Abstract Impressionist Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Artist Comments
Well known for her landscapes, artist Catherine McCargar presents a view of Mt. Diablo and its surrounding foothills. The grand and proud mountain looks onto ...

Artist Comments
"Milan, the center of fashion in Europe, is a beautiful city with fantastic classical architecture, trams and people milling about attending to their work," ...

Artist Comments
"Kilimanjaro is awesome to behold, and here you can see its scale!" says artist James Nyika. "Kilimanjaro captures the enormous size of one of its most famous...

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar exhibits a scenic landscape of Mt. Diablo with an impressionistic style. The dense leaves of the lush trees rustle from the refreshing gusts of mountain air. Catherine notes that the dark parts of the mountain appear obscured in the shadows during early fall when the lower foothills turn a soft golden yellow. She captures the view en plein air from a location in Walnut Creek...

Artist Comments
"The sunlight danced across the water and on the foliage hanging over the stream, creating a frame for the deep woods beyond," Patri...

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar paints a rural setting in this impressionist piece. She uses her refined skills to convey a grass field's softness and intricacies. Meanwhile, she leads the viewer along the walking path into the welcoming shadows and shelter of the copse of trees ahead. "One can almost feel the crunch underfoot," says Catherine.

About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern...

Artist Comments
In an impressionistic style, artist Maurice Dionne paints a busy mall filled with pedestrians on Sparks Street in Ottawa, Canada. "During lunch, many office w...

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar presents an old barn on top of a sloping road in rural California. As a plein air painter, she sometimes ventures out in less-than-ideal weather conditions. "The day was cold and foggy, but this made for beautiful, nuanced colors and muted tones delightfully rendered in watercolor," shares Catherine. She draws inspiration from the Swedish painter Carl...

Artist Comments
A curious magpie looks up while perched on a ripe grapevine. Artist Suren Nersisyan paints the intelligent creature in its easily recognizable colors of black...

Artist Comments
"No holiday season is complete without the romantic overtures of Paris," says artist James Nyika. He displays an impressionist cityscape along a charming street of pastry and coffee shops. The iconic Cafe la Liberte...

Artist Comments
Two young men relax near the Rideau Canal in Ottawa in artist Maurice Dionne's impressionist piece. They enjoy the fresh air and bright warm sunshine right downtown. He captures the wonderful and quiet spot...

Artist Comments
Artist Jill Poyerd captures a peaceful landscape with snow-covered mountains emerging from a haze. Painting with soft and neutral tones, Jill conveys the feeling of calm tranquility with her delicate brushwork. "I kept the elements to a minimum in order to accentuate the openness of the valley and increase the strength of the mountain range...

Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan paints a resting yet alert cardinal with carnation pink plumage. Spring flowers fill the scene and surround the perching bird. She perf...

Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan paints a sandhill crane elegantly standing on one leg. He strips down the background with thinly painted ...

Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mudd paints a rustic country landscape in the style of impressionism. Farmhouses and silos adorn the misty pink background. Searching for new and ...

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar displays a dreamy forest clearing in delicate color. Trees line the landscape, casting shadows on the wintry terrain. A peaceful and...

Artist Comments
A quiet Northern California morning on a rural road. The marine layer has nearly burned off, intensifying the colors in the landscape and deepening the shado...

Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika depicts a cold January afternoon before a snowstorm near the US Capitol in Washington DC. Glowing in the afternoon light, James captures th...

Artist Comments
Emerald grasses sprawl into the distance of an open landscape. A peaceful scene as the sun rises. Trees stretch into the gradient sky drawing the eye to a flock of birds flying free. "I find that getting away to the country offers a quiet and peace that lends itself to times of reflection and meditation," shares artist Posey Gaines.

About the Artist
Using flowing watercolors, artist Posey Gaines creates atmospheric, high-contrast landscapes developed mostly from intuition. He often starts a piece by simply putting paint to paper and then decides on the elements to bring the composition together. He draws on memories of places he has lived and reference photos taken on road trips to arrive at the final serene and eye-catching view. Posey says that from a young age artistic inspiration has touched everything he's done in life. He plays the piano, the guitar and the bass guitar, writes poetry and wrote a book. Posey first discovered watercolor in the 1970s while auditing art classes at East Central College near his home. Over the years, he's honed his skills attending workshops and watching DVDs. Today, he enjoys painting from a tidy home studio while listening to music. True to his well-rounded personality, when he’s not making art, he works as a web developer.

