Outdoors Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

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
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
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...

Artist Comments
Artist Patricia Prendergast depicts a popular fishing spot along the American River in Sacramento, California. "There were actually many fishermen there when ...

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

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
"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
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...

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
"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
"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
This is my interpretation of a section of the American River near my home. I tried to convey the feeling of peace that I get when walking in this area with the ducks and birds for company. I added the path for a little sense of mystery as to what we might see in those trees beyond the river. I created this piece on Ampersand Pastelbord and it will need framing for display.

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.

View down the River...

Artist Comments
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...

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
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...

Artist Comments
"My wife and I were invited on a tour of a very large ranch," shares artist Dwight Smith. "Of course, there were many outbuildings, sheds, and barns that were...

Artist Comments
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...

Artist Comments
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...

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

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