Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a forest seen from the shore of a lake in Montana

Plein air Watercolor painting 5 inches x 9 inches

Plein air watercolor landscape of a waterfall in Montana

Plein air Watercolor painting 4 inches x 9.5 inches

Watercolor landscape painting of a walkway through a forest

Watercolor painting 9.5 inches x 14 inches
Please contact me if you are interested in this or similar artwork.

Pastel landscape painting of woods with sunlight streaming through the trees.

Pastel painting 12 inches x 9 inches

In the spring, summer and fall, I work almost completely en plein air-painting outside directly from the subjects that inspire me. But during the blustery winter months in Michigan, I do pastel paintings from the reference photo library I have built up over the years. We are lucky to live in an area where there is still pristine woods and fields. Forests have always inspired me and I love to do pastel landscapes of them, especially when sunlight creates an interesting focal point.

In this piece I concentrated on creating a lifelike fall scene, using a limited palette of colors and hues.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of trees in a field.

Watercolor painting 5 inches x 7 inches  $80

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a stand of trees reflected in a lake.

Pastel painting 4.5 inches x 9 inches

Its been a crazy, happy week with family in town. And we are on “Baby Alert” with our second grandson due any minute. Very little art is being created in this studio!

I thought I’d post this small pastel painting I did recently at Gallup Park in Ann Arbor. Its all about the beautiful tree reflections in the lake. The ripples change every minute and it’s hard to capture them in plein air paintings. But I had fun trying!

I was honored to be profiled on the Artists in Pastel website today! Check it out if you get a chance!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a Michigan river with autumn trees.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

This is another pastel landscape from my plein air outing last weekend. There is a river that winds through the park in town and the reflections of the early morning light made for an interesting pastel painting. I think I may have gone a little crazy with color but the fall trees really DID seem that vibrant!

Don’t forget the Saline ArtWalk this weekend at the Stone Arch Arts and Events! The reception is Friday,  5-8pm and we will be demonstrating on Saturday and Sunday from 12-5pm, too. Y’all come by!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a woodland stream lit by golden sunlight.

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

Another pastel painting from our second plein air trip to Parker Mill. I chose to paint the river again because the sparkling water was just too scrumptious to refuse. The sunlight cast a warm yellow reflection in the stream that really attracted me. It creates a natural pathway that leads you through the pastel landscape.

Plein air pastel landscape painting of a sunlit creek and bridge in Michigan

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

I managed to loosen up a bit on this second pastel painting at Parker Mill. The sunlight created a sparkling effect that really caught my eye. Our plein air group is going to meet there again soon and I can’t wait to explore some more of the grounds. It really is cool to see what view inspires each of us and how we capture that feeling in pastel landscapes.

Plein air pastel painting of a winding, colorful river in Bellaire, Michigan

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

The last of my pastel landscapes from Northern Michigan. I stopped in Bellaire, at an old dam site, and saw this beautiful river scene. Like many other plein air pastel painters I’m a sucker for dramatic water views. But they can be somewhat difficult to capture on paper. The light and shadows on the water are constantly changing and creating interesting areas to paint. I find that if I stare at the scene for a bit and solidify in my mind what really attracted me to the view, I have a better chance of succeeding. In this case, the striations of color rippling through the water really stood out for me…

The Ann Arbor Women Artists have a wonderful exhibit showing now at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I was honored to have 2 pieces accepted. The artist reception is July 9th from 7-9pm. Please stop by if you can!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of light streaming through the woods near a river in Saline, Michigan

Pastel painting 6 inches x 9 inches     $100

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

Another one of my pastel landscapes from Wellers a couple of days ago. The light bursting through the trees was almost psychodelic and had to be captured in pastel! Linda and Karen were out at the mill painting too, each working on a different scene. Its nice to have some buds to create art with. I really enjoy watching how other plein air artists approach their subject and how they use their chosen medium. There are always so many new things to learn!

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 of small cabin nestled in the woods, seen from across a lake.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 12.5 inches     $300

Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.

I found the sweetest little pond yesterday, off of Judd Road in Saline. It was hidden in a residential area and I almost passed it by. I set up my easel to do this pastel painting just as the owners came home from church. For the most part, I’ve found that people are very open to me painting on their property. They are often flabbergasted and pleased that an artist would find their property beautiful and worthy of a work of art. We all become so accustomed to our own surroundings and sometimes take for granted the gorgeous scenes around us. In this pastel landscape I wanted to capture the serenity of the little cabin tucked back in the woods and loved the long range view across the water.