Gouache plein air painting of a sunlit birch tree.

Gouache painting 4 inches x 6 inches       $80

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I have been experimenting with another watercolor painting medium called gouache. It is similar to watercolor in that it contains a pigment suspended in water, but it is more concentrated and opaque. You can even layer white or pastel colors to highlight and create a thicker texture. In watercolor, it is necessary to leave the white of the paper showing through to create a highlighted area. I find that gouache is a kind of cross between acrylic and watercolor.

I painted this landscape painting in our back yard. When I saw the light hitting the tree limbs against the dark pines in back, I thought it would make an interesting composition. I didn’t really use the qualities of qouache for this piece–its more like a traditional watercolor painting. But stay tuned.  I have plans to take this new medium on our next trip and explore it more fully.

Plein air watercolor painting of a tree and summer fields.

Watercolor painting 4.75 inches x 7.75 inches $80

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I spent a wonderful vacation weekend with my daughter and grandson and didn’t get any painting done. So I thought I would post this plein air watercolor landscape that I painted last year at this time. Its my favorite subject–the fields and farms around Saline, Michigan. This is another piece that I painted on yupo, a plastic-like paper that causes watercolor to pool on the surface instead of seaping in. It really helps me to loosen up and forget about the itty bitty details.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches $450 + shipping

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I decided to take another look at the beautiful old oak tree that was my subject in the Treescape pastel painting I posted on December 20th.  I love the how strong, yet ancient it looked out there in the field all alone. Instead of focusing on its strength and texture, I wanted to show its “separateness” in this piece so I chose a square format that allowed more of the receding landscape to show. I really find it fascinating how the same subject can inspire different approaches.

Pastel painting 12.5 inches x 25.5 inches $800 + shipping

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I just put the finishing touches on this new pastel painting in my Treescape series. This old oak is down near the pond in our neighborhood. I always notice it when I walk along the water with Roxy, so, early one morning in August, I took a bunch of research photos. It is such an ancient, impressive specimen, I couldn’t resist callling it Forte!

Pastel painting 13 inches x 8 inches $375 + shipping

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I walk by this field almost every night with my Aussie, Roxy, and never thought anything of it. Then one afternoon last week the sun was low and the light coming though the fence looked fantastic. I ran back home and got my pastels and Roxy and I spent a great hour painting together.

Pastel painting 12.5 inches x 25.5 inches $800 + shipping

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I think this is my favorite Treescape pastel painting so far. I really liked being able to capture the light filtering through the leaves of the tree. It has almost an abstract feel to it yet you know exactly what it is. This should be available at one of my galleries soon and I am working on a couple more in the series.