Plein air gouache painting of summer flower pots on a deck.
Plein air gouache painting 7 inches x 9.5 inches
This summer I continued to play with a new medium: gouache. To me, it feels like a cross between watercolor and acrylic. You can paint thinly and create nice washes AND you can paint opaquely and cover previous strokes. (this intrigues me because I am constantly tossing watercolor paintings that I can’t fix.) Its taking me a while to get the hang of it so I thought I’d post some of my attempts from time to time. This floral painting view is right outside our back door on our deck.
Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a garden path and potting shed.
Plein air watercolor painting 7 inches x 10.5 inches
Last week, my friend, Cecily, and I visited a beautiful garden at a home built in the mid 1850′s by President Millard Fillmore’s brother. The gardens had a wonderful old fashioned feel to them and complimented the old house perfectly. It was extremely hot, but we planted ourselves in the shade and did a few plein air watercolor paintings. I also took a lot of reference photos of the many flower beds, trellises and out buildings for future pastel garden paintings to be done in my studio this winter.
Plein air watercolor landscape painting of buildings and a bridge over a stream
Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches
When we were on a South Carolina vacation last spring, I didn’t get a lot of time to paint. But every day or so, I’d walk around the resort til I found something that grabbed my attention. This bridge was one of my favorite subjects for watercolor landscapes. I posted a painting of a different view of the same bridge a while ago.
Just finished up a watercolor commission of a beautiful garden. Looking forward to giving it to my client, but won’t be able to post it til after the holidays because its a present!
Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a pond and surrounding trees.
Watercolor painting 11 inches x 7 inches $150
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
The other day, I grabbed my watercolors and trusty pooch and headed out to the pond near our house. Roxy loves to run free near the water and I can relax and sketch the scenery. It was a great day for a watercolor landscape. The sun was out and the wind was blowing the billowing cloud formations quickly across the sky. I had to paint quickly to catch the effects…
In the studio I am working on a commission of the cutest little pup. Can’t wait to show it to my client. Let me know if you have a special animal you would like immortalized in a pastel pet portrait!
Plein air pastel landscape painting of silos seen from summer Michigan fields.
Pastel painting 11 inches x 8 inches
This field is not far from my house in an area that is scheduled for a large business park development. It breaks my heart to see all of the beautiful woods and farmlands eaten up by urban sprawl. Its one of the reasons I keep painting pastel landscape paintings of farms and fields. I’ll be able to remember them after the huge steel and glass monstrosities replace them…
Plein air pastel landscape painting of a bird bath in a summer garden.
Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches
Last week I spent a morning with my plein air pastel painter buddies at a gorgeous garden in Ann Arbor. The yard was completely filled with flowers, sculptures and blown glass balls. It was an amazing oasis in the middle of a subdivision. There was so much to paint, I found it difficult to focus. I finally decided on a pastel landscape painting of a sunlit birdbath surrounded by flowers. I think we all had a successful day. Marty and Susan’s pieces were gorgeous!
Plein air pastel landscape painting of an umbrella table and chairs on a summer deck.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 4.5 inches $80
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
AHhhhhh….Nothing like summer on the patio! I painted this little pastel painting one morning last week. Didn’t have time to go out plein air painting but this pastel artist had to get something on paper! I was drawn to the dark silhouette of the chair and tables against the psychedelic green lawn. This will be a nice memory when winter closes in on us in December…
