Plein air pastel landscape painting of an old tree casting shadows on a shed.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8. inches     $200

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“on the road again….”

The other morning I got up early, bundled up my supplies, stuck the dog in the car, and drove to a nearby field. I walk through it often in the mornings with Roxy and I knew the sun cast really interesting shadows on an old shed there. I’d been waiting for the right type of sunny day to do a pastel landscape of the scene. I had to work fast because the sun was rising quickly and I wanted to capture the light falling across the fence and the wall behind it. Architecture pastels can be a challenge, specially when you are speed painting!

Pastel landscape painting of a path wandering through a snow covered field

Pastel painting 11 inches x 17 inches     $650

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Winter scenes are very intriguing to me. The white snow, with blue shadows and golden highlights, makes a great foil for other dark landscape elements in pastel paintings. Paths and riverbeds are especially strong elements to draw the viewer through the scene.

I wish I could say that I am strong enough to paint pastel landscapes outside in the winter. But the truth is: I am too much of a wimp to deal with the cold, wet weather to paint en plein air after November. So instead, I keep my trusty digital camera with me at all times. I shoot 5-10 photos for every view that entices me. Then, when I get back to the studio, I crop the photo I like best on my computer, and often subtract elements or add some from other photos. I keep fussing with the composition til it says exactly what I want. Then I sketch it on my paper. And THEN, the fun begins!

Pastel landscape painting of a wandering creek in a grassy field in Michigan.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 14 inches    SOLD

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A couple of weeks ago, I found this small, meandering little creek while I was out walking. It just called out to be captured on paper.

I’m really excited about the pastel landscape painting of it that I finished last night. It closely approaches the original vision I had of the piece when I started out. Sometimes I have a very strong idea of how I want a completed artwork to look and yet it comes out totally different. Sometimes my ideas change midstream and I spark off that, other times I just can’t reach the original dream and have to hope for a better outcome on the next piece. On this pastel, I feel that all my artistic intuitions “played well together” and we came to a good conclusion!

Plein air pastel painting of a treeline in Michigan in Autumn

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 12 inches   $200

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Last weekend was wonderful for plein air pastel paintings! I spent a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday painting the autumn fields around southern Michigan. The combination of the bright gold fields and the blue atmospheric woods was just too grand to pass up. Lots of people stopped by to catch a glimpse of my work and I even talked to a man who’d like a pastel commission of the sunset from his back porch.

Pastel Painting of a field of Queen Anne's Lace

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches $450

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Lately I’ve been inspired by Karen Margulis‘ small pastel paintings that are filled with wild flowers. I decided to try my own version substituting my favorite Michigan wild flowers (or are they weeds?)–Queen Anne’s Lace. I love the way they blanket the fields in late summer. I took a reference photo last fall when I was out painting farmscapes. They are hard to paint plein air because they are in constant motion, so I did this piece in my studio.

Watercolor painting 3 inches x 7 inches $100 + shipping

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I spent an afternoon a while ago Gallup Park in Ann Arbor. The fields and trees had already begun their autumn color shifts and the water was a beautiful shade of blue gray. I painted this quick watercolor landscape study in about 15 minutes and then moved on to do a few more.

Pastel painting 5 inches x 7 inches $100 + shipping

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My sister Beth has just moved back to Michigan after living in Montana for 4 years. I loved to go out to visit her every year and ride horses like a wild woman and paint to my heart’s content. It truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth. This is a pastel painting from one those trips to scenic Beaverhead County.

This one’s for you Bessie…Welcome Back!

ps. if you are interested in a fantastic saddle site, check out www.westernsaddleguide.com and if you love personalized jewelry try www.sorellajewelry.com. These are 2 of Beth’s sites and they are both fantastic!

Watercolor painting 8.5 inches x 4.5 inches   SOLD

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This is another plein air watercolor study from Labor Day. I loved the way this old family farm nestled into the scraggley fields that had been harvested and cropped to the ground. It gave the scene some texture and interest.

I paint a lot of my watercolor studies on a plastic-like paper called Yupo. The surface allows the color to pool on top instead of sink in like most watercolor papers. It really forces me to use a quick, fresh approach because you can’t keep layering over the paint you’ve already put down. If you do, it tends to bring up the color you have already applied. The final artwork looks a bit more like an acrylic than traditional watercolor.

Pastel painting 13 inches x 8 inches $375 + shipping

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I walk by this field almost every night with my Aussie, Roxy, and never thought anything of it. Then one afternoon last week the sun was low and the light coming though the fence looked fantastic. I ran back home and got my pastels and Roxy and I spent a great hour painting together.

Pastel painting 12.5 inches x 17 inches $600 + shipping

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We’re in the Dog Days of Summer. Very little rain and the crops are all turning luscious golden colors. This field drew my attention and i thought it would be interesting to do a painting without an obvious focal point. More about atmosphere and the feeling of the place.