Plein air pastel painting of small palms on a lake shore.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11.5 inches     $300

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I like to paint what I call “MicroLandscapes”. I find a scene that I really like and create an intensely cropped, “close up” composition of it. My RiverStones series is a good example of this type of subject matter. It’s a non-traditional way of looking at pastel landscapes, and one that fits my sensibilities very well.

I usually do these types of paintings in the studio, but when I was down in Florida, I thought I would make a plein air attempt. These palms were right on the edge of a pond and created a neat, abstract composition for my pastel painting.

I am starting a new series of “MicroLandscapes” and am using apple orchards as my subject matter. So far I really like the results. I’ll post them soon…

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of hostas in a garden.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I haven’t ventured out with my watercolors very often this summer so I thought I’d try some sketches of the backyard garden paradise that my husband has created. This watercolor landscape painting shows one of our gargantuan hostas. Its about 5 feet tall and when the light hits the flowers against the dark pine trees, it is absolutely stunning.

Hoping the sun stays out today so I can shoot photos of the apple orchards in our area…I have a series in mind…

Don’t forget the Ann Arbor Pastelists reception on Friday, 6:30-8:30pm at the Mallet Creek Library in Ann Arbor!

Pastel painting of Queen Anne's Lace in a meadow in Michigan.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   $450

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

A couple of weeks ago, I went out to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens to photograph the flowers that were blooming. I snapped a few interesting photos, but the surrounding meadows, teaming with Queen Anne’s Lace, really grabbed my attention. I’ve done a few pastel paintings of wild flower fields lately. I like the randomness of the blooms blowing in the breeze. They seem so pure and free and make dynamic flower paintings. To me, they are a gorgeous and perfect symbol of late summer in Michigan.

The Ann Arbor Pastelists are having a reception for our new show at Mallet Creek Library in Ann Arbor on Friday night. Please stop by from 6:30-8:30 pm to see amazing works from talented pastel artists!

Plein air pastel painting of sunflowers in August.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Spent a lovely afternoon with my plein air group painting in one of our member’s garden on Wednesday. There were so many great views, I didn’t know where to start. I finally decided to zero in on her fence of sunflowers since I had never painted them in either pastel or watercolor before. I love doing flower paintings in sunlight because of the interesting light and shadow effects that occur. That’s what its all about for me…light patterns!

Off to work on my watercolor commission of Gettysburg!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of rolling fields of purple flowers outside Harbor Springs, Michigan

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another plein air pastel landscape from last weekend. All the fields around Harbor Sprints were coveerd with a soft purple haze of flowers that was just beautiful. We found out later that what we thought were flowers were actually invasive weeds that are taking over the hillsides and are definitely not good for the environment up there.

I’ve been crazy busy this week and haven’t had a chance to paint at all. But the good news is: I have 2 commissions waiting to be started! I love having an assignment! One is a large pastel commission of downtown Saline, and the other is a small landscape painting of Gettysburg.

Plein air pastel painting of a flower shed in a beautiful garden

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

We had a wonderful plein air day yesterday, Paintng Around Town in Saline. It started out VERY rainy, but by 10 am the clouds had cleared and more than 30 artists scattered around the city, creating pastels, watercolors, and oil paintings of the local scenes. I managed to get in 3 pastel landscapes. The above painting was done out at Saline Mills, a beautiful old mill site with gorgeous gardens and historic out buildings.

Congratulations to Sandra DiFazio and Toni Stevenson, who won the People’s Choice and Best of Show awards! And thank you to Linda Klenczar for making these fun painting days possible!

Pastel painting of Hostas in a garden.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   $450

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

My husband has created magical gardens in our back yard over the last few years. Each week, another little riot of color will appear in a new spot. Then those flowers fade, and new ones appear. The one constant in this ever changing scene is the many hostas that he has planted. Although they are not as colorful as some of the other flowers, I’m drawn to their cool serenity. This floral pastel painting captures one of those hostas in the sun light.

Looking forward to “Painting Around Town”, a plein air event in Saline, Michigan tomorrow. It may rain a bit in the morning, but several businesses have also offered to host artists inside, too. Come by the reception at Two Twelve Arts Center from 4-6pm on Saturday night to see the beautiful paintings that all of the artists create!

Plein air watercolor of peonies in full bloom in a garden

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 7 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Our friend’s garden has given me endless beautiful views to paint and I have taken full advantage of it. In the spring, when everything started blooming, I captured their beautiful peony bushes in a plein air watercolor landscape. I need to make another visit to see what is blooming now!

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 painting of freshly cut lilacs in a vase with sunlight streaming in.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 14 inches   $600

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Every year our backyard bursts out in purple and lavender blooms to herald the coming of spring. I love lilacs almost as much as hydrangeas so I decided to paint the ever present vase of them on our kitchen table. But, like most of my work, the real subject of this  pastel painting is light. The way the sunlight streamed through the window and lit up the vase was the real attraction for me.

Pastel painting of fading geraniums in front of an old house.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 14 inches   $600

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

This pastel painting is an unusual combination of floral and landscape. I was wandering around downtown Louisville, in a neat historic section, when I ran into these fading geraniums. When I noticed the old, historic home in the background, I thought their juxtaposition would make an interesting image. I get all worked up about the way we treat our cities, trashing or abandoning whole neighborhoods in our rush to expand into the vanishing open areas. This piece was a bit cathartic for me. Ahhhh…. I feel better now!

BTW: If you get a chance, check out Tony Moffits blog. He puts out very useful and interesting information about art marketing. He featured my art work today in his blog and he also has a great site for artists looking for gallery representation. He graciously included me in his artist group on this site also.

Plein air watercolor landscape of a brick walk wandering through a garden.

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 9.5 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another watercolor landscape of our friend’s beautiful garden. I spent a good 4-5 hours exploring and painting the different views in this backyard treasure. One of the owners is a Master Gardener and has been kind enough to share her special knowledge with my gardening husband. Little by little, with her help, our own backyard is becoming a painting paradise, too! Soon, I’ll be able to create watercolor and pastel paintings of gardens without leaving home.