Dina Gardner has always been fascinated by how artists, whether they are painters, musicians, writers or anyone with artistic gifts, work through their creative process. She is fascinated that the process of 'creating' is different for every artist, regardless of their medium.
Her process for painting with pastels starts with music and her musical taste is wide and varied. Once the music is on in her studio, there is a lot of singing and dancing (neither done particularly well) that happens while she paints. She usually works from a photograph which she sketches on a sanded piece of pastel paper. She takes a lot of creative license, often adding or deleting objects in the photograph. Dina’s first layer, commonly referred to as the underpainting, is applied in dry pastel and then washed down with a paintbrush dipped in alcohol. Once this layer dries, she lays down layer upon layer of pastel, often letting the original underpainting peek through. Once in a while there are happy accidents. Sometimes there are tragic outcomes. But all the time she is grateful that she found this creative outlet at this stage of her life.
Dina’s paintings reflect objects she is drawn to: oceans and water, skies and clouds, trees, rock formations, marshes and meadows. When she paints from a photo reference or even when painting plein air, she is not painting what the subject looks like but rather what her response is to the subject.
Dina splits her time between Boston, MA, where she has lived for more than 40 years and her home in Manhattan Beach, CA, close to where she was raised. Both places provide her with inspiration and untold amounts of visual stimulation. Dina’s goal is to capture the beauty she observes around her and to express that beauty through her paintings.
Ocean's Jewels - Impressionist Framed Wave Pastel Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Ocean's Jewels 24.0 x 12.0 x 1.0, 15.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "**This painting is professionally framed in a 2" warm silver fram...
Pastel
Keeping Score - Original Impressionist Wave Pastel Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
"The Water is Warm 24.0 x 12.0 x 1.0, 3.0 lbs Framed pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: ""When it's cold and dreary outside I like to paint the c...
Pastel
Fall Flowers - Bright Pastel Flower Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Fall Flowers 6.0 x 6.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Using a handmade board, I first lightly sketched an abstract still life...
Pastel
Field of Dreams - Impressionist Landscape Pastel Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Field of Dreams 10.0 x 8.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Continuing to explore homemade, textured boards and really enjoying...
Pastel
Saturday in the park - Original Pastel Flower Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Saturday in the park 6.0 x 6.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "This sweet little 6x6 has some great detail in it! Zoom in on t...
Pastel
Sunday Drive, Original Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Pastel Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Sunday Drive, Original Impressionist Landscape Painting 8" x 10" (HxW) Pastel on Paper Hand-signed by the artist. Journey down a desolate road amongst a beautiful green landscape of...
Pastel, Paper
Fluidity - Pastel Impressionist Wave Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Fluidity 8.0 x 10.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "This painting is a study for a larger painting I'm planning to do soon. As...
Pastel
Island Girls - Impressionist Flower Pastel Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Island Girls 9.0 x 12.0 x 0.1, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "I love the pop of a pink underpainting as it reveals itself under all...
Pastel
You Kiss Like Fire - Impressionist California Sunset Pastel Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
You Kiss Like Fire 8.0 x 8.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "'You Kiss Like Fire' was inspired by a magical sunset in the fa...
Pastel
Postcard from the Shore - Impressionist Pastel Wave Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Postcard from the Shore 9.0 x 12.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: “'Postcard From The Shore' is a painting done as a demo for...
Pastel
Beginnings of a Bluebird Day - Impressionist Pastel Landscape Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Beginnings of a Bluebird Day 8.0 x 10.0 x 0.1, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "I love catching a morning sunrise with all the pink v...
Pastel
Cottonwood Country, Original Impressionist Landscape Pastel Painting on Board
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Cottonwood Country, Original Impressionist Landscape Painting 10" x 10" Pastel on Board A vibrant color palette spans this work's composition: a periwinkle river runs below the brig...
Pastel, Board
Live Wire - Impressionist Pastel Landscape Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Live Wire 12.0 x 9.0 x 0.1, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Please note this piece is framed Artist's Commentary: "I love this color palette! I wanted to ...
Pastel
Tangerine Sky, Framed Original Landscape Painting, 2020
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
10" x 10" (HxW) Pastel Painting on Board Artist Commentary: I love a good sunset! I get to the beach every day at 4 pm and walk along the shore until the sky makes its debut. On thi...
Pastel, Board
Moments of Repose, Original Landscape Painting, 2021
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary: I very rarely paint from a photo reference I didn't take but the photo my friend took of this scene really stuck with me and she gave me permission to paint it. S...
Pastel, Board
$575
Through The Woods, Original Signed Contemporary Impressionist Pastel Landscape
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Through The Woods, Original Signed Contemporary Impressionist Pastel Landscape 16x12 (HxW), Archival Paper A lush green forest path glows in front of a row of trees depicted in shad...
