Crayon Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

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 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
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
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
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...