Plein air pastel painting of a condominium entry area.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches
Another favorite plein air painting from my trip down south last month. I didn’t have to travel very far to capture this scene. Just plopped myself down right outside our condo entrance. I often drive myself half crazy driving around looking for the “perfect” view to paint. But every once in a while, I get serious and just work with what’s closest to home.
The light and shadow drew me into this scene (again!) and I felt happy with the outcome. I love combining the hard-edged lines of structure with organic, flowing plant shapes in pastel paintings of architecture.
Plein air pastel painting of a colorful building between palm trees
Pastel painting 12 inches x 9 inches
I was drawn to this scene because of the vibrant color of the building peeking out between the trees and bushes. It made a perfect, complimentary color scheme of reds and greens, causing a bit of interesting vibration in the pastel landscape. The vertical and horizontal lines of the composition also intrigued me because they formed a kind of grid-like structure to work with. Its a bonus to be able to paint buildings and landscapes at the same time!
I tend to bounce between several subject matters in both my watercolor and pastel paintings. But I like so many subjects its hard to focus! Landscapes, architecture, portraits, seascapes, extreme close ups… I love them all. The only subjects I haven’t worked much with are abstracts and still lifes. But there’s still time…
Plein air watercolor painting of the president's house at the University of Montana Western
Plein air Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches
My sister lived in Dillon, the biggest city in Beaverhead County, Montana. Whoa, 4,000 population! But its a wonderful town, full of really nice people. The University of Montana Western is located there, and one day we explored the campus. The president’s house was a beautiful old building just made for a plein air watercolor painting of architecture. The great thing about being a watercolor artist is that you can always carry a small bag of supplies with you and stop at the drop of a hat to paint!
Plein air watercolor painting of a porch on an old home with geranium baskets.
Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6.5 inches $100
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
Pulled out the watercolors the other day and walked around downtown Saline. In the morning, the sunlight illuminates the old houses on the main road into town. I always swear I am going to try a new location but the sunlit porches tend to grab my attention. So….another watercolor architecture painting of my hometown!
Plein air pastel painting of flower filled porch in Harbor Springs, Michigan
Pastel painting 12.5 inches x 5 inches $150
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After painting the pastel cityscape on my previous post, I stayed at the same spot and pivoted for a view of this intimate porch scene. Harbor Springs is full of beautiful old summer homes with intricate, Victorian architecture. I love capturing the unique details that make intriguing and personal house portraits. Contact me if you are interested in a special piece of art to commemorate your home in watercolor or pastel!
Plein air pastel painting of adirondack chairs in front of an old bed and breakfast in Harbor Springs, Michigan
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 12.5 inches
We spent Memorial Day Weekend “up north”, as usual. I look forward to this trip every year. We go with 4 of our favorite friends, and each of us spends time relaxing and doing what we love best. For me, it is painting en plein air in watercolor and pastel. I painted 9 pieces over the 4 days we were there and will post some of them over the next couple of weeks.
This pastel cityscape was my first piece. I set up on the front lawn of a beautiful old bed and breakfast right on Main Street in Harbor Springs. I felt a bit exposed, but the early morning sunlight hitting the stark white chairs was just to good to miss!
Later in the afternoon, I dropped new work off to Tvedten Fine Art, my new gallery in Harbor Springs. Margaret’s beautiful space was overflowing with inspiring new art. I am so honored to be among her stable of artists. She sold one of my pastel landscapes , “The Secret Place”, that weekend. Yea!
Plein air pastel painting of the windows of a stately mansion.
Pastel painting 10 inches x 5.5 inches $100
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The last of the pastel paintings I did at the Curtis Mansion in Saline. It was late afternoon and the light was flagging, as was my strength. But I couldn’t waste the chance to do one more pastel house portrait of this local historical site. I may never have a chance again and I figured I could go home and collapse when I finished…and I did!
Plein air pastel painting of Curtis Mansion in Saline, Michigan.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 12.5 inches $300
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
Ewwwww!!!! What a special, special honor! Linda and Jane, our fearless plein air leaders, requested permission for a small group of us to paint on the grounds of Curtis Mansion in Saline. If you’ve ever been downtown, you can’t miss the towering, grey-green Victorian house on a couple of shaded acres on Main Street. I’ve wanted to do a pastel house portrait of the mansion for years, but very few people are allowed on the grounds. We spent a glorious full day there, and I managed to do 3 pastel paintings in the hot sun. Thank goodness hubby John was a life saver and brought lemonade to the group!
Plein air pastel landscape painting of a old farm lit by the afternoon sun.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 12 inches $300
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
I was driving home from work, the same way I’ve driven a thousand times, and suddenly saw this old farm house with new eyes. Its a beautiful building, nestled in some trees, and on that day the sun lit it up dramatically. Luckily, I keep a roving studio of supplies in the back of my car. I stopped and set up shop for a pastel architecture landscape. The ability to be spontaneous is just one of the great joys of painting in pastel. Anything is possible!
Don’t Forget: Spring Cleaning Sale through June 15th! Any small blog painting ($300 or less) on sale for 30% off! Please contact me directly for your special piece of art.
Plein air watercolor painting of sunlit pillars on a fenced walkway
Watercolor painting 9.5 inches x 6.25 inches $80
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
I’m all about light and shadow. Its always what attracts me to a plein air subject, even when I’m just hangin out at the pool. I did this watercolor painting of a fenced walkway specifically because I liked the way the sunlight and shadows played on the pillars. I also love architectural and sculptural elements so the little pineapples on the tops of the pillars were and added bonus!
Plein air watercolor cityscape painting of a sunny art gallery in Naples, Florida
Watercolor painting 10 inches x 6.5 inches $80
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
It was pretty cool and cloudy down south but I managed to get in one watercolor painting on a sunny Sunday morning in Naples. The city is filled with quirky little galleries that carry every type of art imaginable. I love visiting each one when we are in town. Galerie Soleil is bright yellow and reminded me of the warm buildings in Italy. Gotta grab the chance to do some more paintings of architecture…
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.
