesting watercolor figure painting just the same!

Watercolor painting of a young woman sewing in a lounge chair by the pool.

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 5.5 inches       $80

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Another watercolor figure painting at the pool. I’m not sure what this lady was sewing but she was very involved in it. What a relaxing way to spend the afternoon!

Watercolor painting of two women talking while lounging at the pool.

Watercolor painting 5 inches x 5 inches       $80

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Lounging at the pool is the perfect time to catch up on all of the gossip you’ve missed over the last couple of months. These ladies talked non-stop while watching their kiddos in the water and made perfect unsuspecting models for a watercolor painter like me. Most people don’t even notice that I am sketching, but every once in a while someone will figure it out and come over to see their likeness. Nobody has had a bad reaction and I’ve even sold a few watercolor figure paintings at the pool!

Watercolor painting of an elderly man relaxing poolside.

Watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 6. 5 inches       $80

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This elderly man looked like he had spent a lot of time by the pool after putting in years of hard work at his career.  In this watercolor painting I wanted to catch his total relaxation and they way the sun created deep shadows on his body. Using Yupo paper is a great way to create vibrant, loose figure paintings that have a dynamic feel about them. The surface just doesn’t allow too much “fussing”.

Watercolor painting of a young woman in a bathing suit engrossed in a book.

Watercolor painting 4.5 inches x 7 inches       $80

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Nothing better than a good book at the beach! This woman was completely engrossed in her novel and never noticed me painting her. And she barely moved an inch the whole time. A perfect model for a  watercolor figure painting on a sunny lazy day.