Plein air pastel landscape painting of a barn and other farm buildings.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 6.5 inches   $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another  plein air pastel landscape of the farmlands around Saline, Michigan. I painted this one in the late afternoon again, waste deep in a field of wheat. It was a great location except for the millions of bugs that almost ate me alive. And of course, I forgot my bug repellant!

I’m so excited about the 4 commissions I am working on this month! I will be posting a few of them in the next couple of days.

And, (oh my god!), I’ve joined the twitter nation. If you liked to follow my tweets, catch me at http://twitter.com/jillwagnerart

Have a great 4t of July weekend!

Plein air pastel landscape of a farm and fields of spring wheat in late afternoon

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

When I paint from life outside, I usually set out in the morning. For a change, I decided to try some pastel landscapes in the afternoon light. For plein air painters, morning and afternoon are the prime times because of the lovely yellow-orange light and the great shadows at those times of day. I found this luscious field of spring wheat south of town and set up all of my equipment on the side of the road. Quite a few people stopped by to chat and one woman asked to take my photo while I was painting. Turns out this is her favorite view and she has taken photos of the scene every month or so to catalog the seasonal changes. I was happy to oblige but darn it! I forgot to ask her if she would like a pastel painting of her favorite spot!

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.

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.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a winding path leading to a garden fountain.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Our friends in Sylvania, Ohio have one of the most beautiful backyard gardens I have ever seen. Almost every square inch is filled with gorgeous flowers, shrubs, paths, walls and fountains. They have created “room” after “room” of amazing floral displays and they are expanding every year. And best of all: they allow me to wander the property and paint watercolor landscapes to my heart’s content! I’ve painted this path 3 times now and hope to continue to study it in the future…

Watercolor plein air painting of the old houses along Lake Charlevoix, Michigan.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

When we were “Up North” on Memorial Day, I wandered all around Charlevoix and found areas I had never visited before. There was a lovely boulevard of stately old summer homes along Lake Charlevoix that caught my eye. The area was a private association and I hope they didn’t mind that I plopped myself down in the middle of the common area and painted watercolor landscapes of the scene. Nobody requested that I leave, so I took that as permission!

Pastel portrait painting of a beautiful young woman in pink.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Marie was a wonderful model at our recent portrait painting session. She was a newbie, not used to the grueling hours of sitting motionless, but she did a fine job! This pastel painting was done over a 2 hour period with short breaks every half hour or so. After years of nude figure drawing, its fun to draw people with clothes on every once in a while!

Plein air pastel landscape of the bridge in Charlevoix, Michigan

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8.5 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I painted this pastel landscape from the balcony of our hotel in Charlevoix. The bridge lifts every hour or so to let boats pass between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix. It causes quite the traffic jam but is an important part of the community and facilitates the boating tourists who visit. The psychodelic blue paint and the reflections below caught my interest. A great subject for the strong colors that are possible with pastels!

Pastel plein air painting of the Charlevoix lighthouse in midday sun.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

This lighthouse is like a magnet for me for some reason. This is the third time I’ve painted it in the last 2 years. I think it attracts me because it’s so stark and minimalist against the bright blue sky. Sometimes painting pastel landscapes can be overwhelming because there is SO MUCH out there to choose from that it becomes difficult to focus. Every once in a while, its nice to approach a simpler, straightforward subject!

Pastel plein air painting of rocks along the Lake Michigan coast.

Pastel painting 6.5 inches x 8.5 inches   $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Back at Big Rock Point near Charlevoix. In early morning the trees cast shadows on the rocks that line the coast and create an interesting contrast to the bright sun on the water. When I sit in an an area like this to paint plein air pastel landscapes, I often think that this particular spot has looked just like this for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years. What an honor to spend a few hours recreating it in my own pastel style on paper!

Watercolor painting of a Victorian cottage in Bay View, Michigan

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another one of the historic Victorian cottages at Bay View, Michigan. While I was doing this watercolor painting, the owner of the cottage came out to take a look. Turns out she and her husband lived in Ann Arbor for 3 years when they were in college and have many fond memories of their time in our part of the state…

Watercolor plein air painting of a cottage in Bay View, Michigan

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

When I was up north last Sunday, I decided to ditch the pastels and concentrate on watercolor landscapes for the day. I visited the small community of Bay View near Petoskey, Michigan. I’d always admired the beautiful Victorian cottages in this gorgeous little enclave, but, as I wandered around I discovered that there was a small, historic campus nestled in among the summer homes. The community was started in the 1880s as a Methodist retreat with educational programs.

I didn’t “get religion” but I did meet some very nice people. And I was more than happy to spend a few quiet hours under the trees painting beautiful, historic architecture!