Pastel floral painting of a pot of fading geraniums on a table.

Pastel floral painting   18  inches x 18 inches

I’m heading down south looking for some warm weather and it reminded me of the plants and flowers I love to paint. This floral pastel hits close to home. Ever year we buy potted geraniums to adorn our deck and every year, right around August, they start to loose their luster. I actually find them much more interesting when they are crumbling and on their way out, than I do when they are all perky and pristine. I really liked the close, cropped composition of this piece, and was especially taken with the bold stripes of the chair in the background.

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

Plein air pastel painting of a statue in a garden.

Pastel painting 4.75 inches x 8.75 inches  $100

I love painting landscapes and I’m drawn to the human figure. What a bonus when I can do both in one pastel drawing! This piece was done at one of my favorite plein air spots, Weller’s in Saline. The old mill site is now used for weddings and they have gorgeous gardens and grounds surrounding the buildings. I’ve been to many nuptials there and it is the perfect place for intimate, nature-filled gatherings. There are 3 or 4 elegant statues in the park-like setting and they make a perfect subject for plein air pastel paintings!

I’m continuing to work on loosening up in my plein air work. Catch the light and shadow, get the values right, ignore the itsy bitsy details…

Speaking of values, check out this neat online color test for artists. Women usually score higher than men. If you take it, send me your score!

Plein air watercolor painting of a porch on an old home with geranium baskets.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6.5 inches    $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Pulled out the watercolors the other day and walked around downtown Saline. In the morning, the sunlight illuminates the old houses on the main road into town. I always swear I am going to try a new location but the sunlit porches tend to grab my attention. So….another watercolor architecture painting of my hometown!

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.

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 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.

Pastel painting of sunlit cascading geraniums on a stair step.

Pastel painting 18 inches x 18 inches $800  (Giclees are available)

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

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 a pot of geraniums on a sunny deck.

Pastel painting 6 inches x 8 inches $80

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

This pretty arrangement was sitting on my daughter’s inlaw’s deck and I just had to do a couple of pastel paintings of the explosion of color. Glenn Lake is in the background. The light was so strong it almost made the colors look psychidelic–just like they should in mid summer! I used a limited palette from my plein air pastels and concentrated on light and shadow, my favorite part of any floral painting.