Plein Air Pastel Paintings > For this dedicated painter, artistic growth comes from seizing on a compelling scene, painting with speed, then looking ahead to the next experience.
5 Compelling Pastels by Jill Stefani Wagner
Text by Stefanie Laufersweiler
1. Spring on the Farm
One morning Wagner “slammed on the brakes” to paint this old barn on a rural road near Ann Arbor. “The hot summer sun created bold highlights against the dark trees,” she says. “I loved the way the foreground grass vibrated and how subtle the shaded barn looked in comparison.” She keeps painting supplies (including various sized boards) in her vehicle at all times, for when inspiration hits.
2. “The Disappearance”
“Paint Grand Traverse in Northern Michigan is another favorite plein air festival,” Wagner says. After a long day painting the peninsulas, she participated in a night paint-out on Grand Traverse Bay. “I only did a quick sketch but ended up liking it,” she says. Later, while dining with friends, she realized she’d left the painting on her car roof while packing up to leave. “Hence the double entendre title,” she says, as she never found the piece.
“Note to self: always put the painting in the car first.”
3. “Waiting to Sail Too”
“I set up early on the bay and quickly painted the sun rising behind sailboats,” Wagner says of this piece from Paint Grand Traverse. “I used a limited palette to silhouette the sailboats against the glaring, colorful morning light.”
4. “Summer Sizzle”
“Although Michigan is a northern state, summers here can be hot!” Wagner says. She painted this scene of a nearby lake on a steamy morning. “I abstracted the elements and pushed the colors to capture the way the view made me feel, instead of staying true to the actual colors I saw.”
5. “From Lands End”
This painting was created during a demonstration the artist did in San Francisco from a high park, looking down on colorful buildings. “The late afternoon light illuminating the structures made a perfect focal point and a strong contrast to the dark trees and distant hills,” she says. “The atmospheric haze was also a big attraction for me.”
Connect with Jill Stefani Wagner at jillwagnerart.com.
Learn from Jill directly with her PaintTube.tv art video workshops, including “5-Step Pastel Painting.”
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Story prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today
