Pastel landscape painting of dramatic evening clouds

Pastel landscape painting   16  inches x 20 inches

When I first started working in pastel, I wanted immediate gratification. I thought I should be able to create the exact effect I wanted on the first pass. It took me a while to understand that pastel painting is an additive process that is dependent on multiple layers of pigment. I thought I would share some work-in-progress examples of my latest pastel landscape to show how the progress occurs. In these snapshots, you can see how I start with a colored paper which is the opposite (or complement) of the the colors that will appear in the final piece. Beginning with the darkest darks, I slowly add medium hues and then build toward the lightest lights.

As you can see, I am lovin playing with skyscapes!

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Burgundy Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel landscape painting of a summer sky filled with cumulus clouds in Michigan.

Pastel paintings   18.5  inches x 15 inches

Ever since I was little I have kept my eyes to the skies and have reveled in the millions of compositions, colors and textures that happen there every day. It has always been a goal of mine to tackle some pastel landscapes where the focus is on clouds and light, not on the land below. This is my first large-scale studio attempt inspired from photos I took last summer when I was painting en plein air. I learned a lot on this one and plan on learning more in the sky studies to come!

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Burgundy Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Plein air watercolor landscape of an approaching storm over Montana mountains.

Plein air watercolor painting   9.5 inches x 7 inches     $100

My very last watercolor landscape sketch from Montana this June. Some of the weather was unusually fierce that week and it was fun to try and capture the tumultuous clouds that rolled over the mountains. You have to work quickly in these conditions and watercolor painting is probably as good as any medium for speed. But you have to be willing relinquish a little control and work with the surprises that appear on your paper…

We’ll be going to New Orleans for a visit soon. I am looking forward to doing some watercolor building paintings when I am down there. I’ve always loved NOLA and it’s very, very unique architecture and atmosphere.

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Saunders Waterford Watercolor Paper
Medium: DaVinci Watercolors

Plein air pastel landscape painting of cumulus clouds over a riverbank.

Pastel painting 11.5 inches x 18 inches

I was on my way to portrait class last week, but it was a gorgeous Michigan summer day and I just couldn’t stand the thought of being cooped up inside. I decided to do a plein air painting instead. The clouds were huge and the wind was pushing them across the sky at a steady clip. It reminded me of the Big Sky of Montana. I set up for a pastel landscape at Gallup Park along the riverbank and painted as fast as I could. I don’t usually use Canson paper for landscapes but it was all I had with me and I had to go with it. Over the years, I’ve learned to be a very adaptable Michigan plein air artist!

This artwork was created with:

Paper: Canson Mi-Tients Steel Gray Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels

Plein air pastel landscape of meadows near a wetland in spring

Pastel painting 9 inches x 6 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

This is my second plein air pastel landscape from this weekend’s outing. Everything in southern Michigan has turned green and lush at last! I took a lot of photos when I was out so I could paint more Treescape pastels in the studio when we get our traditional rainy spring days.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6. inches $100 + shipping

Please contact me if you are interested in this artwork.

Every single view near Yellowstone takes your breath away. As we drove the roads winding through the mountains, I was constantly screaming at my sister Beth, “Stop here!  No, wait, here!” She was so accomodating. She’d calmy park the car, get out her little chair and settle down with a book while I frantically tried to capture the beauty all around us. I captured this landscape scene just as dark rolling clouds started creeping up the ravine…