Pastel landscape painting of a path in the hills of Umbria, Italy.
Pastel painting 6 inches x 6 inches SOLD
This little pastel painting of Italy is from the front of the La Romita monastery in Umbria. A wonderful, little bus would come and pick us up here every morning to take us out to exciting new explorations. Very good memories for me!
This year marks a real transition for me. After years of a fulfilling career in advertising, I have sold my agency to my partners and am moving on to become a full-time artist. I’ve reached some of my goals during these last 12 months, including winning an award in the Pastel Society of America Show, and organizing, painting and exhibiting over 45 paintings of Italy at a well attended show. (30 of the artworks are off to new homes!) But the best part of this journey for me is the process. I hope to spend many years painting en plein air and in the studio, stretching my skills and finding new joy in art.
During this holiday season, I reflect on how much I have to be thankful for in both my personal and my art life. I especially appreciate the people who take this journey with me and follow my blog. Thanks so much for your continued interest! Happy holidays and may you have wondrous and art-filled New Year!
Pastel cityscape painting of a sunlit lane in Tuscany, Italy
Pastel painting 24 inches x 36 inches SOLD
This pastel painting is one of the two larger works that will be in my “Faraway Places” exhibit which opens this Saturday. At 24 x 36 inches, they are the largest pastels I have ever done. I really enjoyed working large, but it was a challenge to keep loose and not get tooooo detailed. This is a favorite scene of mine in Montepulciano, Tuscany and I have reproduced it as a watercolor painting of Italy also. I wanted to capture the compositional angles and the vibrant color, but in the end, like always, for me it is all about light and shadow…
“Faraway Places: history, objects, spirit & spaces”
Nov. 5th – Dec. 18, 2011
Reception: Nov. 5th 5-8pm
River Gallery, 120 S. Main St., Chelsea MI
www.chelsearivergallery.com
Plein air watercolor painting of a potted olive tree in an Italian courtyard.
Plein air watercolor painting 9.5 inches x 13.5 inches $300
Late in the afternoon, after we had visited and painted the hill towns of Umbria, our group of artists would come back to the monastery for a siesta before dinner. Some of us would paint in the studio, an old chapel from the 1600s. I often wandered the grounds and worked outside, trying to capture the light that makes paintings of Italy so special. This little potted olive tree and dramatic, diagonal shadow in our courtyard caught my eye.
Plein air pastel landscape painting of an old Michigan farmhouse in the sunlight.
Pastel painting 11.5 inches x 8.5 inches
Yay! This Michigan artist is finally smiling! We actually had sunshine here on Saturday. I did my usual plein air thang and wandered the back roads til I found something that caught my eye. I was yearning for bright light and shadows and this old farmhouse did the trick. I love doing paintings of architecture – especially historical buildings. The owners told me his home was built in 1847 and it’s still a gorgeous structure. After I finished this pastel landscape, I drove for an hour looking for another spot, not wanting to waste the sunshine. Somehow I ended up back at home, painting at the pond in our subdivision. Go figure.
Gouache landscape painting of a fence in front of an old bungalow house.
Gouache painting 6 inches x 6 inches
I’m burning out a bit on pastel paintings of Italy, so I thought I’d give myself a new challenge. I’ve been meaning to explore gouache and for some reason, I never get around to it. This medium entices me because it is similar to watercolor, but much more forgiving because it can be applied opaquely. That means mistakes can be revised instead of thrown in the trash. I’m also hoping it might help me to loosen up a bit.
I started with this small landscape painting (or architecture painting depending on how you view the subject matter.) This little bungalow is right next door to my brother-in-laws house and I’ve always loved the way the light hits it in late afternoon. I only let myself use large brushes to cut down on fussing with details. I think it’s a good start…
Plein air pastel painting of a condominium entry area.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches
Another favorite plein air painting from my trip down south last month. I didn’t have to travel very far to capture this scene. Just plopped myself down right outside our condo entrance. I often drive myself half crazy driving around looking for the “perfect” view to paint. But every once in a while, I get serious and just work with what’s closest to home.
The light and shadow drew me into this scene (again!) and I felt happy with the outcome. I love combining the hard-edged lines of structure with organic, flowing plant shapes in pastel paintings of architecture.
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 afternoon sunlight streaming through pine trees in winter.
Pastel painting 17 inches x 11 inches
This is Michigan right now. Freezing, brutal, icy — and yet hauntingly beautiful. When the sunlight shines through the trees in my backyard, the snow lights up with color. I’ve been working on very detailed, realistic work lately and I felt like doing a pastel painting with a bit looser feel. My friend Liz’s abstract paintings inspired me. Although this is still very much a recognizable landscape painting, it is moving in a less realistic direction…
Plein air pastel painting of farm buildings in the early morning light.
Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches
My friend Karen and I hit the plein air road last month while our husbands played golf. We didn’t have to travel too far from the golf course to find a scene we both liked. There were some old farm buildings, with peeling orange paint, just down the road. Karen set up for oil and I did a pastel painting while the bright morning sun was at its most dramatic. I had just enough time to start another pastel landscape before the guys called and were ready to be picked up. I will work to finish that one in the studio.
Plein air pastel landscape painting of an old tree casting shadows on a shed.
Pastel painting 11 inches x 8. inches $200
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
“on the road again….”
The other morning I got up early, bundled up my supplies, stuck the dog in the car, and drove to a nearby field. I walk through it often in the mornings with Roxy and I knew the sun cast really interesting shadows on an old shed there. I’d been waiting for the right type of sunny day to do a pastel landscape of the scene. I had to work fast because the sun was rising quickly and I wanted to capture the light falling across the fence and the wall behind it. Architecture pastels can be a challenge, specially when you are speed painting!
Pastel plein air painting of rocks along the Lake Michigan coast.
Pastel painting 6.5 inches x 8.5 inches SOLD
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
Back at Big Rock Point near Charlevoix. In early morning the trees cast shadows on the rocks that line the coast and create an interesting contrast to the bright sun on the water. When I sit in an an area like this to paint plein air pastel landscapes, I often think that this particular spot has looked just like this for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years. What an honor to spend a few hours recreating it in my own pastel style on paper!
