Plein air pastel painting of an old caboose at a train station.
Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches
Whoa. Thatsa lotta color! I don’t seem to use much red in my paintings but I think I made up for it in this one! Maybe a bit too much…?
The plein air buddies hit the old train station in Saline a couple of weeks ago. It has been nicely cleaned up and made into a museum by the historical society in town. The vibrant red caboose parked on the tracks was hard to ignore. I started out doing watercolor paintings but experienced a bit of trouble so I switched over to pastel. I was feeling bold and dynamic that day, and I think this pastel painting proves it!
Plein air pastel landscape painting of an umbrella table and chairs on a summer deck.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 4.5 inches $80
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
AHhhhhh….Nothing like summer on the patio! I painted this little pastel painting one morning last week. Didn’t have time to go out plein air painting but this pastel artist had to get something on paper! I was drawn to the dark silhouette of the chair and tables against the psychedelic green lawn. This will be a nice memory when winter closes in on us in December…
Watercolor painting of the European-style fountain at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan
Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches SOLD
My son-in-law’s sister was married last weekend. Many of the events, including the betrothal, shower and reception, were held at the beautiful Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan. As a special wedding present for the bride and groom, I created a watercolor painting of the European-style fountain that graces the grounds surrounding the hotel. It reminds me of the old fountains in the piazzas of Italy. They are off on their honeymoon now and haven’t opened their presents yet. Hope they don’t see this post!
Do you have a special place that you would like memorialized in a piece of art? I would be happy to paint a watercolor or pastel commission for you or a loved one. Contact me and we can chat!
Plein air pastel painting of a statue of woman holding flowers.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches $300
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
Another example of a figure drawing and pastel landscape at the same time! This piece is a mirror to my earlier Miss Spring painting and was also done at the gardens surrounding Wellers in Saline. The bright sunshine and flowers in the background suggest that summer is right around the corner here in Michigan!
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
It’s time to do a little spring cleaning in the studio and I need to “shed” a few art works. Although its been a great year for me so far, I have various pastel drawings and watercolor paintings that need to move on to new homes.
I’ve decided to have a sale with 30% OFF all small works on my blog that were originally $300 or less. Limited time offer–the sale will last only until June 15th, 2010.
Take a look through previous entries on my artblog by clicking on the arrow at the bottom of the page, or zero in on your favorite mediums or subject matter by clicking on the categories in the right column. If you find an available piece that speaks to you, contact me directly. (Don’t use the Buy Now buttons because they still show the original prices). I’d love for you to have an original artwork at “sale” prices…and I would really love to create more room in my studio for future art work.
My portrait group is having a show at the Side Door Gallery at Dexter Picture Frame Co. in Dexter. The show. About Face, will be up from February 24- April 10, 2010 and we’ll have a reception on Friday, March 19th from 6-8 pm. I have 3 pastel portraits in the show. There will be a lot of interesting portraits in various mediums and some of the models will be attending the reception. It should make for a fun evening. Stop by if you can make it!
Watercolor painting of people waiting at the cheese counter at Zingerman's Deli.
Watercolor painting 9 inches x 11 inchesSOLD
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
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.
Poster for Braun Farms Exhibit in Saline, Michigan
Part of what I love about being an artist in Ann Arbor, Michigan is the great art associations we have in the area. I am a board member of Ann Arbor Women Artists and belong to Ann Arbor Pastelists, Whitmore Lake Portrait Group and the Michigan Water Color Society. I’m also a member of national art associations like the Great Lakes Pastel Society, the National Watercolor Society and Pastel Society of America. But I feel much more connected, and have learned much more, from my daily dealings with the dedicated painters in our local groups. These individuals range from seasoned professionals to novice beginners, but they all bring unique insights and solutions to the everyday tasks of being a working artist.
Recently a group of Saline painters decided to organize an exhibit of paintings of a beautiful local farm in our area. I think it will be a very interesting experiment–almost like a documentary in paint–one place seen from a variety of different viewpoints and created in different mediums. I was happy to be asked to participate and put together the poster for the event.
If you are able, please stop by to check out the many artworks on view at My Favorite Cafe at 101 South Ann Arbor Street in Saline. The show will run from January thru February of 2010.We’d love to see you at the reception on January 8th from 7-9 pm!
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!)
SafeHouse Center is an organization that fights domestic violence and sexual assault in Washtenaw County. I have recently become a board member and am really excited about working to strengthen this important community asset. I designed and produced a calendar filled with the art of local women artists as a fundraiser to help SafeHouse continue their good work during these trying economic times. Although their funds have been cut, they are serving more families than ever before and the shelter is full to over-flowing. For a small donation of $15 for 1 or $40 for 3 (plus shipping) you can make a difference in the lives of thousands of women and children.
Please contact me if you would be interested in supporting SafeHouse AND owning a beautiful, art-filled calendar. They make perfect holiday gifts!
Pastel plein air painting of a dirt road framed in autum leaves.
Pastel painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
It was friggin cold on Sunday afternoon. But I persisted. The colors in southeast Michigan are starting to burst out and I refused to miss the explosion! The back roads were filled with orange and yellow and this little lane looked like a perfect place to set up for a pastel landscape painting. Within 20 minutes, my fingers were absolutely numb. I was packing up to go when a sweet man who owned a farm on this road stopped to chat. He told me how beautiful the fields behind his house were and invited me to paint there. I couldn’t refuse. I will post that painting in a couple of days.
SafeHouse Center, an organization that fights to stop domestic violence and sexual assault in Michigan is very close to my heart. I designed a calendar filled with the art of local women artists as a fundraiser to help offset the huge funding cuts they are experiencing. The art is really amazing and the cause is so important. For a donation of $15 for 1 or $40 for 3 you can make a difference for thousands of women and children.
Thank you to the many artists who donated, to my friend and wonderful copywriter, Linda Fitzgerald, and to Kelly Parkinson and the Allegra Print and Imaging gang for making this calendar happen!
The calendars wold make wonderful holiday gifts. Please contact me if you are interested!
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.
