Pastel cityscape painting of a tower in Sienna, Italy.
Pastel painting 9 inches x 19 inches
The thousands of towers that rise from the cities and countryside are iconic symbols of Italian architecture. They were used for protection, to create beauty and to establish the status of influential families in Italy. Each one is different and many of them are mini architectural masterpieces. I was especially drawn to this sunlit tower in Siena when I visited in 2006. This scene inspired a watercolor and this pastel painting of Italy.
I worked on a board painted with a rough primer to create texture on the piece.
Pastel cityscape painting of a small street in Umbria, Italy. SOLD
Pastel painting of an extreme close up view of ripe apples on a tree.
Early Christmas Present!
I was notified last week that I had TWO pastel paintings juried into the International Association of Pastel Societies Exhibit. A real thrill and a great end to the year!
It’s an amazing exhibit filled with gorgeous artworks. You can see the full show here.
Pastel landscape painting of the river that runs through the city Prato in Italy.
Pastel painting 11 inches x 17 inches SOLD
A couple of years a go I visited Amsterdam and Prato, Italy with my friend Susan. We stayed in Prato’s ancient central Piazza. On days when we weren’t exploring Florence or the Tuscan countryside, we would wander the old streets and riverbanks of the city. This scene really captured my imagination. I painted an Italian watercolor painting of it on site and enlarged it into a pastel painting later in my studio. This view probably looks exactly the same as it looked hundreds of years ago. That’s part of what I find fascinating about Italy. So much of the city and countryside has been untouched by our modern architecture. I am sure that is both a blessing and a curse to current Italians, but it is a joy to the traveler!
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Plein air watercolor landscape painting of the Italian hill town of San Gemini
Plein air watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 10.5 inches $150
Many of the hill towns of Italy are perched precariously on the edges of mini-mountains in the rolling Umbrian landscape. When they were built centuries ago, these castle-like cities were the first line of defense against the town’s enemies. You can see for miles and miles from almost any point on the ancient walls. It is totally breathtaking. For this watercolor painting, I sat on an adjacent hill and painted San Gemini’s outer structure, with the small farms and villas in the distance. This painting of Italy will always remind me of the unbelievable beauty of the country of my heritage…
Plein air watercolor landscape of a fountain in the main square of a small Italian hill town.
Plein air watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 10.5 inches $150
Every little town in Italy has a main square with a fountain where the locals gather to relax, play with their children and chat with their neighbors. In the evening, everyone strolls with their family and friends, usually ending up in this central spot. It is such a wonderful, uniting experience which seems to have been lost in our frantic American lives. One day when the rest of our group was enjoying lunch in a nearby trattoria, I sat in the piazza and did a watercolor painting of a fairly simple (by Italian standards) fountain. What’s missing from this painting of Italy is the hundreds of school children I saw, running though the square, excited to get home and relish their big plate of pasta!
Plein air watercolor painting 8 inches x 13 inches
I’ve always liked doing architecture paintings, whether in pastel or watercolor. And I especially love extreme close-ups, where I can play with the idea of realism breaking down into an almost abstract composition. I’m not positive, but I think this storefront was on the main street of Charlevoix, Michigan where we spend time in the spring. But it really doesn’t matter exactly where it was. It could be a scene from any town or city in America.
Plein air watercolor painting of Tin City in Naples, Florida
Plein air watercolor painting 6 inches x 9.5 inches
Just got back from two interesting “art trips.” My friend Cecily and I dropped off samples of our work to an art consultant who is filling a new hospital complex in Fort Wayne, Indiana with art works. We made the first cut and are awaiting word on whether we have been chosen to create commissioned work for the project. Many thanks to artist Valerie Mann for alerting us to the opportunity!
And I just returned from a gallery tour of Chicago. I walked through the River North area which has an unbelievable array of interesting galleries. I was inspired by the work there and the experience has given me lots of new ideas for my own work. Always good to get out of your own little head and see what others are doing.
While John golfs in Naples, I wander around the city and surrounding areas looking for interesting things to paint. I stumbled upon an interesting area of the city near the docks called Tin City. I’d never been there before. It appears to be part of an old group of fishing shanties that has been converted to small shops and restaurants. I sat under some shade and did a quick plein air watercolor painting of the site.
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 cityscape painting of a small shop in Tuscany, Italy.
Watercolor painting 5.5 x 15 inches
Please contact me if you are interested in this or similar artwork.
This little wine, cheese and meat shop was right next door to our apartment in Barberino. The woman who owned it was an angel and helped us through so many problems. She spoke no English and my Italian was spotty at best. When we couldn’t make the key work in our door, she opened it for us. When we left the lights on and drained our car battery, she told us where to have it fixed. When I had a “teeny, weeny accident” in the car, she calmed me down. I wanted to thank her personally so I gave her a small watercolor painting of her store (below) and later painted this larger version.
I painted quite a few of my Italian watercolors on this beautiful, odd shaped paper I purchased in Siena. It really opened my mind to new compositions.
Watercolor cityscape painting of sunlit buildings in Siena, Italy.
Watercolor painting 14 x 21 inches
Please contact me if you are interested in this or similar artwork.
When we visited Italy, 6 or 7 years ago, we only had a half a day to spend in Siena. But I absolutely loved it. I hope to be able to visit there again and more thoroughly explore it. I shot some reference photos of the bright, warm sunlight and deep shadows on the ancient buildings. I love to paint watercolors of architecture so this made a perfect subject for me.
The spring after I returned from Italy, I had a well-received, one-person show of my Italian watercolors at the University of Michigan Health System. I am working on mounting another one when I return from this trip with the River Gallery in Chelsea, Michigan
Watercolor painting of the old well in the center of Pienza, Italy
Watercolor painting 9 x 13 inches
Please contact me if you are interested in this or similar artwork.
Pienza is one of my very favorite towns in Tuscany. Like many of the ancient hilltowns in Italy, there is an old, old well in the center piazza where the townspeople drew water in years gone by. I’m not sure if they are still in working order, but they still serve as a meeting place for the local teenagers, mothers with children and old men. When I got back home, I wanted to do watercolor paintings of these ancient monuments. I thought Pienza’s well was especially beautiful and I loved the way the sun highlighted it in the afternoon. The intense light in Tuscany made it easy to leave the white of the paper showing in most of my Italian watercolors.
Watercolor painting of a street in a Tuscan hilltown.
Watercolor painting 9 x 13 inches
Please contact me if you are interested in this or similar artwork.
After we spent a week or so exploring Barberino, we ventured out to the other nearby Tuscan towns to paint. They were all beautiful in their own unique and fascinating ways. Montepulciano is well known for its wonderful red wine but is also a lovely spot for watercolor paintings. We wandered around and checked out each street in the small town. The reference photos helped me live the beauty of that area when I painted Italian watercolors back in my studio.
