Plein air pastel landscape painting of the bay near Harbor Springs, Michigan.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

Hmmm…..I think I may change my mind. I think THIS may be my favorite pastel painting from our trip to Northern Michigan.

I’ve really been trying to simplify my plein air attempts lately. I want to capture the very essence of a scene but not overload it with endless, useless details. It may sound simple but it is really very difficult to do. When you are on location there are so many items and sounds and smells vying for your attention. And everything you see seems worthy of portraying in your artwork. I find that if I focus on what drew me to the scene in the first place, I have a better chance of eliminating all of the extra “foo-foo” that seems to creep in. It seems that they way overused acronym “KISS” (Keep it simple, stupid) really does apply in some instances–especially pastel landscape painting.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of the lighthouse at Point Betsie near Frankfort, Michigan

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

We just returned from a wonderful week in my favorite part of Michigan: Up North. We attended the opening of a new show including two of my pastel Orchard paintings at Tvedten Fine Art in Harbor Springs. Then traveled over to Traverse City for the Film Festival, and spent the last 3 days at our friend’s cottage on beautiful Crystal Lake. We were having so much fun, I found it difficult to tear away and paint. But i did find time to create a few pastel paintings that I am very happy with.

This is pastel landscape painting of the lighthouse at Point Betsie is one of my favorites. It was a sunny, windy day with very few people at the point. I was able to pick a view where the diagonals of the shadows matched up with the angles on the window roofs. Always a bonus. Plus, I think I managed to quit before I overworked it!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of the rocky shoreline along Lake Michigan near Charlevoix.

Pastel painting 6.5 inches x 6.5 inches     $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another pastel landscape scene from the shores of Lake Michigan. It’s amazing how the color of the water and landscape changes at different times of day. In fact, it changes by the hour. After spending an 90 minutes or so on this small pastel painting, the view in front of me didn’t look at all like the one on my easel. The water had become much lighter and the shoreline in the distance a dark, midnight blue…

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a path leading to a Lake Michigan beach near Charlevoix, Michigan

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches

When I was painting the previous pastel landscape post, a man who was walking his dog came by to chat. Turns out he was a plein air pastel painter to0. And in yet another “small world” example, he also winters in Naples/Bonita Springs Florida, near where my husband and I spend time during the cold Michigan winter months. My new friend, Mike Coltman told me about some great art associations down south and also directed me up the beach a bit to a place that he likes to paint. I followed his directions and found this lovely scene to capture in pastel. Thank you, Mike!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of the shoreline near Mount McSauba in Charlevoix Michigan.

Pastel painting 12 inches x 5 inches     $150

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

There are so many beautiful points along Lake Michigan just made for pastel landscapes. I went out on the farthest point of the Mount McSauba natural preserve to paint this piece. I really enjoyed working with horizontal compositions on this trip. Its good for my creativity to work in different formats and paint different subject matter. I get bored easily and would go insane if I had to paint the same thing every day! Of course, it probably means I will never become an expert at anything. Oh, well, life is too short. So many paintings, so little time…

Just passed 300 posts! Whew. I’m exhausted. 

Pastel plein air painting of the Charlevoix lighthouse in midday sun.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

This lighthouse is like a magnet for me for some reason. This is the third time I’ve painted it in the last 2 years. I think it attracts me because it’s so stark and minimalist against the bright blue sky. Sometimes painting pastel landscapes can be overwhelming because there is SO MUCH out there to choose from that it becomes difficult to focus. Every once in a while, its nice to approach a simpler, straightforward subject!

Pastel plein air painting of rocks along the Lake Michigan coast.

Pastel painting 6.5 inches x 8.5 inches   $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Back at Big Rock Point near Charlevoix. In early morning the trees cast shadows on the rocks that line the coast and create an interesting contrast to the bright sun on the water. When I sit in an an area like this to paint plein air pastel landscapes, I often think that this particular spot has looked just like this for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years. What an honor to spend a few hours recreating it in my own pastel style on paper!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of Lake Michigan coast

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 6.5 inches   SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

9 am, just north of Charlevoix and south of Petoskey. There is a sweet roadside park that I visit every year and every time I bring back a completely different landscape. Its one of those unique places where you can paint one scene, pivot 30 degrees, paint and equally beautiful view, pivot, paint, pivot, paint, etc.

Pastel paintings are especially good for this type of plein air work because they are relatively easy to set up and almost mess-free. (except the multi-colored dust all over your hands…and sometimes on your face!)

Plein air pastel painting of the Lake Michigan coast near Charlevoix, Michigan

Pastel painting 6.5 inches x 8.5 inches   SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

We are just back from an absolutely wonderful trip “up north”, as we Michiganders say. My husband and I and 4 other dear friends spend 3 or 4 days each year in the Charlevoix area. The boys play golf, some ladies shop, I paint, and we all eat way more than we should at 4 and 5 star restaurants. Pure Heaven!

I did quite a few plein air watercolor and pastel paintings and will be posting them here over the next few weeks. This pastel landscape was done on the coast, just south of the lighthouse, near downtown Charlevoix. And in another one of those “small world” stories that seem to happen so often, the cottage I painted in front of is owned by 2 painters. They came out to chat with me and it turns out that they run a local plein air painting organization! Of all the cottages up north, I plant myself in front of one filled with the creative energy I seek….very cosmic…..