David's dogs

I did this particular commission for David, a nice man in Michigan who wanted this as a gift for his partner. These are his adorable dogs and he wanted them all in one portrait together.

I started as I always do with portraits - a simple sketch to make sure I have the correct proportions. To me, it's the like the foundation of a house. If you don't get it right, the whole thing can fall apart. I mean, imagine going through all the work to get the details of an eye and then realize you put it in the wrong place!

This complete piece of art is 16" x 20" on a Richeson sanded board using the wonderful, buttery unison pastels.

If you want a portrait of a favorite animal or person, let me know - mary@telfleur.com - it would be a unique holiday gift and not too early to have me start working on it! By the way, David and his partner were very happy with it!

Modern Bamboo

This is a pastel commission I did recently of a beautiful home in southern California.
– http://www.yourhappyhomeart.com/
The architecture was challenging and I not only wanted it accurate, but it was important to paint the landscaping correct too. It’s a gorgeous home in a beautiful, warm setting, the photo taken on a sunny day. I hope you get that feeling when you view this painting.

I like the detail in the center and the edges left rough. It’s important to me to portray the feeling of the place.

Email me if you would like me to do a home portrait for you (a gift for someone) or if you have any comments or questions: mary@telfleur.com

summer flowers

I was inspired by some flowers in my backyard. My friend Vicki sent me some seeds in the spring. I'm not much of a gardener, but I did plant them and am so happy I did. They bring a beautiful, bright spot to my backyard, which I am enjoying, even in all of this heat. Thanks Vicki!



Pastel, 5: x 7"

$50 matted

Selina

My dear, sweet Selina passed away this morning. She was the kind of cat that even people who didn't like cats loved. I will really, really miss her, but have to remember that she is still with me.

This is a pastel painting I did of her a couple of years ago.

Areal View Beginning

This is an aerial view of a house in Iowa. I liked the viewpoint and the strong values. I got permission from the photographer to use this photo. I usually like to work from my own photos, but always ask permission when working from someone else’s. When planning my painting I decided to leave certain things exact; the placement of the buildings and most of the trees, but decided to leave out a few of them and tilt the whole image to the right because I thought it made the composition more interesting.

Working on a piece of Richeson 300# watercolor paper (it has a soft, smooth surface – a lot of tooth, but not a lot of texture), I sketched basic shapes and composition with a soft, easy to erase pencil. This is the foundation of the painting and making proportions correct is very important. I drew the house on the right and erased it at least three times before I felt it was just right. The angle of all three structures must line up. I didn’t want to make basic structure changes once I had added the pastels. I started adding pastel to the background moving down and to the right. I work this way for practical reasons. I’m right-handed and it keeps me from smearing up the parts of the pastel already worked on.

Areal view middle steps

Added more colors – various greens and yellows for yard, reds and white for roof and deep red and green for shadows on roof. Notice the values are strong. Used very dark and very light pastels to show lights and darks. Used blending stubs to get details around windows and front of house and a piece of a soft, flannel shirt to blend the bigger areas of grass.

Continued along painting buildings and trees starting with darks then adding lights. Notice trees are different greens – fir trees are more bluish, taller trees have more yellows. Spread greens on grass including shadows, making sure the strokes go in the same direction except for ‘mowing’ lines and uneven patches.

Finished!

Worked background to foreground – so that I was physically putting things in the proper order – I painted the red roof that connects the two buildings even though it will mostly not be seen once I add the big tree in the foreground – this is because it’s realistic to see a little bit of the buildings through the trees. Good quality pastels (I used Unison) are very forgiving and should cover colors underneath each other – even very light over very dark.

Finished details on house, like the variance of color and value in windows and the tiny bushes and flowers in front of house. Painted trees in foreground. Checked painting from a distance and made sure light source is correct – all shadows on grass and roofs are going the same direction. I decided to sign the painting in the lower left corner because it was the emptiest space and the subtle touch of a darker green helps balance the painting.