Plein air watercolor landscape painting of the shore along Crystal Lake in Northern Michigan.

Watercolor painting 7 inches x 10 inches    SOLD

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I can’t believe how long it has been since I’ve painted any watercolors.  I’ve been so infatuated with the bright, opaque pastel pigments, that I’ve neglected the medium that got me excited about art in the first place. When we were “up north,” I did pull the paints out for a watercolor landscape of the shoreline along Crystal Lake.

When I go to paint in Italy in the fall, I have decided to bring only my watercolor supplies. Pastels are too bulky, fragile and dusty for international travel. Plus, for some reason, I think of Italy as a location made especially for the nuances of this water medium.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a Lake Michigan Beach near Charlevoix

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches

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Right near the Charlevoix light house on Lake Michigan, there is a beautiful pristine beach. Most of the bathers swim near the park area and this sandy stretch stays relatively empty. I sat under one of the  covered picnic areas and painted this pastel landscape in the shade.  I liked the simple, bold and dynamic composition of this scene. While I was setting up, two old advertising friends from Ann Arbor strolled up, hundreds of miles from home. I tell ya, its amazing how we are all connected in this big old world…

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a path leading to a Lake Michigan beach near Charlevoix, Michigan

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches

When I was painting the previous pastel landscape post, a man who was walking his dog came by to chat. Turns out he was a plein air pastel painter to0. And in yet another “small world” example, he also winters in Naples/Bonita Springs Florida, near where my husband and I spend time during the cold Michigan winter months. My new friend, Mike Coltman told me about some great art associations down south and also directed me up the beach a bit to a place that he likes to paint. I followed his directions and found this lovely scene to capture in pastel. Thank you, Mike!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of the shoreline near Mount McSauba in Charlevoix Michigan.

Pastel painting 12 inches x 5 inches     $150

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There are so many beautiful points along Lake Michigan just made for pastel landscapes. I went out on the farthest point of the Mount McSauba natural preserve to paint this piece. I really enjoyed working with horizontal compositions on this trip. Its good for my creativity to work in different formats and paint different subject matter. I get bored easily and would go insane if I had to paint the same thing every day! Of course, it probably means I will never become an expert at anything. Oh, well, life is too short. So many paintings, so little time…

Just passed 300 posts! Whew. I’m exhausted. 

Plein air pastel landscape painting of trees along the Lake Michigan beach near Charlevoix.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches  SOLD

The weather was perfect when we were “up north.” I was wandering along the Lake Michigan coast near the Charlevoix lighthouse and saw this colorful scene peaking through the trees. It was early morning and the light on the field and lake drew my attention. It seemed like a good view for a pastel landscape so I opened up my trunk and painted from my mobile studio. That’s one of the things I love about pastels: very easy to work on the road!

Plein air watercolor painting of colorful sailboats on the beach

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches 100

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I saw these colorful sailboats on the beach every day and finally one morning, I braved the sand and wind to do several  watercolor paintings of them. The vibrant primary colors really shimmered in the bright sunshine.

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 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.

Plein air watercolor painting of a hotel viewed from a Florida beach

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches $100

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We just signed up for a week in Florida again this December and it reminded me of a few plein air sketches I did last winter down there. I painted this watercolor painting sitting on a comfy chaise lounge on the beach. Ahhhhh!

Pastel painting 6.5 inches x 10 inches $100

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Every year we spend a long weekend in Charlevoix, Michigan. We natives call this area “Up North”. Although it is a vacation area, it is much less populated than “Down State” and there are lots of beautiful scenes to paint. While the boys golf, I wander around and park it when I find something that inspires me. This plein air pastel landscape painting captures a lonely bush in the sun on the beach on Lake Michigan. We are looking forward to our visit this year!