Pastel portrait painting of a young mother and her son at the ocean.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 13 inches   SOLD

My collector has given his wife this portrait painting for Christmas, so I can finally post it without spoiling the surprise! He called me on Christmas day to tell me how much she liked it…and how she cried when she opened the package. What a joy to make someone happy by making the art I love to make. Another part of my life that I am very thankful for.

I hope you all have a wonderful new year!

This artwork was created with:
Paper: Kitty Wallis White Pastel Paper
Medium: Rembrandt Pastels and Sennelier Pastels

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11.5 inches

This is the last painting I made in Harbor Springs when we were “up north.” I stopped on a quiet little dirt road far from the tourists when I saw the bright light filtering through the trees. There was NOBODY around. Halfway through the painting a car stopped and a couple stepped out to see my pastel landscape. We chatted for quite a while. Turns out the woman’s brother was a plein air artist –who died of Lyme’s disease! You would think being an artist is a poor-paying but relatively safe career. I guess not. I quickly applied another layer of bug repellant.

Pastel landscape painting of a light-filled afternoon on the Lake Michigan coast.

Pastel painting 14 inches x 10 inches

Still deeply focused on my new set of paintings of Italy. I turn Andrea Bocelli music waaaaay up and sing in Italian as I paint. It’s actually pretty embarrassing but it seems to be working for me…

Every once in a while I have to take a break and do some pastel paintings of different subjects. Northern Michigan is one of my favorite places on earth and the gorgeous scenery always calls to me. This pastel landscape shows a little cove that I have painted many times, between Charlevoix and Petoskey along Lake Michigan. I’ve stopped at various times of day and this water scene always inspires me. On this piece I worked mainly with my Great American pastels. They are square and flat like Terry Ludwigs, and great for working loosely and eliminating unnecessary details.

I just ordered a 100 new Terry Ludwig pastels with the gift certificate award I received for my marsh painting in The Pastel Society of North Florida’s National Exhibition. I am excited but overwhelmed by the prospect of adding MORE pastels to my already huge collection. I should be set for life!!!

Don’t miss the Artist Reception for the Saline Plein Air Painters Exhibit at My Favorite Cafe in Saline. Friday, 7-9pm, 101 South Ann Arbor Street.

Plein air watercolor painting of the harbor at Woods Hole on Cape Cod

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches       $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Last week, I, my sisters, and a stray husband or two traveled out east to Cape Cod and Boston. I had high hopes of painting the old historic architecture and quaint villages. But there was so much to see and we were moving fast. I did get an hour to do a few watercolor landscapes when we stopped at Wood’s Hole on the cape. Most of the penninsula was deserted but this little town, known for its Oceanographic Institution, was bustling. The gang stopped for coffee at a cool little shop and I stole a few minutes on the harbor…

Watercolor painting 10 inches x 7 inches $200 + shipping

Please contact me if you are interested in this artwork.

Back from a great week in Hawaii! We stayed on the big island near Kona and saw lots of unbelievable scenery. I didn’t get a chance to paint as much as I’d hoped but I’ll post a few of the plein air landscapes that I managed to fit in between Mai Tais. This white sand beach was rimmed with black lava formations and the blue sea crashed against them to make crisp white foam. A painter’s dream…