Archival Paper
$375
Weekend Warrior, Original Impressionist Seascape Pastel Painting on Board, 2021
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Weekend Warrior, Original Impressionist Seascape Painting, 2021 9" x 12" (HxW) Pastel on Board The ocean water's blues and greens are bright in this seascape of waves dancing along the Massachusetts shore. The sky glows a beautiful periwinkle over the landscape as the salty sea spray splashes into the air. Artist Commentary: Inspired by a recent trip to Nantucket where I took over 600 photos of the...
Pastel, Board
Sunnies No. 1, Original Signed Contemporary Impressionist Still Life Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Sunnies No. 1, Original Contemporary Impressionist Still Life Painting 10" x 8" Pastel on Paper Hand-signed by the artist An ode to Vincent Van Gogh, this impressionist floral still...
Pastel, Paper
I Ain't Nobody's Bargain - Expressionist Pastel Man Portrait
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
I Ain't Nobody's Bargain 8.0 x 8.0 x 1.0, 3.0 lbs Pastel on wood Stamped, digitally signed Artist's Commentary: "I'm having the best time with these very loose expressionist port...
Pastel
Ice Blue - Expressionist Pastel Girl Portrait
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Ice Blue 8.0 x 8.0 x 1.0, 3.0 lbs Pastel on wood Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "I struggled with the name for this piece so I sat with it for a few days. Suddenly, '...
Pastel
Spring Sunset
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary: This painting is from a photo reference I took while on an RV road trip through Wisconsin. I've painted this image several times in values of purple and green, wh...
Pastel, Board
Viewing Spot, Original Impressionist Seascape Pastel Painting on Board, 2021
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Original Impressionist Seascape 10" x 8" (HxW) Pastel Painting on Board The color palette in this seascape by artist Dina Gardner includes an exquisite t...
Pastel, Board
Blue and Weathered - German Expressionist Pastel Portrait Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Blue and Weathered 8.0 x 8.0 x 1.0, 3.0 lbs Pastel on wood Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Although still exploring German Expressionism, this particular piece has a ...
Pastel
Caught Up In Sunlight - Pastel Impressionist Wave Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Caught Up In Sunlight 8.0 x 10.0 x 1.0, 3.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "A different take on water, homing in on the light and shadow ...
Pastel
Irish Bells - Impressionist Forest and Flower Pastel Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Irish Bells 9.0 x 12.0 x 1.0, 2.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "I've had this photo reference in my 'To Paint' file for over eight year...
Pastel
Fleur - Pastel Bouquet Still Life Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Fleur 18.0 x 24.0 x 1.0, 4.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "I created a small study for this and I fell in love with it and knew I had t...
Pastel
Wildflowers - Yellow + Purple Flower Pastel Landscape Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Wildflowers 9.0 x 12.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Whenever I paint something that has a lot of yellow, I like to start wi...
Pastel
Going Solo - Impressionist French Landscape Pastel Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Going Solo 7.0 x 5.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "I've been having a blast creating homemade boards and I used a 5x7 one fo...
Pastel
Wallflowers - Pastel Daisies Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Wallflowers 8.0 x 8.0 x 1.0, 0.1 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Recently I've been intrigued by cast shadows. These little daisies creat...
Pastel
Savoring the Day - Pastel Path Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Savoring the Day 10.0 x 8.0 x 1.0, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "We’ve all had those days that we just didn’t want to end. This par...
Pastel
Time Traveler - Impressionist Pastel Wave Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Time Traveler 16.0 x 12.0 x 0.1, 1.0 lbs Pastel on archival paper Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Once in a blue moon, a painting just paints itself. That was the ca...
Pastel
Crash Course, Original Signed Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Crash Course, Original Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Painting 8" x 8" (HxW) Pastel on Paper Hand-signed by the artist. This modern impressionist seascape features a square co...
Pastel, Paper
Dream Catchers, Original Signed Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Dream Catchers, Original Contemporary Impressionist Landscape Painting, 2020 8" x 8" (HxW) Pastel on Paper Hand-signed by the artist. An impressionist, almost abstract, landscape pa...
Pastel, Paper
Moondance, Original Pastel Landscape Painting on Board, 2021
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Original Pastel Landscape Painting on Board 12" x 9" (HxW) This moody landscape painting features a set of tropical palm trees glowing under the moonlight of a deep blue desert sky. Artist Commentary: I think the moon is pretty magical and I love watching...
Pastel, Board
Bare Naked Ladies, Impressionist Landscape Painting, 2020
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary: I am enamored by trees of all kinds. On my RV road trip this fall I fell in love all over again with birch trees, the first trees I ever ventured to paint when I ...
Pastel, Board
Ladies In Waiting, Original Still-Life Painting, 2020
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary: I have painted this scene many times and I could honestly paint it dozens more. Each time I paint it I find new ways to express what I see, be it from a color per...
Pastel, Board
Savoring The Day
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary: We’ve all had those days that we just didn’t want to end. This particular day began with several hikes followed by late afternoon at the beach and ending with a b...
Pastel, Board