Pastel painting of part of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, Rome.

Pastel painting 11  inches x 17 inches         

I was in Rome for just a few days last fall, but in that short time, I found a lot of awe-inspiring scenes to paint! The Piazza Navona has always been one of my favorite city squares in the world. It is filled with monumental fountains and sculptures and is a focal point of the city. This pastel painting is based on a close-up view of the Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini. Its not often that I am able to combine my love of the human figure and architecture in one painting! I transformed the greyish tones of the sculpture and church into vibrant color to give more life to these famous Renaissance monuments.

My sister, Beth, just taught me how to use the FaceBook share capability on my blog. If you are so inclined, feel free to share my art by clicking the blue share button at the top right of any post. Your support is always appreciated!

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Terra Cotta Art Spectrum Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Plein air watercolor sketch of the Victor Emmanuel Monument in Rome, Italy

Plein air watercolor sketch of the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

Plein air watercolor sketches   4.5  inches x 6 inches

I spent a few days in Rome after my workshop at La Romita School of Art. I was busy revisiting a lot of the sites I had seen in the past and didn’t have time to do finished watercolor paintings. But I did shoot a lot of photos and did little (very rough!) watercolor sketches to capture light and color for later works in my studio. I had a killer cold (as I do again today!) but still wanted to get as much reference as I could for future paintings of Italy

I’m just about done framing over 40 pastel and watercolor paintings for my upcoming exhibit. If you are in the area, I hope you can stop by!

“Faraway Places: history, objects, spirit & spaces”
Nov. 5th – Dec. 18, 2011
Reception: Nov. 5th 5-8pm
River Gallery, 120 S. Main St., Chelsea MI
www.chelsearivergallery.com

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Saunders Waterford Watercolor Paper
Medium: DaVinci Watercolors

Plein air watercolor landscape of a fountain in the main square of a small Italian hill town.

Plein air watercolor painting   6.5  inches x 10.5 inches   $150

Every little town in Italy has a main square with a fountain where the locals gather to relax, play with their children and chat with their neighbors. In the evening, everyone strolls with their family and friends, usually ending up in this central spot. It is such a wonderful, uniting experience which seems to have been lost in our frantic American lives. One day when the rest of our group was enjoying lunch in a nearby trattoria, I sat in the piazza and did a watercolor painting of a fairly simple (by Italian standards) fountain. What’s missing from this painting of Italy is the hundreds of school children I saw, running though the square, excited to get home and relish their big plate of pasta!

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Saunders Waterford Watercolor Paper
Medium: DaVinci Watercolors

Plein air watercolor painting of a gargoyle in a New Orleans fountain.

Plein air watercolor painting   9.5 inches x 7 inches     $100

I did this watercolor painting in the same New Orleans courtyard where the stone goddess lives. There were gargoyles all around the fountain wall, and I thought it’d be a hoot to paint one of them. The water flowing from his mouth was a real challenge to get down on paper…

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Saunders Waterford Watercolor Paper
Medium: DaVinci Watercolors

Plein air watercolor painting of a fountain in Naples, Florida.

Plein air watercolor painting    6.5 inches x 10 inches

One day when we were in Naples, I wandered down to the Bayfront to check out the art galleries. There was an interesting fountain in the courtyard that was just made for a plein air watercolor painting…

Watercolor painting of the European-style fountain at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches    SOLD

My son-in-law’s sister was married last weekend. Many of the events, including the betrothal, shower and reception, were held at the beautiful Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan. As a special wedding present for the bride and groom, I created a  watercolor painting of the European-style fountain that graces the grounds surrounding the hotel. It reminds me of the old fountains in the piazzas of Italy.  They are off on their honeymoon now and haven’t opened their presents yet. Hope they don’t see this post!

Do you have a special place that you would like memorialized in a piece of art? I would be happy to paint a watercolor or pastel commission for you or a loved one. Contact me and we can chat!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a fountain in a spring park.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8.5 inches     $300

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another pastel landscape from my day at Wellers in the freezing cold!! My fingers were numb when I finally packed up around 3pm. You’d think late April in Michigan would be safe for plein air—-But NOOOOO!  In this pastel painting, I wanted to capture the dark, shiny fountain against the first fresh signs of spring.

River Gallery in Chelsea is presenting a juried show for the Ann Arbor Women Artists centered on a water theme. I had a pastel drawing accepted and am looking forward to the reception on May 8th from 6-8pm. Please stop by if you can. The show will be up until June 12th.

Pleinair watercolor painting of a beautiful fountain surrounded by palms in Florida

Watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 10 inches    $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

When we were on Marco Island I noticed this beautiful fountain in a high-rent shopping area. It was a bit awkward, but i plopped my messy plein air self down on the ground in the middle of the fancy stores and began a watercolor painting. Sometimes you just have to live in your own little art world and not worry what others are saying about you!

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a water fountain on Marco Island, Florida

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches 100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

We are going to be taking a southern vacation soon so I thought I would post some of the watercolor paintings I did on my last trip to Florida. We stayed in a beautiful condo on Marco Island and the weather was wonderful. You would think that I would be in painting heaven. But I find it very difficult to warm up to the colors and atmosphere of tropical locales. I must be too entrenched in the Michigan’s moody woods and rolling hills to fully appreciate doing watercolor landscapes in Florida. It always takes me a good few days to readjust my pallet.

This painting was done from my favorite position. In a lounge chair at the pool with a glass of wine!

Plein air watercolor painting of a beautiful fountain with figures in St. Joseph Michigan

Watercolor painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I’ve been hard at work on my Saline commission and haven’t been able to work on any new paintings this week. I thought I’d post this bargain “oldy but goody” watercolor landscape from a vacation I took a few years ago. “Maids of the Mist” is a beautiful fountain that was originally made for the World’s Fair in Chicago but found a home in St. Joseph Michigan in 1892. I was atracted by the sparkling white water against the dark green foilage of the trees behind. I also liked the idea of the old fountain contrasted with the modern farm storage in the background.

The Side Door Gallery is having a reception Friday night for our Ann Arbor Pastelists show. 6-8 pm in downtown Dexter. Stop by if you can!