Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a slough in Florida.
Plein air watercolor painting 9.5 inches x 6 inches
This is the last of my watercolor sketches from down south. I painted this plein air watercolor painting near Six Mile Cypress Slough, a wildlife preserve in southwest Florida. Most of these wetland areas have been filled in over the years to create land that can be built upon. But when that happens, all of the plants and wildlife suffer. The animals, reptiles, birds and insects have to move on to another area or die. It was fascinating to walk this protected area and just listen to all of the sounds of wetland life, without people and traffic interfering. There were so many watercolor landscapes there, “waiting to happen” but I only had an hour or so to explore. I did take a lot of reference photos and am thinking of doing a series using the slough as subject.
Plein air pastel landscape painting of marsh land near the Naples Botanical Gardens
Pastel painting 11.5 inches x 8.5 inches
As a Michigan artist I don’t get many chances to do plein air paintings of tropical landscapes. So when we visit Florida, I make it my business to focus on pastel landscapes of the beautiful southern marsh lands. This painting was done in the Naples Botanical gardens.
My pastel painting, Everglades Morning, which won an award of Exceptional Merit from the Pastel Society of North Florida, just received a third place award from the Ann Arbor Women Artists. We are having a wonderful exhibit, filled with exceptional artwork, at the Ann Arbor Public Library through May 1st. Stop by and explore if you have a chance!
Plein air pastel landscape painting of Everglades water in the morning.
Pastel painting 11.5 inches x 8.5 inches SOLD
I love doing plein air paintings on location when we travel. But as a Michigan artist with galleries in-state, it is difficult to show pastel landscapes which are obviously done in different parts of the country. People tend to like images that relate to their own surroundings. One of my goals for this year is to find good gallery representation in the southern states…
Plein air pastel landscape painting of grasses and water in the Everglades
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11.5 inches
When I’m down south, I always head out to the Everglades to work on plein air paintings. There is nothing like the light shining on the water wandering through the acres of marsh land. Every view has some enticing little nuance that I want to capture in a pastel landscape. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get very deep into the Everglades with painting equipment. I usually set up my easel on the side of the Tamiami Trail and paint out of the back of my SUV as traffic whizzes by. This has its good and bad points. The noise is terribly distracting, but I feel somewhat safe in a quasi-public area, as opposed to deep in the swamps.
However, when I was painting this piece, I ran into something I hadn’t bargained for. I noticed a car with two older couples crawling up behind me. They stopped the car and excitedly asked “Did you see it?” I had no idea what they were talking about. They explained that they had just seen a huge black bear rumbling through the grasses in the field next to me. Oy. But I’m a die hard. I wasn’t finished with my pastel painting and I wasn’t leaving til I was. But you can be sure I kept a close eye out, in case I needed to escape into my car!
Plein air watercolor landscae painting of trees in a Carolina Marsh
Watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 10 inches $80
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
We just got back from a week in North Carolina. We stayed in a touristy area without many inspiring views. But one day I got a chance to walk out in the marshland and did a watercolor painting. I’d really would have liked to spend more time in the wild outdoor areas–as opposed the the wild college spring break areas–but I’ll have to do that on our next trip down. I did this watercolor landscape in the morning when the sun had just risen a bit in the sky.
Plein air pastel landscape painting of a marsh in the Everglades in Florida.
Pastel painting 12 inches x 8 inches $300
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
Another pastel painting from the Everglades when we were down south. I was just fascinated with the landscape of the marshes. It is so rich and mysterious. And I loved the hundreds of birds, turtles and various other creatures that moved in and out of my view. Not a bad way to spend a warm sunny pastel landscape day.
Plein air pastel landscape painting of the the sun rising over the Everglades in Florida
Pastel painting 12 inches x 8 inches $300
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
The Everglades in southern Florida are pastel painting heaven. When we stayed in Naples, I spent one whole day driving back and forth on the Tamiami trail. Whenever I saw something that caught my eye, I would park my traveling studio (the family SUV) at the side of the road and set up shop out of the the back. The wandering rivers catch the light and make wonderful scenes for a pastel landscape.
