Plein air pastel landscape painting of an old farmhouse seen from the fields.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches

Wandering the farmlands of southeastern Michigan, I find many beautiful old farms tucked into the rolling hills. I did this pastel landscape painting just west of Saline. While I was painting, an old man who was cutting the lawn came up to my easel to chat. I thought he was the owner of the farm but he was neighbor who rented the land to plant his crops. He explained to me that the owners had recently moved to a senior home and that none of their children wanted to take on the hard work of farm life. So, over time, this old place built in the 1880s, will probably be abandoned. When I paint, I often wonder about the history of the site: Who lived there? What did the many generations of family experience here? Sometimes I’m lucky to learn some interesting little tidbits about my subjects and that makes them all the more fascinating to me.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a old farm lit by the afternoon sun.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 12 inches     $300

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I was driving home from work, the same way I’ve driven a thousand times, and suddenly saw this old farm house with new eyes. Its a beautiful building, nestled in some trees, and on that day the sun lit it up dramatically. Luckily, I keep a roving studio of supplies in the back of my car. I stopped and set up shop for a pastel architecture landscape. The ability to be spontaneous is just one of the great joys of painting in pastel. Anything is possible!

Don’t Forget: Spring Cleaning Sale through June 15th! Any small blog painting ($300 or less) on sale for 30% off! Please contact me directly for your special piece of art.

Plein air pastel painting of an abandoned farmhouse in spring

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8. inches     $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

“on the road again….”

The back roads of Washtenaw County that is. As soon as the weather breaks, I start wandering the rural areas around Saline, Dexter, Ann Arbor and Chelsea, Michigan. I’m looking for that special scene that would make an interesting pastel landscape. For some reason, I’m obsessively drawn to old farms.  I’ve told my family that I think I may be a reincarnated country girl. I’ve painted this old, abandoned farm house a few times but the spring setting warranted another go. I really like trying to capture the effects of time on structures in my architecture pastels.

Plein air pastel painting of a farmhouse and fields in late afternoon.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8.5 inches       $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

What a perfect afternoon for plein air pastel painting! The autumn leaves have all dropped here in Michigan but the fields are still colorful and the light today was fantastic. I’ve wanted to paint Braun Farm in Saline for years now, and I finally got the push I needed when I found out that my pastel group is going to have a show with this farm as the only subject matter. Its a beautiful old place right near town, owned by a couple of brothers, who, I believe, have put the property in a land trust so it will never be filled with industrial sprawl. The light on the fields in late afternoon is almost dreamlike and sooooo peaceful. It was just begging to become a pastel landscape!

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

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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 painting of a shaded farmhouse surrounded by fields of golden wheat

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches   $200

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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 of a farm and fields of spring wheat in late afternoon

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

When I paint from life outside, I usually set out in the morning. For a change, I decided to try some pastel landscapes in the afternoon light. For plein air painters, morning and afternoon are the prime times because of the lovely yellow-orange light and the great shadows at those times of day. I found this luscious field of spring wheat south of town and set up all of my equipment on the side of the road. Quite a few people stopped by to chat and one woman asked to take my photo while I was painting. Turns out this is her favorite view and she has taken photos of the scene every month or so to catalog the seasonal changes. I was happy to oblige but darn it! I forgot to ask her if she would like a pastel painting of her favorite spot!

Pastel painting 11 inches x 7.5 inches $200 + shipping

Please contact me if you are interested in this artwork.

This old place is right down the street from us. Its been there since the late 1800′s but they have boarded it up and I’m afraid they are ready to tear it down. There’s rumors that Wild Bill Cody’s cousin lived in this house and that Bill used to visit when he was in Michigan. I love painting old houses and I hate to see this old beauty go…