Words that describe this painting: landscape, morning, sunrise, nature, quiet, hike, sky, clouds, desert...

Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mudd captures a unique perspective on one of her signature rural landscapes, representing a grand old barn from the rear of the property. She uses...

Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika paints a glimpse of the Bar du Central facade bustling with patrons. He captures the famous cafe in full sunlight in the heart of Paris. "I love the cafes and bars. They are a critical part of the identity of the city," says James. He draws inspiration from these iconic locales after visiting many through the years and develops them as an integral part of his repertoire.

About the Artist
Artist James Nyika paints the glowing atmosphere of cities across the world. As a child growing up in Kenya, he found art materials at the student bookshop and also borrowed just about every art history volume from the British Council library in Nairobi. "I checked out the same books over and over just to stare at the art, to try and understand how it was created," says James. With family encouragement to study engineering, James moved to the U.S. and immersed himself in science studies at Boston University. Several years after embarking on a tech career, he set a goal to create at least one painting a week, never throwing away any works and learning as much as possible in his off hours. Today, James still balances his full-time career designing large software systems with his prolific output as a painter. "Painting is a great antidote to the regularity of a computing profession and I really value it for the uncertainty that it brings - something frowned upon when writing code."

Words that describe this painting: Paris, bar, cafe, Bar du Central, tables, restaurant, dining, facade, sunlight, awning, arch, architecture, paper, watercolor, travel, Europe...

Artist Comments
A monumental view of the Hyalite Reservoir in The Gallatin National Forest stands beautifully in artist Jill Poyerd's magnificent panoramic landscape. The snowcapped fields and mountains give off a pristine white glow against the multitude of bristly pine trees. Muted earth tones enhance the soft yellow tones in the lower sky, creating a natural and subtle color scheme. By paling the values as the scene recedes, Jill provides a feeling of expanse and depth.

About the Artist
Jill E Poyerd brings "peaceful, contemplative moments" to life on the canvas. She approaches the canvas with little preparation, instead allowing herself total freedom to create. Both her watercolor and oil painting works depict gorgeous scenes of nature with a style distinctly her own. Something as common as a tree appears soft and ethereal through Jill's painterly style.

Words that describe this painting: landscape, nature, Montana, mountain, range, Rocky Mountains, fall, winter, lake, reserve, Gallatin Forest, tonal, paper, watercolor, forest, woods, water, impressionism, impressionism, nature, watercolor painting...

Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika paints a close-up of the US Capitol with all its warmth and light. Easily identifiable, the structure's impressiv...

Artist Comments
"Mount Diablo is a majestic presence throughout California's Bay Area," says artist Catherine McCargar. In this painting, she capt...

Artist Comments
"I love waterfalls, and this painting was inspired by a similar waterfall, although this exact scene doesn’t exist," shares artist Joanie Ford...

Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan displays an impressionist portrait of a charming red sea turtle. He pictures the shelled reptilian swimming under the refreshing ocean. Blades of kelp float along the background creating points of light green complements. In its natural habitat, it appears beautiful and harmonic.

About the Artist
Suren is an impressionist painter eloquently capturing nature, landscapes, and cityscapes in paint. His body of work reflects several different stylistic approaches. Suren’s scenes in oil are inspired by Impressionist masters Monet and Van Gogh, while his watercolor series of flowers and birds are influenced by Eastern styles of painting and the colors of the Middle Eastern environment. Suren believes his role as an artist is to remind viewers that we all are part of the same natural universe.

Words that describe this painting: sea turtle, sea turtle gift, turtle lover gift, turtle artwork, turtle painting, children room, kids wall art...

Artist Comments
Artist Patricia Prendergast displays a breathtaking forest river glistening under the gentle sun. The tranquil stream reflects the dense woodland foliage building an alluring color harmony. She creates a sense of depth by applying multiple layers of pastel and dabbing it with alcohol to achieve a thick consistency. Patricia uses various mark-making techniques to bring the trees and water on the left forward and push the right side into the distance.

About the Artist
Pastel artist Patricia Prendergast creates impressionist artworks that depict the rivers and landscapes near her home in Sacramento, California. With each nature vignette, she captures the sense of larger natural rhythms through quick mark-making, mauve undertones, and a tranquil and serene haziness. Her work recalls the paintings from the Hudson River School such as Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand. Before working on her pastels at home in her studio, she spends hours studying nature on walks along the river near her home. Since becoming an artist, she says “everything is more vivid - the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water.” Her work as been exhibited in solo shows around California. She is represented by UGallery.

