Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a sailboat at a dock.

Plein air watercolor painting    6 inches x 9.5 inches

This  plein air watercolor landscape is painted on plastic yupo paper. I tend to go back and forth between that and more traditional Waterford. I get frustrated with one paper and technique and switch to the other. Yupo lets me paint more like an oil or acrylic painter. The paper doesn’t absorb the paint and gives a completely different effect.

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!

Pastel landscape painting of water reflections beneath a dock and boat.

Pastel painting 12 inches x 18 inches

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This is the second pastel landscape in a series that I’m doing on water reflections. I’m really enjoying zeroing in on this “micro landscape” and exploring color and composition within a restricted space.  I especially like the way the rocks slowly recede into the water in this piece.

The first pastel in this series will be available at my new gallery in Harbor Springs in August. Tvedten Fine Art is a wonderful gallery filled with amazing art by Michigan and national artists. I am so pleased to be joining these talented artists including Margaret Tvedten, the owner and artiste extraordinaire!

Pastel painting of the reflections of a boat and dock in harbor water.

Pastel painting 12 inches x 18 inches   SOLD

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I’m really excited about this new series I am starting. Reflections in water have always fascinated me. They are so transient and illusive and yet they can create lasting memories of place and time. I also like the “abstract” composition that reflections create.

I decided that this would be a perfect new pastel landscape or seascape subject to explore thoroughly in an extended series. I thought about attempting it in watercolor, but realized I will have much more control of the outcome in pastel.

I’ve been thinking about the possibilities of this exploration for a long time, and, now that I’ve finished one, I can’t wait to start the next one!

Watercolor painting of a dock with boats and palm trees

Watercolor painting 8.5 inches x 6 inches
$100

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The Isle of Capri is less built up than the rest of the Marco Island area and still has some of the original old homes in scenic little coves. I captured this scene in watercolor while sitting in one of the few empty lots in the area. Almost every square foot of space on Marco is filled with hotels, condos or luxury vacation homes–not conducive to the type of landscapes I like to paint–so, as usual, I wandered til I found something that captured my interest.

Watercolor painting of a dock on the ocean in Florida

Watercolor painting 8.5 inches x 6 inches
$100

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This is a close up view of the Florida dock landscape in my previous post. While I was painting this watercolor sketch, the owners son came up to view my progress. We talked for a while and it turns out his girlfriend was from northern Michigan and knew of the gallery that represents me up there. I met a lot of people this trip who were connected to Michigan or my art in some way. Six degrees of separation and a small, small world!

Watercolor painting of storm clouds gathering over an ocean dock

Watercolor painting 8.5 inches x 6.5 inches
$100

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While John was golfing, I sat out at the very tip of the Isle of Capri near Marco Island in Florida. There was a neat old abandoned dock surrounded by palm trees that made a perfect subject for a watercolor sketch. A quick storm seemed to be brewing that lent some drama to the scene.

When I’m painting a watercolor landscape, I always try to find a focal point with a dark and light highlight and subdue the rest of the image back some. It can be difficult because there is so much to look at and appreciate but if you don’t have a center of interest, the composition becomes too busy and cluttered.