Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a farmstead seen from faraway fields.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches

I painted this watercolor landscape right after “Along the Road” which I posted a couple of days ago. Obviously, the storm was still threatening.

I used my favorite paper, Saunders Waterford 200# cold press, for this piece. You can see how this substrate gives a very different feel than my previous watercolor painting. More subdued and less defined. I’ve tried many sheets and this one seems to fit my style just right. Colors appear very vibrant and strong, and yet they are easy to “pull up” if you need to. The 200# weight is more substantial than 140# yet isn’t as bulky as 300#. The texture is evident but not overpowering. Although using professional-quality paper is very important, I’ve found there is not a “right” or “wrong” as far as choosing between particular brands. Try a bunch and see if you can find one that floats your boat!

Plein air pastel painting of a shaded farmhouse surrounded by fields of golden wheat

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches   $200

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

This is a plein air pastel landscape of the farm I fell in love with on Sunday. It was such a perfect day and the wheat field was so massive and awe inspiring, that it just took my breath away. I spent a good 2 hours in the midday sun painting 2 farmscape views. I would have stayed longer if the sun and bugs hadn’t wore me down.

A big thank you to all my pastel buddies over at the WetCanvas.com pastel forum. Whenever I am in a quandry about a painting, this talented group of pastel artists always gives me good advice to improve it. Its really great to have fresh eyes view your work because sometimes the artist is just too dang CLOSE to it!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a barn and other farm buildings.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 6.5 inches   $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another  plein air pastel landscape of the farmlands around Saline, Michigan. I painted this one in the late afternoon again, waste deep in a field of wheat. It was a great location except for the millions of bugs that almost ate me alive. And of course, I forgot my bug repellant!

I’m so excited about the 4 commissions I am working on this month! I will be posting a few of them in the next couple of days.

And, (oh my god!), I’ve joined the twitter nation. If you liked to follow my tweets, catch me at http://twitter.com/jillwagnerart

Have a great 4t of July weekend!

Plein air pastel landscape of a farm and fields of spring wheat in late afternoon

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10 inches   SOLD

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

When I paint from life outside, I usually set out in the morning. For a change, I decided to try some pastel landscapes in the afternoon light. For plein air painters, morning and afternoon are the prime times because of the lovely yellow-orange light and the great shadows at those times of day. I found this luscious field of spring wheat south of town and set up all of my equipment on the side of the road. Quite a few people stopped by to chat and one woman asked to take my photo while I was painting. Turns out this is her favorite view and she has taken photos of the scene every month or so to catalog the seasonal changes. I was happy to oblige but darn it! I forgot to ask her if she would like a pastel painting of her favorite spot!