Words that describe this painting: pastel, river, trees, grass, foliage, impressionism, plein air, paper, pastelwork, reflection, water, nature, impressionism, nature, pastel artwork...

Artist Comments
"Often we forget about those little things in life that make us happy," says artist Maurice Dionne. He displays a couple out for an early evening walk with th...

Artist Comments
"There are many truly iconic architectural structures in Japan, and the Odaiba Bridge is one of the more memorable ones!" says artist James Nyika. "I wanted t...

Artist Comments
I painted this from photos that I took from a blind where we watched the Sandhill Cranes fly in to spend the night in the ecological preserve outside of Lodi, California. I painted it on a piece of black, sanded pastel paper trying to capture the beauty of the winter sunset.

About the Artist
Pastel artist Patricia Prendergast creates impressionist artworks that depict the rivers and landscapes near her home in Sacramento, California. With each nature vignette, she captures the sense of larger natural rhythms through quick mark-making, mauve undertones, and a tranquil and serene haziness. Her work recalls the paintings from the Hudson River School such as Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand. Before working on her pastels at home in her studio, she spends hours studying nature on walks along the river near her home. Since becoming an artist, she says “everything is more vivid - the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water.” Her work as been exhibited in solo shows around California. She is represented by UGallery.

Words that describe this painting: winter, sunset, impressionism, landscape, impressionism, landscape, representational, pastel artwork, purple

After the Cranes...

Artist Comments
Using a wide variety of brushwork, artist Jill Poyerd set out to capture the beautiful, graceful lines of a set of aging poplar trees along a winter road. "Us...

Artist Comments
A western landscape featuring a quiet lake at the edge of a mountain range. Delicate, misty clouds pass overhead. "In order to conv...

Artist Comments
Artist Patricia Prendergast began this pastoral view of the distant Sierra mountains by toning the whole paper with raw sienna watercolor. She lightly outlined the composition and then applied many layers of pastels. "Keeping in mind the works of some of my favorite impressionist artists, I allowed some of the raw sienna to remain visible throughout the painting," she says. "This resulted in the sky and ground planes feeling like a unified whole."

About the Artist
Pastel artist Patricia Prendergast creates impressionist artworks that depict the rivers and landscapes near her home in Sacramento, California. With each nature vignette, she captures the sense of larger natural rhythms through quick mark-making, mauve undertones, and a tranquil and serene haziness. Her work recalls the paintings from the Hudson River School such as Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand. Before working on her pastels at home in her studio, she spends hours studying nature on walks along the river near her home. Since becoming an artist, she says “everything is more vivid - the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water.” Her work as been exhibited in solo shows around California. She is represented by UGallery.

Words that describe this painting: impressionist, mountains, clouds, sky, field, trees, Sierra Nevada...

Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mudd paints a dreamy pink sunset in a charming country landscape. Part of her ongoing rural series of outback sceneries. She draws inspiration fro...

Artist Comments
I painted this from a smaller painting that I did on site at one of my favorite spots along the American River. The sun was going in and out of the clouds, so it was tricky to get a consistent lighting effect. The surface is a sanded paper with a neutral lavender tone that sets off the luminosity of my pastel sticks.

About the Artist
Pastel artist Patricia Prendergast creates impressionist artworks that depict the rivers and landscapes near her home in Sacramento, California. With each nature vignette, she captures the sense of larger natural rhythms through quick mark-making, mauve undertones, and a tranquil and serene haziness. Her work recalls the paintings from the Hudson River School such as Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand. Before working on her pastels at home in her studio, she spends hours studying nature on walks along the river near her home. Since becoming an artist, she says “everything is more vivid - the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water.” Her work as been exhibited in solo shows around California. She is represented by UGallery.

Words that describe this painting: tonalism...

Artist Comments
Trees dot a grassy landscape under a clear blue sky. Captured by the shadows cast by a lone tree, artist Catherine McCargar painted this peaceful scene on a late California summer morning. The purple and lavender shades contrast and complement the golden glow of the morning sun. Catherine employed an impressionist style to simplify the subject matter, yet her brushwork on the foreground grasses is intricately detailed.

About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern California. While she is well-versed in a range of media, her preferred medium for painting is watercolor. The fluidity of the paint allows her to capture the muted undertones and the fleeting light found in the natural world. While the backgrounds of her paintings are impressionistic, the foregrounds of her paintings are often highly detailed, showcasing her technical mastery over her medium.

Words that describe this painting: landscape, field, trees, impressionism, shadow, sunlight, summer, sky, watercolor, paper, morning, impressionism, landscape, watercolor painting, green

New Day Dawning...

