Nature Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

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...

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Artist Judy Mudd takes inspiration from a journey through the lush countryside. She offers a captivating view of the bright field and a rural farmstead surrou...

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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...

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Two figures stand near an open doorway of a rustic house. The summer sun casts bright light and soft shadows onto the scene. Artist Patty Phan depicts her Europ...

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

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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...

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

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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...

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A tranquil scene from a stretch on the American River in Sacramento, California. Artist Patricia Prendergast painted this piece by enlarging a smaller plein a...

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A place with the name Green Valley lives up to its name in this painting. The impressionistic handling of the subject gives room for the imagination of the viewer to draw on personal memories of the joys and promises of spring. This piece is painted to the edges of the paper on heavyweight watercolor paper. It will need a frame for display.

About the Artist
Catherine McCargar created her first work of art at five years old, a snowman drawn on blue construction paper. A group of artists invited her to try plein air painting and she fell in love. In her eyes, the time spent composing and recording in the open air is invaluable to breathe life into a painting. Catherine currently lives in California and loves tending her garden and being creative in the kitchen when she;s not painting. Fun fact: she occasionally writes stories for her granddaughter with accompanying ink drawings; she recently wrote a series called Baby Owl Learns to Fly.

Green Valley Spring...

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...

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"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...

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Artist Catherine McCargar explores the tranquility of still waters and deep shadows in this peaceful coastal landscape. The sun's rays shine on the greenery w...

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

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I painted this from a photo I took at Stafford Lake on a cloudy, rainy day. As I worked on it, it started to feel like a night scene to me and I thought it would be fun to add the moon and its reflection. I like how it provides a counter point in this monochromatic design.

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.

Moon over...

Artist Comments
I enjoy making trips to Palm Springs to collect inspirational material for paintings. I am especially drawn to the bougainvillea blossoms that grow so well in...

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Cool air blows as the sun radiates warmth into the atmosphere. The early morning light glows from behind a stretch of mountains in the far distance. "I find t...

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Light seeps between voluminous flowing clouds. A cool wind blows ruffling leaves from tall trees while birds fly away to the distance. "I find that getting aw...

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Painted from a photographic reference, artist Joanie Ford rendered this painting with contrasting soft tones. "I wanted to represen...

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"During an early fall morning on one of my daily strolls, I was coming round a bend and saw this sight - bright morning sunlight ...

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"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...

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A panoramic autumn view of rolling hills and a sailboat on the bay in Northern California. The blue water provides a refreshing sight within the grassy straw-...

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When artist Patricia Prendergast paints at the river, she often quickly picks up her camera and snaps photographs of other details ...

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A young girl reaches for her father's ready hand to guide her while she walks along a low wall in a lush garden. "I love gardens, and paint them often, so the...

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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...

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Artist Catherine McCargar based this painting off of a plein air piece she created while standing in the middle of this walking path and horse trail. "I had t...

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A bright day in the high desert plains. Pastel yellow, pink and blue balanced with the earthy tones of the landscape. "Landscapes when viewed in the open plai...

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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...

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Patricia set up her easel on an early fall morning to catch the beauty of the fog rising off of the river. The sun was just beginnin...