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 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 painting of a garden path and coral bells.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 5.5 inches     $150

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I sat on the deck the other morning a painted a pastel landscape of the new garden John planted last year. It’s coming up beautifully and every new plant is a luscious, colorful and welcome addition. He doesn’t think of himself as an artist, but I beg to differ!

Only a few days left: Spring Cleaning Sale through June 15th! Any small blog painting ($300 or less) on sale for 30% off! Please contact me directly for your special piece of art.

Plein air pastel painting of a path through a spring garden.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 5.5 inches     $80

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John has been doing some serious work on our back yard gardens over the last couple of weeks. They look better than ever. I did a quick pastel landscape sketch of one of them when I got off work the other day. In the afternoon, the light shining through the trees is just gorgeous. I’m looking forward to doing some floral pastels when everything comes into bloom!

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a sidewalk pathway between buildings

Watercolor painting 10.5 inches x 6.5 inches    $80

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Sometimes i do a watercolor painting just to see if I can capture what I see in front of me. It might be a simple scene like this one, not really monumental or impressive. I remember someone telling me that you can waste an awful lot of time trying to find the “perfect” watercolor landscape view to paint. When in reality, an artist should be able to translate almost any scene into a piece of art. Plus, I know that its only through constant sketching and painting of the everyday things around me, that I improve my skills. In other words, its not so important that you paint drop-dead gorgeous subject matter, as it is that you just keep painting!

And extra note:

I was very excited to find out that I has a pastel landscape painting accepted into the Great Lakes Pastel Society National Show at the Dow Museum of Art and Science in Midland, Michigan. One of my goals this year was to enter more national shows. I find that competing with the country’s best artists forces me to constantly increase the quality of my work. Below is the pastel painting that will in the exhibit from May 8th through August 1st.

Pastel landscape painting of a path wandering through a snowy field

Pastel landscape painting of a path wandering through a snow covered field

Pastel painting 11 inches x 17 inches     $650

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Winter scenes are very intriguing to me. The white snow, with blue shadows and golden highlights, makes a great foil for other dark landscape elements in pastel paintings. Paths and riverbeds are especially strong elements to draw the viewer through the scene.

I wish I could say that I am strong enough to paint pastel landscapes outside in the winter. But the truth is: I am too much of a wimp to deal with the cold, wet weather to paint en plein air after November. So instead, I keep my trusty digital camera with me at all times. I shoot 5-10 photos for every view that entices me. Then, when I get back to the studio, I crop the photo I like best on my computer, and often subtract elements or add some from other photos. I keep fussing with the composition til it says exactly what I want. Then I sketch it on my paper. And THEN, the fun begins!

Plein air watercolor landscape of a brick walk wandering through a garden.

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 9.5 inches $100

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Another watercolor landscape of our friend’s beautiful garden. I spent a good 4-5 hours exploring and painting the different views in this backyard treasure. One of the owners is a Master Gardener and has been kind enough to share her special knowledge with my gardening husband. Little by little, with her help, our own backyard is becoming a painting paradise, too! Soon, I’ll be able to create watercolor and pastel paintings of gardens without leaving home.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a winding path leading to a garden fountain.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

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Our friends in Sylvania, Ohio have one of the most beautiful backyard gardens I have ever seen. Almost every square inch is filled with gorgeous flowers, shrubs, paths, walls and fountains. They have created “room” after “room” of amazing floral displays and they are expanding every year. And best of all: they allow me to wander the property and paint watercolor landscapes to my heart’s content! I’ve painted this path 3 times now and hope to continue to study it in the future…

Pastel painting 9.5 inches x 13 inches $300 + shipping

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This is a larger plein air piece that I painted during the Saline Paint-Out. Char and Taylor Jacobsen offered us their beautiful Saline Mills as inspiration and I fell in love with this little walk through their flower garden.