Pastel painting of a garden sculpture in the spring.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 13 inches

Wednesday was another day in the continuing saga of constant rain in Michigan. We were supposed to have a plein air meet that morning, but it was drizzling and I was the only one who showed up. I started this pastel painting of a statue in the park but the rain forced me back into the car twice. I finally left the garden painting unfinished and gave up for the day. Maybe I will try to work back into it on another day…

Plein air pastel painting of a bird bath in a spring garden.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11.5 inches

Didn’t have time today for a full painting foray in the big world so I decided to do a pastel landscape right in my own backyard. Our bleeding hearts are in full show and I liked how they looked behind our birdbath. People were cutting grass and sawing wood all around me so this garden painting is much more peaceful than the actual experience of creating it was!

Plein air pastel painting of a pot of geraniums on a bright, spring day.

Pastel painting 6 inches x 9 inches     $100

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Today was plein air day at Wellers again and it couldn’t have been a better day for a pastel landscape . I spent a good 5 hours out there and painted 3 pieces. There are endless possibilities at this beautiful site. but this pot of freshly planted geraniums caught my eye. I wasn’t expecting to do a floral pastel painting, but you gotta go with what sparks your imagination!

Spring Cleaning Sale through June 15th! Any small blog painting (under $300) on sale for 30% off! Please contact me directly for your special piece of art.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a barn seen from barren fields.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8. inches     $200

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Some of the fields around here are planted and starting to green up, but a lot of them are still full of the stubbly waste from last years crops. The acres of broken stalks make interesting texture for pastel landscapes. Sometimes spring is a difficult time for plein air because everything is so darn “perky” and green. It’s nice to find some gritty compositional elements to break up all of the emerald.

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 pastel painting of a Red Bud tree in full bloom in spring.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8.5 inches     $200

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Last Wednesday I went back to Wellers one more time to paint a pastel landscape of one of their beautiful flowering Red Bud trees. Along with the Dogwoods, these trees are my favorite signs of spring in Michigan. They are electrifyingly beautiful but very difficult to capture in a pastel painting. The flowers are extremely small and the overall effect is of a sparkling cloud of violet-pink sparkles. I know that sounds weird but its the best description I can come up with. They only last for a few days so you have to catch them quickly!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a fountain in a spring park.

Pastel painting 11 inches x 8.5 inches     $300

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Another pastel landscape from my day at Wellers in the freezing cold!! My fingers were numb when I finally packed up around 3pm. You’d think late April in Michigan would be safe for plein air—-But NOOOOO!  In this pastel painting, I wanted to capture the dark, shiny fountain against the first fresh signs of spring.

River Gallery in Chelsea is presenting a juried show for the Ann Arbor Women Artists centered on a water theme. I had a pastel drawing accepted and am looking forward to the reception on May 8th from 6-8pm. Please stop by if you can. The show will be up until June 12th.

Pastel plein air painting of a beautiful statue of a woman in a spring park.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches     $300

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Wellers is a historic mill in Saline, Michigan. The grounds are absolutely amazing and the scene of many weddings in our area. Our plein air group was given permission to paint there last weekend. I started working in watercolor but the rain forced me under a canopy so I decided to switch to a pastel painting. The many statues on the site caught my attention and I focused on this young Spring Maiden with a bough of flowers. The sun peeked out at the last minute and I was able to place the warm highlights. I loved this scene because I could do a figure drawing and pastel landscape at the same time!

Plein air pastel landscape of a bridge reflecting in a river.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches $200

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Monday was a gorgeous, blue-sky, spring day in Ann Arbor.  I made a bee line to Gallup Park to do a few pastel paintings. Sometimes plein air wori is difficult in spring because EVERYTHING is green. To counteract that, I usually look for some additional color to perk up the scene. This foot bridge fit the bill!