Category Archives: Wildflowers

‘Daisy Chain’               8×10              pastel

I have been working on new wildflower paintings in preparation for my upcoming workshops in Asheville, NC for the Appalachian Pastel Society. I am excited to share some of my thoughts and techniques for painting meadows and wildflowers in the landscape. This 8×10 pastel is done on Uart paper with a watercolor underpainting.

‘Summer Blues’                          8×10                    pastel

I had fun in the studio today working on a commission of a tree in a meadow. It is 16×20 and it has been awhile since I worked larger. I know that isn’t very big at all but when you paint small 16×20 is big! I do like it though and wish I did it more often. Today’s painting is the hydrangea still life I did earlier this week. I loved using those wonderful blues and purples! I did a value underpainting with an alcohol wash for this painting.

‘Sunny Delight’                       8×10                            pastel

I’ve been working on some florals today for a change of pace. Usually my flowers are in meadows and not in vases so it is a bit different.  For this one I did a value underpainting with an alcohol wash on Uart paper.  In my pastel class we have been focusing on designing a painting with big simple shapes so the value underpainting was helpful to set up the painting with the big value shapes and not all the picky details I saw in my photo.

‘Poppy Heaven’                               16×20                           pastel

I have been wanting to paint these poppies and when my student chose it last week for her painting I knew it was time for me to try it. I started with a watercolor underpainting on Uart paper. (bottom photo) I love the vibrancy of red pastels. I used Terry Ludwigs and some Great American Artwork pastels for this painting. While I had my red pastels out I did a smaller poppy on black velour. I’ll post that tomorrow. This week in class we will be working on painting on a black surface so I am having fun preparing for the class!

‘Garden Delight’                    9×12                      pastel

I enjoyed painting these purple coneflowers. I was using a new surface for me….Colourfix Supertooth Museum. It was a white surface and had a nice feel to it. I loved how it took the watercolor underpainting. The colors appeared so vibrant on the white surface. I almost could have left it alone but I wanted to see how it took the pastel. I was very happy with it and will definitely add it to my list of surfaces I like to use. I really lied the weight of the museum. It didn’t buck at all when it was wet which was wonderful!

‘Flowers from a Friend’                   11×14                 pastel

Today a friend emailed me a photo he took of the profusion of wildflowers growing where he lives. I was searching for something to paint and his photo was perfect for what I wanted to do. I decided to take photos of my process to share with him and my readers.  This painting is done on Uart 600 grit with a watercolor underpainting.

‘Sunflower #3′            6×6            pastel

Here is Sunflower #3. This one is on Wallis Belgian Mist paper using the Jimmy Wright set of Great American pastels. There is no underpainting on this one. One of the things I like to do to add to the challenge is to sometimes choose a limited palette and see what I can come up with. In this case I limited myself to the pastels chosen by Jimmy Wright for his set. I love the vibrant colors in this set!I am happy to say that Sunflower #1 has sold!  If you would like to follow my Sunflower a Day Project you can do so on my blog www.paintingsunflowers.blogspot.com

‘Make Mine Sunny Side Up’                  6×6                 pastel

I never get tired of painting sunflowers. As a matter of fact I think I would like to paint one every day. Wouldn’t that be a great challenge project! A Sunflower a Day. I’m sure some one has done this already but what a great way to explore pastels while painting a fun and happy subject. I have so many projects and ideas on my mind but this one would be a lot of fun. Consider this Sunflower #1 and I will be back with more.

‘Datura Bloom Study’                 5×7          pastel

I am back from New Mexico after a fantastic time at the IAPS convention. It was great to see friends from all over the country and meet so many new ones. The pastel family is truly a family. If you haven’t had a chance to attend a convention mark your calender for 2013! I have so much to share and I will keep posting until I run out of stories! I have a lot of things to do around the house but I couldn’t resist painting today. I started two larger paintings and finished this small study of a Datura bloom. Tomorrow night is my first summer pastel class and it is Georgia O’Keeffe Night. We will be painting big and bold flowers and I am looking forward to class. I still have space so let me know if you would like to come!