Gouache plein air painting of a sunlit birch tree.

Gouache painting 4 inches x 6 inches       $80

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I have been experimenting with another watercolor painting medium called gouache. It is similar to watercolor in that it contains a pigment suspended in water, but it is more concentrated and opaque. You can even layer white or pastel colors to highlight and create a thicker texture. In watercolor, it is necessary to leave the white of the paper showing through to create a highlighted area. I find that gouache is a kind of cross between acrylic and watercolor.

I painted this landscape painting in our back yard. When I saw the light hitting the tree limbs against the dark pines in back, I thought it would make an interesting composition. I didn’t really use the qualities of qouache for this piece–its more like a traditional watercolor painting. But stay tuned.  I have plans to take this new medium on our next trip and explore it more fully.

Pastel painting of birch trees in the afternoon light

Pastel painting 5 inches x 7.5 inches $80

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

At a certain time in the afternoon, the light creates a neat phenomenon in our backyard. The birch trees are lit and there is a glow emanating from the woods behind. Its really beautiful and I tried to capture it in this pastel painting but I’m not sure I got it. Luckily it will happen again and again and I can practice on another day.

I usually use Rembrandt pastels when I do my plein air work. They are strong, semi hard sticks and work well in the field. But lately, i have become so spoiled by the creamy soft Unison and Sennelier pastels that I use in the studio…Maybe I’ll have to splurge and buy some for my plein air work too. What the heck. It’ll help the economy, right?