Watercolor painting of the European-style fountain at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches    SOLD

My son-in-law’s sister was married last weekend. Many of the events, including the betrothal, shower and reception, were held at the beautiful Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan. As a special wedding present for the bride and groom, I created a  watercolor painting of the European-style fountain that graces the grounds surrounding the hotel. It reminds me of the old fountains in the piazzas of Italy.  They are off on their honeymoon now and haven’t opened their presents yet. Hope they don’t see this post!

Do you have a special place that you would like memorialized in a piece of art? I would be happy to paint a watercolor or pastel commission for you or a loved one. Contact me and we can chat!

Plein air watercolor painting of two women by the pool.

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Another unsuspecting pair of models falls prey to the wandering watercolor artist! I wonder if they would recognize themselves lounging at the pool? They stayed put just long enough for me to create a watercolor figure painting of them.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a umbrella table next to a pool.

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Afternoon by the pool. The luscious, dark colors of the pool reflection drew me into this scene. Some people came down and sat at the table halfway through the watercolor painting and I had to recreate that area by memory…

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a water fountain on Marco Island, Florida

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches 100

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We are going to be taking a southern vacation soon so I thought I would post some of the watercolor paintings I did on my last trip to Florida. We stayed in a beautiful condo on Marco Island and the weather was wonderful. You would think that I would be in painting heaven. But I find it very difficult to warm up to the colors and atmosphere of tropical locales. I must be too entrenched in the Michigan’s moody woods and rolling hills to fully appreciate doing watercolor landscapes in Florida. It always takes me a good few days to readjust my pallet.

This painting was done from my favorite position. In a lounge chair at the pool with a glass of wine!

Plein air watercolor painting of a pool and umbrella from above

Watercolor painting 7.5 inches x 11 inches $200

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Ahhhh….the view from our balcony, late one sunny afternoon a couple of weeks ago. On this watercolor landscape, I wanted to experiment with a simpler, more abstract composition. I loved the sparkles in the pool and the deep shadows from the setting sun out on the ocean. Sometimes I feel like I flit from subject to subject, never zeroing in on one signature scene that could be called my own. But there are SO many beautiful things to paint in this world and SO little time. I just can’t help sampling a bit of each one! Plus, I figure that each watercolor or pastel painting is a valuable learning experience and if I keep painting the same thing over and over, I will have missed out on many enlightening lessons.

Watercolor painting of two women talking while lounging at the pool.

Watercolor painting 5 inches x 5 inches       $80

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Lounging at the pool is the perfect time to catch up on all of the gossip you’ve missed over the last couple of months. These ladies talked non-stop while watching their kiddos in the water and made perfect unsuspecting models for a watercolor painter like me. Most people don’t even notice that I am sketching, but every once in a while someone will figure it out and come over to see their likeness. Nobody has had a bad reaction and I’ve even sold a few watercolor figure paintings at the pool!

Watercolor painting of an elderly man relaxing poolside.

Watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 6. 5 inches       $80

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This elderly man looked like he had spent a lot of time by the pool after putting in years of hard work at his career.  In this watercolor painting I wanted to catch his total relaxation and they way the sun created deep shadows on his body. Using Yupo paper is a great way to create vibrant, loose figure paintings that have a dynamic feel about them. The surface just doesn’t allow too much “fussing”.

Watercolor painting of a young woman in a bathing suit engrossed in a book.

Watercolor painting 4.5 inches x 7 inches       $80

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Nothing better than a good book at the beach! This woman was completely engrossed in her novel and never noticed me painting her. And she barely moved an inch the whole time. A perfect model for a  watercolor figure painting on a sunny lazy day.

Watercolor painting of an older woman relaxing at the pool

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 5 inches       $80

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We will be taking a trip down south soon and I thought I would post some of the  watercolor paintings I’ve done on previous trips. Although I spend a lot of time plein air painting at interesting landscape and architecture locations in Florida, I must admit that I also spend a fair amount of time lounging at the pool. I always feel guilty just relaxing (its part of my workaholic syndrome) so I bring my watercolors down with me and quickly paint unsuspecting victims. Its almost like figure drawing class!

Watercolor painting of tables and palm trees around a pool in Spain.

Watercolor painting 6.5 inches x 8.5 inches SOLD

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I painted this watercolor painting plein aire when we were in Spain a couple of years ago. We stayed at a fantastic hotel near Malaga and spent a bit of time lounging around the pool. Not wanting to be too slothful, I painted as I sipped cocktails! What a treat!

I’ve donated this piece to a charity art auction run by Saline Picture Frame Company to raise funds for Food Gatherers. In the last couple of years they have raised over $58,000 to help feed the needy in Washtenaw County, Michigan. To quote Saline Picture Frame’s website:

2009 marks the fifth Circle of  Art benefit for Food Gatherers.  The Circle of  Art is a party, a project and a group effort by artists and art lovers to help fight hunger where we live.  Simply stated, a bunch of artist donate small works of art, Saline Picture Frame Co. mats them all and hosts a party, lots of people come to the party and bid on the art and then Food Gatherers uses the money raised to feed hungry people.

I donate to this great cause every year. If you have a chance, please visit their website or go to the auction and support them!