This was my first Pastel painting, and it was done many years ago. I gave up Pastels after this because I was frustrated.
I retired at the end of 2024, and enrolled in a Pastel Painting class in 2025. This was the second painting of the class, and I felt like I was hitting my stride with Pastels.
After an inspiring visit to The Bower in Shermans Dale, PA, I painted this stone wall with an arch. This marked the first time I really felt happy with a Pastel painting.
You can visit The Bower’s website here: https://thegardenbower.com/
This is Lake George, Ticonderoga, NY. I worked from a photo I took just after dawn.
This is a painting of one of my cats, Käthe. I was nervous about trying to paint an animal, but I’m pleased the way it came out.
This is another image inspired by The Bower. There is an area they call “the stump-ery.” It’s a ring of old stumps, full of ferns and fungi. My Pastel classmates said this one should be titled “Shroom With A View.”
This woodland flower garden is another image inspired by The Bower. The flowers are Blue Mist and Sunny Susan’s.
Yet another image from one of my photos taken at The Bower. An interesting fact about Monarch butterflies: they do have six legs, as all insects do, but their two front legs are tiny and tucked in.
Gettysburg is one of my favorite places to drive around in. I have taken the self-guided Auto Tour around the Battlefields many times. The countryside is lovely.
This is another rendition of the carousel horse from Disneyland.
This is another scene from The Bower of a Silvery Checkerback butterfly.
Cactus Zinnias with a Bee, also from The Bower.
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