by Jill Stefani Wagner

Pastel Pet Portrait Painting    8 inches x 16 inches    SOLD There’s something about painting pet portraits that just makes me happy. I am fully aware that most people don’t consider them “high art.” But there’s nothing like the look in the eyes of  heartbroken pet owners when I hand them a painting of their furry friend, especially if it has recently passed. As an animal lover myself, it gives me a special joy to memorialize these little critters who mean so much to us.   Workshop Alert:I recently received an email from UArt paper saying our 2019 pastel workshops are filling up fast! Make [...]

  Another step-by-step pictorial of my oil painting process… this time in just 3 steps starting with the small value study. I always plan to stop every so often and take photos. But I get so caught up in the creating that photography is the last thing on my mind…  ;o(       Interior oil painting    20 inches x 20 inches     See Pricing ___________________________________________________________________This artwork was created on: Linen CanvasMedium: Sennelier, Gamblin, Utrecht and Richeson Oil Paints [...]

    I thought I’d show one of my oil interior paintings from idea to completion–with just pictures. A kind of work-in-progress journey… The first image is a small 8″ x 8″ black and white value study and the other images show the larger painting in color.         Interior oil painting    20 inches x 20 inches       See Pricing  ___________________________________________________________________This artwork was created on: Linen CanvasMedium: Sennelier, Gamblin, Michael Harding, Utrecht and Richeson Oil Paints [...]

Plein air landscape oil painting    12 inches x 9 inches       See Pricing   A late October piece showing some of the beautiful hues of Fall around Ann Arbor, Michigan… ___________________________________________________________________This artwork was created on: Linen PanelMedium: Sennelier, Gamblin, Michael Harding, Utrecht and Richeson Oil Paints [...]

Morning Treeline  Pastel Plein Air Landscape Painting    8 inches x 16 inches      See Pricing Last October the Great Lakes Pastel Society held its Annual Meeting at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute near Battle Creek, Michigan. My friend Linda Klenczar and I arrived a couple of hours early to paint the beautiful scenery around the lodge. It was raining pretty steadily, but we intrepid artists set up under an overhang and kept on painting!   Afterwards we had a great meeting and time to catch up with friends during lunch. Later we were honored to have Vianna Szabo discuss her pastel work and Sharon Will explain framing techniques.   If you are a pastel [...]

“Misty Morn” plein air landscape oil painting    10 inches x 10 inches      See Pricing What a lovely year 2018 was for plein air painting. Besides attending 5 national plein air festivals, I painted constantly around my own home town. There’s something about creating art on location that gives me waaaaay more information than any photo ever can. I painted this piece onsite on a foggy, wet, fall morning which allowed me to capture:   Big Shapes – I find it easier to see these fundamental building blocks of a composition when I squint my eyes outside and ignore the smaller shapes.   Atmosphere – The moisture in [...]

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Every January I make a list of a few goals for myself in the new year. I wouldn’t actually call them New Year’s Resolutions, maybe more like suggestions for the future.  “Improve my art skills” is always at the top of my list. There are many ways to approach that goal: Painting constantly, visiting museums to observe the masters, reading art books on other artists and art techniques, going to figure and portrait classes, watching art videos, etc. But one of the things that always sparks my work is a couple-day workshop with full immersion into another artist’s vision. I’d like [...]