Plein air watercolor landscape painting of an old building in Montana
Plein air Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6.5 inches
Beth worked on a ranch out in western Montana and I visited her a couple of times out there. While she slaved all day trying to sell high-end quarter horses to well-off matrons, I would wander the ranch and paint. This little building was actually some type of water house but it reminded me of an old mission. The bright sunlight and shadows made a nice comp0sition for a watercolor landscape. I especially liked the grasses highlighted against the dark door.
When asked, I always say that a painting like this takes me about an hour to complete….plus 30 years of learning and practice…
Pastel landscape painting of an old homestead in Montana
Pastel painting 14 inches x 18 inches
I never brought my pastels with me when we traveled out west. At the time, I was new to the medium and I just couldn’t get my mind around carting all the dusty supplies and actually making pastel paintings on site. Plus, protecting the resulting art seemed difficult.
I’ve come a long way since then. But I still shoot hundreds of research photos wherever I travel for inspiration during the winter months when I paint in my studio. This pastel landscape shows another very special little homestead that we often visited on our horseback riding adventures. We would rest our horses and peer into the open windows of the cabins, imagining what it must have been like to live there in the late 1800s. This piece was all about composition and color for me. The spring grass in Montana after a snowy winter is an unbelievable shade of green!
Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a distant ranch from the fields.
Plein air Watercolor painting 15 inches x 5.5 inches
This piece was painted sitting in the exact same position as the last watercolor landscape I posted. I expanded my view and worked in an extreme horizontal instead of vertical format. Its nice when you find a plein air spot that offers various interesting views. Sometimes I work on 2 or 3 paintings at a time, letting one dry while I start in on another. The golden fields that September excited me and I wanted to try to capture them in a couple of different ways.
Plein air watercolor landscape of ranch land in Montana
Plein air Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 15.5 inches
When I visit new places, it helps me to jump outside my usual style and techniques. The countryside in Montana pushed me to work in different compositions and sizes. In this watercolor landscape I wanted to capture some of the enormity of the landscape, but from a close-up and personal viewpoint. I sat near one of the trout streams and looked out toward the distant mountains.
Watercolor painting of June Voldseth on her horse.
Watercolor portrait painting 8.5 inches x 11.5 inches
The Voldseth family who currently owns Bonanza Creek are descended from the original ranch settlers in the 1800s. We became quick friends with June, her husband, David, and kids. They know so much about the area and are generous with their time, talent and knowledge. I painted this watercolor portrait of June on her trusty steed after one of our trips. She makes the whole cattle ranch experience a real joy!
Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a lake in Montana
Plein air Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches
This plein air watercolor landscape was painted in Beaverhead County, one of the largest counties in the United States, but with only 9,000 population. The gorgeous mountains seem to be in the distance no matter what view you take.
Pastel landscape painting of fields and forest in Montana
Pastel painting 12.5 inches x 18 inches
Thought I’d post more work from my Montana travels. I shot the reference photo for this pastel painting on the back of a horse as we traveled to a secluded valley with ancient indian paintings on the rock walls. So many neat things to experience out west and sooooo little time! I don’t bring my pastels with me on these trips. Its too rugged and they would be reduced to a pile of dust! But I take hundreds of photos to bring back and use as reference in my home studio.
Wishing you all an exciting, happy, and prosperous New Year!
Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a road and fields on a Montana ranch.
Watercolor painting 15 inches x 5.5 inches $200
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
I painted this plein air watercolor landscape when I was out west visiting my sister. She worked as a marketing director on the coolest ranch in southwest Montana. They raised and trained high-end quarter horses for sale. The ranch was stunningly beautiful and I painted alot out there for a few summers. You can see some of my other paintings from that time here.
But Beth has moved on and started a new business. She and our other sister, Lynn, now create and sell beautiful personalized jewelry in platinum, gold, silver and other metals. If you are in the market for a truly special piece of fine jewelry, checkout Sorella Jewelry Studio.
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
This little pastel landscape is a flash from the past for me. For 4 or 5 summers in a row, I traveled to Montana to ride horses like a crazy woman with my sister Beth. The views are absolutely astounding, and looks very much like it must have centuries ago. I fell in love with the countryside and did a lot of pastel and watercolor paintings of the area.
My sister loved Montana so much that she moved there as marketing director of a international quarter horse outfit. She subsequently created the best western saddle website in the world. check it out!
Pastel painting 5 inches x 7 inches $100 + shipping
Please contact me if you are interested in this artwork.
My sister Beth has just moved back to Michigan after living in Montana for 4 years. I loved to go out to visit her every year and ride horses like a wild woman and paint to my heart’s content. It truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth. This is a pastel painting from one those trips to scenic Beaverhead County.
This one’s for you Bessie…Welcome Back!
ps. if you are interested in a fantastic saddle site, check out www.westernsaddleguide.com and if you love personalized jewelry try www.sorellajewelry.com. These are 2 of Beth’s sites and they are both fantastic!