Artist Comments
"Look backward to move forward," says artist James Nyika. Taking inspiration from this very scene unfolding from his rearview mirror while driving, James pain...

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar finds inspiration from a row of colorful kayaks while on an outing to Tomales Bay in California. "I was captivated by the rainbow co...

Artist Comments
I painted this on a piece of blue-grey sanded pastel paper. I let much of the paper show through in the water and just 'scumbled' across it to create some lig...

Artist Comments
"Istanbul is a city of contradiction and beauty. But nothing compares to its wonderful architecture by the water," says artist James Nyika. "The old Constanti...

Artist Comments
Purple and green are two of my favorite colors and wisteria is the perfect subject! I squirted paint directly onto the paper to make a lovely, saturated wash. When dry I developed the piece intuitively. I finished with tinted gouache to highlight the lovely light behind the wisteria. I'm very pleased with the mood of this piece.

About the Artist
Melissa is passionate about color. She finds it to be the most significant form of inspiration to paint. Speaking on influences in her work, Melissa says, “Sometimes it’s an idea that I can’t get out of my head, or a color that I just MUST paint!” She particularly enjoys painting leaves, and the changing colors of Oregon foliage are visible in her work. In 2001, Melissa began teaching art classes, which has allowed her to view her own artwork in a new way. “The information that flows in a class is awesome,” she says. Melissa is constantly learning from the students in her classes, and is more conscious of what it means to be an artistic role model.

Words that describe this painting: wisteria,flowers,watercolor painting,watercolor floral,floral,purple,green,purple and green,nature,floral painting,, impressionism, flora, representational, watercolor painting, green, purple, purple

Mysteries of Purple & Green
Melissa Gannon...

Artist Comments
Artist Joanie Ford started this piece with a carefully drawn and detailed image. "I had been to similar places in my life, and as I...

Artist Comments
Narcissus is a holy flower for artist Fatemeh Kian. "I painted this with love and passion," she shares. An elegant composition with a delicate balance of oran...

Artist Comments
"Everyone has a favorite place in nature to visit," says artist Joanie Ford. "This is reminiscent of one of my favorite places. I w...

Artist Comments
"So... The Hard Rock Cafe is at this location, but what really makes the site so beautiful is the surrounding buildings, and in particular the massive shadow ...

Artist Comments
"Vietnam is a country of contrasts - lowlands with lush green ricefields like this one as well as mountains around every corner," says artist James Nyika. "This picture was so compelling because of the huge color contrast of the bright luscious foreground and the greying distant mountains. I wanted to capture these contrasts that are pervasive throughout the country."

About the Artist
Artist James Nyika paints the glowing atmosphere of cities across the world. As a child growing up in Kenya, he found art materials at the student bookshop and also borrowed just about every art history volume from the British Council library in Nairobi. "I checked out the same books over and over just to stare at the art, to try and understand how it was created," says James. With family encouragement to study engineering, James moved to the U.S. and immersed himself in science studies at Boston University. Several years after embarking on a tech career, he set a goal to create at least one painting a week, never throwing away any works and learning as much as possible in his off hours. Today, James still balances his full-time career designing large software systems with his prolific output as a painter. "Painting is a great antidote to the regularity of a computing profession and I really value it for the uncertainty that it brings - something frowned upon when writing code."

Words that describe this painting: Vietnam, paddy, rice field...

Artist Comments
"This picture captures the dying rays of a winter evening at Fairwood Park in Maryland," shares artist James Nyika. "I wanted to portray the setting sun, warm...

Artist Comments
A full moon illuminates fishing boats moored in still evening waters. "I was captivated by the sleek, beautiful boat at the forefront of this piece," says artist Judy Mudd. "It complemented the soft, quiet mood created by the glow of the moon in the sky above. The combination of these elements provides a gentle flow for the viewer's eye to follow." This watercolor is part of Judy's Moonglow Series.

About the Artist
For Judy Mudd, creating a work of art means much more than simply reproducing something she sees. “It is more than painting a subject, it is expressing a feeling,” she explains. Judy develops her paintings with thorough reconnaissance work. She goes out on photo shoots in a variety of atmospheric conditions, sketches outdoors, takes notes, and completes color and value studies. From there, back in the studio, she lets the paintbrush guide her. Outside of painting, Judy also leads watercolor workshops and runs a real estate business with her husband.

Words that describe this painting: impressionism, marine, moon, fishing, boats, calm...