Plein air watercolor landscape painting of hostas in a garden.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I haven’t ventured out with my watercolors very often this summer so I thought I’d try some sketches of the backyard garden paradise that my husband has created. This watercolor landscape painting shows one of our gargantuan hostas. Its about 5 feet tall and when the light hits the flowers against the dark pine trees, it is absolutely stunning.

Hoping the sun stays out today so I can shoot photos of the apple orchards in our area…I have a series in mind…

Don’t forget the Ann Arbor Pastelists reception on Friday, 6:30-8:30pm at the Mallet Creek Library in Ann Arbor!

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

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches   $450

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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 sunflowers in August.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   SOLD

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Spent a lovely afternoon with my plein air group painting in one of our member’s garden on Wednesday. There were so many great views, I didn’t know where to start. I finally decided to zero in on her fence of sunflowers since I had never painted them in either pastel or watercolor before. I love doing flower paintings in sunlight because of the interesting light and shadow effects that occur. That’s what its all about for me…light patterns!

Off to work on my watercolor commission of Gettysburg!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of rolling fields of purple flowers outside Harbor Springs, Michigan

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

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Another plein air pastel landscape from last weekend. All the fields around Harbor Sprints were coveerd with a soft purple haze of flowers that was just beautiful. We found out later that what we thought were flowers were actually invasive weeds that are taking over the hillsides and are definitely not good for the environment up there.

I’ve been crazy busy this week and haven’t had a chance to paint at all. But the good news is: I have 2 commissions waiting to be started! I love having an assignment! One is a large pastel commission of downtown Saline, and the other is a small landscape painting of Gettysburg.

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

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

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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 peonies in full bloom in a garden

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 7 inches $100

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Our friend’s garden has given me endless beautiful views to paint and I have taken full advantage of it. In the spring, when everything started blooming, I captured their beautiful peony bushes in a plein air watercolor landscape. I need to make another visit to see what is blooming now!

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

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches SOLD

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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 fading geraniums in front of an old house.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 14 inches   $600

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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.

Plein air watercolor landscape of a brick walk wandering through a garden.

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 9.5 inches $100

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Another watercolor landscape of our friend’s beautiful garden. I spent a good 4-5 hours exploring and painting the different views in this backyard treasure. One of the owners is a Master Gardener and has been kind enough to share her special knowledge with my gardening husband. Little by little, with her help, our own backyard is becoming a painting paradise, too! Soon, I’ll be able to create watercolor and pastel paintings of gardens without leaving home.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a winding path leading to a garden fountain.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Our friends in Sylvania, Ohio have one of the most beautiful backyard gardens I have ever seen. Almost every square inch is filled with gorgeous flowers, shrubs, paths, walls and fountains. They have created “room” after “room” of amazing floral displays and they are expanding every year. And best of all: they allow me to wander the property and paint watercolor landscapes to my heart’s content! I’ve painted this path 3 times now and hope to continue to study it in the future…

Pastel painting of sunlit cascading geraniums on a stair step.

Pastel painting 18 inches x 18 inches $800

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I’ve been working on this large (for me!) floral pastel painting for about a week now and I THINK it is finally finished. I really wanted to capture the feeling of bright sunlight hitting the flowers against the cool shade of the building.I’m hoping to have this piece placed in one of my galleries by the summer season. (Unless, of course, it sells right off the blog or website!)

I just purchased a new set of Sennelier colors and I am like a kid in a candy shop. Unfortunately the mounds of pastels are starting to take over my studio. But not to worry. I truly believe the saying: “whoever dies with the most pastels wins!”

Pastel painting of rosy sedum in a light filled garden.

Pastel painting 18 inches x 18 inches $800

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Writers are always told to “write what they know”. So keeping that good advice in mind, I try to “paint what i know”. This floral pastel painting is a scene from our own garden last fall. Sedum are great plants that have beautiful blooms that change color through out Michigan’s growing season. They start our a pale green but by September they morph into a rosy hue. And in the winter they create interesting texture in an otherwise dead landscape. Ours are just peaking through the dirt right now. Spring can’t be too far away!