Plein air pastel landscape painting of a golden autumn field and distant tree line.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 6 inches       $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

After the nice farmer man offered me his “back yard” to paint in, I drove way back in to his fields til I found this intriguing scene. I liked the strong diagonal of the grassy lane and the endless golden fields. The colorful little trees in the background made a perfect focal point. I painted quickly because now it was after five p.m. and REALLY cold. But I’m happy I stayed to add this pastel painting to my autumn landscape series. In a couple of months, when winter descends,  I’m sure I will be pining for this type of “mild” weather…

Plein air pastel painting of sunlit fields in autumn

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches       $200

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Another pastel landscape painting from my plein air travels last weekend. I was wandering around the farms south of Ann Arbor and noticed the sunlight illuminating the soybean crops and the green fields beyond. The colors were almost psychedelic and the stand of trees in the foreground made a perfect focal point. I’m really drawn to the way forests in the distance turn a vibrant shade of blue when seen through the atmosphere…

Visited the Chelsea Painters show at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti last night. Wonderful portrait and figure paintings inspired me to work on a new series of watercolor portraits!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a distant barn seen from the fields

Pastel painting 9.5 inches x 6 inches       SOLD

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This beautiful old farm on Judd Road in Saline caught my eye last weekend. On cloudy days, it would seem like the landscape should be dull and drab, but its really the exact opposite. All the colors become hyper saturated in relation to the dismal sky.  I love autumn in Michigan when all the crops turn rusty ochre. To me, a pastel painting of golden soy bean fields can be more exciting than the traditional landscapes filled with brightly colored fall trees. I painted this piece on white paper that I had underpainted with a bright red watercolor wash. I like to leave some of that red color peaking through the pastel to unify the painting.

Hope the weather holds so that I can get out again this weekend…

Plein air pastel landscape painting of rolling fields and a farm in the distance.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 6 inches   $100

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The fields are all starting to turn and the colors are becoming more like autumn here in southern Michigan. In the late afternoon, the sun casts a warm, golden light on the farmland near our home. To me, it is simply irresistible.

I am constantly drawn to this type of  pastel landscape painting, over and over again. I swear it is because, in some earlier incarnation, I was born and raised on a MidWest farm very much like this one. I can’t explain my fascination with barns, and crops and fields in any other way. I certainly don’t know much about that lifestyle. I just can’t stop painting farmscapes!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of an old farm in Michigan

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

It was a beautiful and sunny on Saturday, so i wandered the dirt roads west of our home looking for a likely subject to paint. I did this pastel landscape sitting under a shade tree on Lindeman Road. The gorgeous old farmhouse looked like it had been build in the mid 1800’s but was beautifully kept up with loving care. Even the crops looked neat.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of an old white farmhouse and fields.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8.5 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another pastel landscape painting from my plein air foray last weekend. The dappled sunlight on this old farmhouse seemed to sparkle in the early morning, and the field with its purple-flowered crop made it all the more enticing. My dog, Roxy, sat at my feet the whole time, staring up at me and the easel. She was so patient. But I’m sure she thought her mom was crazy to be wasting time like this when she could be chasing all those yummy squirrels…

Speaking of animals….

I’m taking commissions for pet portraits! Wouldn’t you just love to give a friend or family member a portrait of their furry friend for the holidays? Email me if I can solve your gift giving problems for the upcoming holiday season…

Plein air pastel landscape painting of rolling fields in early morning.

Pastel painting 6 inches x 9 inches   $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Finally got a chance to get out and paint this morning! 8:30 am, out in the fields with my dog, Roxy. The sun was in and out, and every once in a while, the light on the fields was heavenly. On mornings like this, painting plein air pastel landscapes is pure joy!

Plein air watercolor painting of a tree and summer fields.

Watercolor painting 4.75 inches x 7.75 inches $80

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I spent a wonderful vacation weekend with my daughter and grandson and didn’t get any painting done. So I thought I would post this plein air watercolor landscape that I painted last year at this time. Its my favorite subject–the fields and farms around Saline, Michigan. This is another piece that I painted on yupo, a plastic-like paper that causes watercolor to pool on the surface instead of seaping in. It really helps me to loosen up and forget about the itty bitty details.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of two old barns nestled in the crops.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Popped out Wednesday evening to do a quick  pastel landscape painting out in the farm lands around Saline. All the crops seem thick and healthy this year which is wonderful for the farmers. Its a little difficult, however, for us plein air painters. The corn is so tall, its hard to see over the top!

While I was painting this pastel, the owner of the place came over to check me out. I could tell he was a little perplexed as to why I would want to paint his old barns. I told him that I thought they were beautiful. He opened up and told me all about the farm’s 100 year old history. (HE’D only lived there for 50 years!) I just love learning about the history of my area AND painting to my heart’s content…

Plein air watercolor painting of rolling hills near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches $100

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My 2 sisters and I are total Civil War Geeks. I don’t mean we actually dress up and re-enact battles, but we really love to read about that time period. We decided to take a “Girl’s Roadtrip” down there for a long weekend and were absolutely floored by the whole experience. No tacky tourist trap, this. The countryside and farmhouses were very much as they were in the 1860s and the museums were astounding.

One afternoon we sat up on Seminary Ridge and I painted this watercolor landscape of the rolling hills looking out toward Dwight Eisenhower’s farmhouse. I only had a half hour but the Pennsylvania scenery was just drop dead gorgeous and I couldn’t pass it up.

Plein air pastel painting of a shaded farmhouse surrounded by fields of golden wheat

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

This is a plein air pastel landscape of the farm I fell in love with on Sunday. It was such a perfect day and the wheat field was so massive and awe inspiring, that it just took my breath away. I spent a good 2 hours in the midday sun painting 2 farmscape views. I would have stayed longer if the sun and bugs hadn’t wore me down.

A big thank you to all my pastel buddies over at the WetCanvas.com pastel forum. Whenever I am in a quandry about a painting, this talented group of pastel artists always gives me good advice to improve it. Its really great to have fresh eyes view your work because sometimes the artist is just too dang CLOSE to it!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a barn and other farm buildings.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 6.5 inches   $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another  plein air pastel landscape of the farmlands around Saline, Michigan. I painted this one in the late afternoon again, waste deep in a field of wheat. It was a great location except for the millions of bugs that almost ate me alive. And of course, I forgot my bug repellant!

I’m so excited about the 4 commissions I am working on this month! I will be posting a few of them in the next couple of days.

And, (oh my god!), I’ve joined the twitter nation. If you liked to follow my tweets, catch me at http://twitter.com/jillwagnerart

Have a great 4t of July weekend!