Plein air pastel landscape painting of a bright Florida bridge reflected in a pond

Pastel painting 8 inches x 12.5 inches     $300

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This is another pastel landscape, that I painted on a piece of white art spectrum paper that had been underpainted with a rose- colored wash. Warm red is a great hue for outdoor painting because it is a natural compliment to the many shades of green that are found in most landscapes. Placing two compliments (opposites on the color wheel) close together creates a dynamic, vibrating feel in a painting. And although I know this theory from years of study, I sometimes forget it in the passion of getting all the gorgeous colors on the paper. If I underpaint before I start, I don’t have to be focused on adding reds to my greens…they appear on their own!

As a pastel artist, I try to keep the idea of contrasting compliments constantly in mind. For instance, if I want to paint a water scene, which is predominantly blue, I will often use an orange paper. Or if I am working on a pastel portrait with lots of golden tones, I might use a muted purple sheet.

Little tricks of the trade…

Pastel landscape painting of the wide river that winds through Prato, Italy.

Pastel painting 6.5 inches x 6.5 inches     $100

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I’ve done hundreds of watercolor paintings of Italy, but no pastel paintings. For some reason, I’ve always visualized Tuscany only as a watercolor subject. The other day, I thought I’d try a scene of Prato, the small town I visited a few years ago, this time in pastel. My friend Susan and I stayed in the old city center for a week a couple of years ago. On our last day there, we took a long walking tour and stopped to sketch along this beautiful river. My current obsession with water and reflections made this view a perfect one to experiment with for a pastel landscape.

Plein air watercolor landscape of a southern Florida canal.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches $100

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While we were in Florida last December, we drove by this picturesque canal right off a busy highway. The next day, when John was golfing, I returned to capture it in a  watercolor painting. The palm trees made a perfect frame for the bridge and slow flowing water.

Pastel landscape painting of a river passing beneath the arch of a bridge.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   $450

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Things have been really hopping at our graphic design firm in Ann Arbor. You can really tell when the economy perks up: companies start to market again. And art lovers buy paintings! Yesterday, our dear friends and long-time collectors added two of my farmscape paintings to their collection. Their encouragement and support has meant so much to me over the years. And a new customer bought a pastel painting of Charlevoix for her father who grew up in the area. Plus, I have 20 paintings under consideration for a large hospital in Ohio. I’m keepin my fingers crossed!

This pastel landscape painting above is part of  my ongoing series of Michigan Reflections.

Plein air pastel landscape of the bridge in Charlevoix, Michigan

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8.5 inches   $200

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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!

Plein air pastel landscape of a bridge and stream in Petoskey, Michigan

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches $200

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Last Friday, I set out to paint some cityscapes of downtown Petoskey, Michigan. But I got waylaid by this monumental bridge in the park below the main drag of the town. The sun streaming through the trees was gorgeous and the big old bridge was a perfect foil for the spring landscape. The mosquitos were horrendous but I managed to stick it out for an hour before I moved on to other subjects…

Plein air pastel landscape of a bridge reflecting in a river.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches $200

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Monday was a gorgeous, blue-sky, spring day in Ann Arbor.  I made a bee line to Gallup Park to do a few pastel paintings. Sometimes plein air wori is difficult in spring because EVERYTHING is green. To counteract that, I usually look for some additional color to perk up the scene. This foot bridge fit the bill!

Watercolor painting 3 inches x 7 inches $100 + shipping

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I spent an afternoon a while ago Gallup Park in Ann Arbor. The fields and trees had already begun their autumn color shifts and the water was a beautiful shade of blue gray. I painted this quick watercolor landscape study in about 15 minutes and then moved on to do a few more.

Watercolor painting 8 inches x 5.5 inches SOLD

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I made my annual trip to the Toledo Botanical Gardens last weekend. It really is a pretty site filled with all sorts of flowers and bushes. This little bridge caught my eye and I sat down and did a quick watercolor study of it. Lots of people stopped by to comment. Their were 6 weddings on the grounds that day!