Category Archives: Landscapes
Southwestern Sunset Pastel Painting
‘Chasing the Desert Sunset’ 8×10 pastel ©Karen Margulis
Sometimes less is more. Sometimes you need to take something away rather than add some more. And so it is when painting things that have fine lines such as grasses and branches. One of the first things a beginning pastel artist usually wants to know is how to make the fat pastel sticks make delicate fine lines. It actually is possible with the right touch and technique and I will share that in another post. There is another technique for creating fine lines and it involves an aluminum push pin! If you are interested in how this technique works you can see my daily painting post HERE.
Southwestern Winter Pastel with Complementary Colors
‘Winter Solitude’ 11×14 pastel
I love playing with Complementary colors. When deciding on what colors to use in an underpainting I often turn to using complimentary pairs. I shared my thoughts about using local colors to set up aerial perspective in a painting in my daily painting blog. Using complements in the underpainting can lead to a more exciting and interesting painting.This painting started with a watercolor underpainting in the compliments of the final colors used. See work in progress photos here.
“An artist finds his happiest combination in the play of complimentary colors. They are direct contrasts yet do not jar; they awaken the beholder,but do not disturb him.” Charles Burchfield
Nantucket Beach Roses 8×10 pastel
‘A Nantucket Bouquet’ 8×10 pastel ©2012 Karen Margulis
I have Nantucket sand in my shoes. My Grandfather was born and raised on Nantucket Island. A few years ago I did our family genealogy and discovered we go back to the founding fathers of the island. I also discovered a treasure….an unknown cousin who has lived on Nantucket all of his life and along with his father built many of the island homes. I have been to visit him a couple of times and hope to go back.
Nantucket is the most beautiful and inspiring place just full of magical landscapes. Nantucket has it all….beautiful beaches both wild and tame, harbors full of colorful boats, lighthouses, a wonderful town that takes you right back to the 1700′s…cobblestone streets, gas lights and window boxes filled with flowers. But that is not all…the interior of the island has magical moors and meadows filled with wilflowers, misty marshes, ponds filled with waterlilies. Not to mention the birds and other wildlife. I could spend an entire summer soaking up and painting the beauty of this island. To see more Nantucket paintings please visit my daily painting blog HERE
Winter Pastel on Textured Surface
‘Winter Creek’ 8×10 pastel ©Karen Margulis
I love experimenting with new techniques. When I read the recent Pastel Journal article about Robert Carsten and how he uses homemade pastel grounds I knew I had to try them. I decided to go for the thickest ground. I wanted to get the most texture possible. I mixed a smaller amount since I only had one 8×10 piece of gatorboard to coat.
The recipe for the Thick Paste-like Ground calls for 1 cup of Golden’s Light or Coarse Molding paste mixed with 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water with 4 tablespoons of grit added. I painted my board first with Golden Fluid Acrylic and when this was dry I applied my ground mixture. It made a wonderful textured board with lots of exciting brush marks! If you would like to see more behind the scene photos of this painting visit my daily painting blog.
Taos Meadow 8×10 pastel
‘Taos Meadow’ 8×10 pastel ©Karen Margulis
This painting is a second version of a scene from a trip to Taos. For this painting I raised the horizon line so I could show more of the interesting desert plants. I have been painting on Pastelmat which is an interesting surface. It feels soft and velvety but it holds a lot of pastel. You can read more about my experience with Pastelmat on my daily painting blog ‘Painting my World’.
Kiawah Island Marsh View 8×10 pastel on Canson Touch
‘Peaceful Moment’ 8×10 pastel ©Karen Margulis
I am enjoying the new paper by Canson. It is Canson Mi-Teintes Touch, a new sanded surface. I like how it feels and the soft look I am getting in my paintings. I have written a detailed review in my blog. I always love to try new materials and this has been a great discovery!
Nantucket Landscape on Canson Mi-Teintes
‘Nantucket Path’ 11×14 pastel ©Karen Margulis
I have been enjoying Canson paper lately. I was inspired to try it again after seeing some wonderful work painted on Canson. I really like the soft feel of the paper and the resulting effect in my work. I have written a review of my experience with Canson on my blog, Painting my World, if you are interested in reading more.
New Mexico Landscape…Top Paintings of 2011
‘Desert Dreams II’ 11×14 pastel ©Karen Margulis
The paintings I have chosen to be my favorites all represented a personal accomplishment. For this painting I was happy that I was able to interpret the bushes and desert plants without putting in too much detail. I was happy to leave a lot of the oil stain underpainting. I enjoyed using Terry Ludwig’s Arid Landscape set exclusively for this painting. If you have some Christmas money and you are looking to buy a nice set of pastels, check out the Arid Landscape set by Terry Ludwig. I have discovered that it isn’t just for arid landscapes. It is a wonderful and versatile set!
Field of Red Poppies
‘Roadside Poppies’ 11×14 pastel
I have painted this group of poppies in other formats and sizes but this is a different point of view. I found these poppies growing by the roadside near my parent’s home in North Carolina. They added just the right pop of color to a very green landscape. This painting is on Uart with a watercolor underpainting.
Mountain Road…A Study in Green
‘Mountain Road’ 8×10 pastel
I have started a new series of paintings that are primarily green. I have chosen some reference photos of landscapes that are very green. This is a color that can be difficult to handle but living here in the Southeast we have a lot of green to deal with. I am exploring ways to make greens more varied and interesting. For this painting done on Canson Moonstone, I put down a layer of orange and red and added the greens last. These complements help make the greens more exciting to look at. I’ve got three ‘green’ paintings finished so far but there is still plenty to learn and explore.