Plein air pastel landscape painting of a flower urn along a garden path.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 12 inches

Another pastel garden painting! This property is amazing. It has every type of garden you can imagine. Formal shaded areas, large sunny meadows, wild flowers, wooded trails and creekbeds. Everything a Michigan plein air artist could hope for. I’ve painted on their beautiful grounds quite a few times and am starting to feel like one of the family. I always knock on the garden owner’s door to let them know I will be wandering their property. Its too creepy otherwise.

There was so many views to consider, it was almost overwhelming. I settled on this “small” scene since it was so hot and I knew I would not be able to take the heat for more than an hour or so. Plein air painting is not for sissies!

Plein air pastel floral painting of a pot of begonias in the sun.

Pastel painting 6 inches x 8 inches

Quick sketch of newly planted begonias on our back deck. They made such a bright and hopeful subject, I just couldn’t resist doing a flower pastel painting of them!

Hope you all have a sunny, happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Plein air pastel painting of a bird bath in a spring garden.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11.5 inches

Didn’t have time today for a full painting foray in the big world so I decided to do a pastel landscape right in my own backyard. Our bleeding hearts are in full show and I liked how they looked behind our birdbath. People were cutting grass and sawing wood all around me so this garden painting is much more peaceful than the actual experience of creating it was!

Plein air pastel painting of water lilies about to open in the morning.

Pastel painting 13.5 inches x 9 inches

I’d never painted a water lily before last month. Suddenly, I am in love with them and can totally understand why painters through the ages have been drawn to them. Every leaf is interesting and unique and the bright flowers create a perfect focal point. But my favorite part is the endless variations of how sunlight hits the surrounding water, creating highlights and deep shadows.

The Naples Botanical Gardens has a huge variety of water lilies in their many themed “rooms.” I spent a few Tuesday mornings working on floral paintings there. This is the only pastel painting I did, but I experimented with quite a few watercolor versions.

Plein air watercolor painting of a pond with water lillies

Plein air watercolor painting    7 inches x 10.5 inches

Back from a wonderful, sunny month in Naples, Florida. We left frigid Michigan just in time–right before it was socked with two huge blizzards.

I painted quite a few pastels and watercolors when we were down there, spending a couple of hours every day looking for interesting sites.  One of my favorite places was the Naples Botanical Gardens. Every Tuesday morning they welcome artists, easels and all, to paint on their beautiful grounds.  I was fascinated with all of the gorgeous water lilies in the ponds at the park. I’d never painted them before, but was really happy with the way this plein air watercolor painting came out. I took tons of photos to work larger, possibly in pastel, back in the studio.

Pastel floral painting of Hydrangeas in a vase outdoors

Pastel painting 9 inches x 13 inches   SOLD

We have a beautiful bush of Annabelle Hydrangeas and when it blooms every summer, I cut lots and lots of flowers. I fill every vase I have and place them all over the house and deck. They are my favorite flower and I love to paint them in pastel.  Haven’t quite been able to capture them the same way in watercolor but i could paint floral pastel paintings all day…

Plein air pastel painting of a pot of geraniums on a bright, spring day.

Pastel painting 6 inches x 9 inches     $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Today was plein air day at Wellers again and it couldn’t have been a better day for a pastel landscape . I spent a good 5 hours out there and painted 3 pieces. There are endless possibilities at this beautiful site. but this pot of freshly planted geraniums caught my eye. I wasn’t expecting to do a floral pastel painting, but you gotta go with what sparks your imagination!

Spring Cleaning Sale through June 15th! Any small blog painting (under $300) on sale for 30% off! Please contact me directly for your special piece of art.

Pastel painting of Queen Anne's Lace in a meadow in Michigan.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   $450

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

A couple of weeks ago, I went out to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens to photograph the flowers that were blooming. I snapped a few interesting photos, but the surrounding meadows, teaming with Queen Anne’s Lace, really grabbed my attention. I’ve done a few pastel paintings of wild flower fields lately. I like the randomness of the blooms blowing in the breeze. They seem so pure and free and make dynamic flower paintings. To me, they are a gorgeous and perfect symbol of late summer in Michigan.

The Ann Arbor Pastelists are having a reception for our new show at Mallet Creek Library in Ann Arbor on Friday night. Please stop by from 6:30-8:30 pm to see amazing works from talented pastel artists!

Plein air pastel painting of a flower shed in a beautiful garden

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

We had a wonderful plein air day yesterday, Paintng Around Town in Saline. It started out VERY rainy, but by 10 am the clouds had cleared and more than 30 artists scattered around the city, creating pastels, watercolors, and oil paintings of the local scenes. I managed to get in 3 pastel landscapes. The above painting was done out at Saline Mills, a beautiful old mill site with gorgeous gardens and historic out buildings.

Congratulations to Sandra DiFazio and Toni Stevenson, who won the People’s Choice and Best of Show awards! And thank you to Linda Klenczar for making these fun painting days possible!

Plein Air watercolor of a pot of geraniums along a wall in a garden.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

One more plein air watercolor painting of our friend’s garden. These geraniums were perched jauntily on the garden wall and caught the bright sunlight perfectly. I especially liked the way they blooms were highlighted against the dark red maple in the background.

Pastel painting of freshly cut lilacs in a vase with sunlight streaming in.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 14 inches   $600

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Every year our backyard bursts out in purple and lavender blooms to herald the coming of spring. I love lilacs almost as much as hydrangeas so I decided to paint the ever present vase of them on our kitchen table. But, like most of my work, the real subject of this  pastel painting is light. The way the sunlight streamed through the window and lit up the vase was the real attraction for me.

Pastel painting of fading geraniums in front of an old house.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 14 inches   $600

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

This pastel painting is an unusual combination of floral and landscape. I was wandering around downtown Louisville, in a neat historic section, when I ran into these fading geraniums. When I noticed the old, historic home in the background, I thought their juxtaposition would make an interesting image. I get all worked up about the way we treat our cities, trashing or abandoning whole neighborhoods in our rush to expand into the vanishing open areas. This piece was a bit cathartic for me. Ahhhh…. I feel better now!

BTW: If you get a chance, check out Tony Moffits blog. He puts out very useful and interesting information about art marketing. He featured my art work today in his blog and he also has a great site for artists looking for gallery representation. He graciously included me in his artist group on this site also.