Plein air pastel landscape painting of a shaded pond in the afternoon.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

I’ve driven by this little pond a million times and each time, I swear I am going to come back and paint it. Well, I finally did it! The afternoon sun made all of the rich hues stand out and made a really colorful pastel painting.

I found it really challenging to capture the 3 dimensions of this scene: the water, the reflections and the things floating on the water. They all exist in a different plane and make for mind boggling concentration. And y’all thought pastel landscapes were easy… But sometimes it’s worth the trouble!

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a working farm and barns seen from the field.

Watercolor painting 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches    $125

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Getting into the watercolor mode! I was out on the back roads again searching for that perfect farm to paint.  The weather has been absolutely fantastic here in Michigan and the bright sunlight really makes the old red barns pop. I painted this watercolor landscape out of the back of my trunk. There was a lot of activity going on, but the hardworking farmers moved way to fast to paint them!

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a pond and surrounding trees.

Watercolor painting 11 inches x 7 inches    $150

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

The other day, I grabbed my watercolors and trusty pooch and headed out to the pond near our house.  Roxy loves to run free near the water and I can relax and sketch the scenery. It was a great day for a watercolor landscape. The sun was out and the wind was blowing the billowing cloud formations quickly across the sky. I had to paint quickly to catch the effects…

In the studio I am working on a commission of the cutest little pup. Can’t wait to show it to my client. Let me know if you have a special animal you would like immortalized in a pastel pet portrait!

Plein air landscape painting of Crystal Lake from Beulah, Michigan

Pastel painting 6 inches x 6 inches     $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

On the way to Crystal Lake, we stopped in Beulah at the beach in town. John took his afternoon nap and I did a quick seascape pastel painting out of the back of the car. It was a bit stormy and rough but made for an interesting, moody  pastel landscape…

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Check out my offerings at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jill-stefani-wagner.html

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of the shore along Crystal Lake in Northern Michigan.

Watercolor painting 7 inches x 10 inches    $150

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I can’t believe how long it has been since I’ve painted any watercolors.  I’ve been so infatuated with the bright, opaque pastel pigments, that I’ve neglected the medium that got me excited about art in the first place. When we were “up north,” I did pull the paints out for a watercolor landscape of the shoreline along Crystal Lake.

When I go to paint in Italy in the fall, I have decided to bring only my watercolor supplies. Pastels are too bulky, fragile and dusty for international travel. Plus, for some reason, I think of Italy as a location made especially for the nuances of this water medium.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of Crystal Lake near Frankfort, Michigan.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches

My friend has told me, over and over again, how beautiful Crystal Lake is. She said the color of the water is unlike anything I would see in Northern Michigan. After visiting a few weeks ago, I am now a believer. The water depth is relatively shallow for a long way out and appears a shimmering light aqua color. Then, suddenly, it drops off sharply at the “blue line.” It is truly a stunning view and I wanted to capture it in a loose, colorful pastel painting.

I was again trying to capture the essence of the scene, not necessarily every ripple and highlight. Not quite sure how successful I was, but I had a blast painting this pastel landscape!

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.

Pastel figure drawing of a nude model in various poses.

Pastel drawing ing 11 inches x 17 inches

Some sketches from a recent figure drawing session. These were some of the 10 minute poses we have at the beginning of class to warm up. As the class goes on, we move to longer and longer poses. I felt a little like I was channeling my idol, Degas, in these quick pastel portraits. Lots of color and layering and also poses that are very similar to ones captured by the wonderful impressionist.

Plein air pastel painting of a curving bridge over a river.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches

This is a pastel landscape painting of the same Ann Arbor bridge that I posted a few weeks ago, just from a different vantage point. When we started painting around 9 am it was hot and sunny, but soon the sun went under the clouds and the view was completely changed. What was light became dark and what was dark became light. Its a common problem when you paint en plein air and the reason why it is important to get your highlights and shadows in early. In this  pastel painting however, I “chased the light”. I kept my skeleton structure and simply shifted all of the values to match the new view in front of me.

Plein air pastel painting of an old caboose at a train station.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

Whoa. Thatsa lotta color! I don’t seem to use much red in my paintings but I think I made up for it in this one! Maybe a bit too much…?

The plein air buddies hit the old train station in Saline a couple of weeks ago. It has been nicely cleaned up and made into a museum by the historical society in town. The vibrant red caboose parked on the tracks was hard to ignore. I started out doing watercolor paintings but experienced a bit of trouble so I switched over to pastel. I was feeling bold and dynamic that day, and I think this pastel painting proves it!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of an old farmhouse seen from the fields.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches

Wandering the farmlands of southeastern Michigan, I find many beautiful old farms tucked into the rolling hills. I did this pastel landscape painting just west of Saline. While I was painting, an old man who was cutting the lawn came up to my easel to chat. I thought he was the owner of the farm but he was neighbor who rented the land to plant his crops. He explained to me that the owners had recently moved to a senior home and that none of their children wanted to take on the hard work of farm life. So, over time, this old place built in the 1880s, will probably be abandoned. When I paint, I often wonder about the history of the site: Who lived there? What did the many generations of family experience here? Sometimes I’m lucky to learn some interesting little tidbits about my subjects and that makes them all the more fascinating to me.

Pastel portrait of a beautiful asian woman in a kimono.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 15 inches

I painted this pastel portrait a couple of weeks ago at our figure drawing session. The model was quite accomplished and brought her kimono along to give her pose a bit of atmosphere and mystery. I usually “pack” my pastel paper by putting layers of newspaper underneath. It tends to give the pastel painting a softer feel. I forgot my newspaper this time and had only corrugated cardboard to use as a base.You can see how the texture of the striated cardboard showed up as a pattern in the drawing. At first I was horrified, but then I started liking it…go figure…