Plein air pastel seascape painting from Fisherman's Island Park near Charlevoix, Michigan.

Pastel painting 11.5 inches x 8.5 inches

Last day “up north.”  Wanhhhh! I packed up our hotel room and worked my way toward the golf course where I would pick up my husband and head back down south. I had time for one quick pastel landscape on the way, so I stopped at the little Fisherman’s Island Park just outside of Charlevoix. It was a gorgeous morning but the mosquitoes were ferocious! I literally was eaten alive. But I was happy with way this pastel seascape came out. No pain, no gain…

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of Round Lake from Charlevoix, Michigan

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches    $80

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When we were in Charlevoix this spring, I sat near their newly reconstructed waterfront and painted this watercolor. The dock area was bustling and a lot of people stopped by to peak at my progress–always a bit disconcerting…

I always find it challenging to do a watercolor landscape of a lake or ocean (commonly called a seascape). You want the water to be believable, yet you need to do it quickly and not fuss over it too much. Watercolor can be very unforgiving. I can’t tell you how many of my paintings never see the light of day. Hopefully I learn something from every attempt. Lots of education starting in a few days in Italy!

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of boats at the dock on Round Lake in Charlevoix, Michigan

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9.75 inches    $100

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I brought my watercolors up north this year too. I was mostly focusing on pastels but I did do a few watercolor landscape paintings of the dock area in downtown Charlevoix one afternoon. The sun was high and the water sparkled in the light. It always takes me a while to get back in the mode when I switch between painting mediums. I will be doing a lot more watercolors this summer because I want to be in good form when I travel to Italy for my painting workshop in the fall!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of the rocky shoreline along Lake Michigan near Charlevoix.

Pastel painting 6.5 inches x 6.5 inches     $100

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Another pastel landscape scene from the shores of Lake Michigan. It’s amazing how the color of the water and landscape changes at different times of day. In fact, it changes by the hour. After spending an 90 minutes or so on this small pastel painting, the view in front of me didn’t look at all like the one on my easel. The water had become much lighter and the shoreline in the distance a dark, midnight blue…

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!

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

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches $100

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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!

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!

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

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

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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!