Watercolor painting of a large vase sculpture in Toledo Botanical Gardens

Watercolor painting 5 inches x 12 inches    SOLD

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I love to visit Toledo Botanical Gardens and paint watercolor sketches of the plants and sculptures on the grounds. This scene had an extra bonus in that my favorite plant, hydrangeas, surrounded an antique sculpture. I usually try to keep these small sketches to 20 minutes or so in hopes of keeping them fresh and vibrant.

Pastel painting 18 inches x 18 inches $850  plus shipping

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One last Hydrangea pastel painting to see summer off. I really fell in love with these flowers this year, and when the next crop matures, I will explore them further. We are having a beautiful falI, but I probably won’t get in a lot more plein air painting. It’s serious studio time now. I think I will focus on my pastel Treescape series….

Pastel painting 14 inches x 24 inches $850  plus shipping

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MORE Hydrangeas! These Oak Leaf Hydrangeas are quickly becoming my favorite inspiration for floral paintings. I’ve had a really good response from both art lovers and galleries so I thought I would try a few more of them before I move on to other subjects. This pastel painting is done on a clay-colored paper. The color acts as an underpainting and, since a little peaks through the pastel, it unifies the whole piece and makes all the colors “bounce” a little. I love playing with the light filtering through the leaves!

Pastel painting 18 inches x 18 inches   SOLD (but giclees available)

Please contact me if you are interested in this artwork.

My friend Mary Beth Koeze has the most wonderful gardens and she is a fantastic pastel artist. So she has doubly inspired me! I took some reference photos of her Oak Leaf Hydrangeas this summer. I’ve been working on this pastel painting for a week or so and just finished it.

Its always a challenge to know when you should stop and not continue to overwork a painting with useless detail. I read an article about one artist who said your painting is usually finished when you think you are 80% done

I’m going to try and remember that….