Switching subjects from portraits, flowers and still life back to landscapes is not always easy for me, it takes time to get the feel for painting skies, water and trees again. So before I go big . . .
Lakeside Early Morning, an oil pastel (4×7) is another small painting to get back into the swing of things. The surface was a cream Mi-Teintes pastel paper, using Senneliers and some Mungyo-Gallery OPs. For whatever the reason Holbeins isn’t always the best for this paper which is a shame because there are some nice color choices in the brand that would have worked perfectly. I used the razor blade for scraping and shaping, and a tortilum to blend slightly.
This particular scene was appealing because the fog was just starting to burn off, leaving a subtle glow of morning sun with hints of trees in the background all playing off as reflections in the water. This had perfect ingredients for a small scene to get lost in with oil pastels.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Based off a reference image by Bonnie Sitter, a photographer from pmp.
DON’T TAKE MY IMAGES!! MY ART IS COPYRIGHTED.
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Oil Pastels by Mary 
This is gorgeous. Very few artists work with oilpastels and your work is truly inspiring!..
I am experimenting with oilpastels too😊.Do check my insta account @roymadhu1979.
Thank you madhu for visiting and leaving such a nice comment . It is a challenging, but highly rewarding medium to paint with.
I just love how you describe what you feel, your thought process is, what you use…fantastic Mary ❤️ much love to you Paris
Thank you so much Paris – glad you enjoyed it. Have a beautiful week!
You too Mary ❤️❤️
whowww…it is so beautiful and atmospheric, Mary!
Thank you so much Rosie – very nice to meet you!
What a beautiful misty scene. I know this is hard to capture. Good job, Mary!
Thanks Leslie – getting enough oil pastels on the surface and blending out smooth is one of the tricks to achieving a soft atmosphere. Appreciate it!
Wow!
Thanks Luke!
Love it … your added just enough appearance of haze for that morning view.
Thanks Frank – it was a great scene to develop trying to mimic a fogy atmosphere.
That’s delightful, Mary 🙂
Thanks Jo!!
What a gorgeous landscape! It feels like a dream…so soft and mysterious. You did a wonderful job!
Thanks so much Jenna – glad you enjoyed the scene!
You achieved the subtle glow and the burning off of the fog beautifully, Mary! Wonderful work!
Awesome Elena, thank you so much – exactly the what I was hoping for.
I think this is one of your best ever.Mary! The light is almost ethereal.
Thank you so much Madhu, really appreciate your compliment! The lighting was pretty cool to develop with oil pastels – some beautiful blends worked out. Thanks again!
soft, atmospheric, with a lovely warm glow… its Beautiful!
Thank you so much Debi for your response to this painting!
hi Mary, You are so welcome. I just loved the softness and gentle feeling coming from it 🙂
Really appreciate it! Thank you Debi ~
very beautiful light!
Thank you so much Dsaquarelles!
Mary, this is beautiful. Makes me think of morning shaking off the last of the dawn and getting ready for the new day. Love it!
Thank you Geralyn for your generous comment! Have a wonderful week.
You too, Mary!
This is stunning work!
Thank you Fiona!
Oh now, this one is extra special. I truly love it for the peace and tranquility you have captured so perfectly. 🙂
Thank you so much Dorann for your special comments!
Lovely, moody painting. We’ve had mornings that look a lot like this, lately.
Thank you so much Janell!
This reminds me of the lake our family would visit in the summer when I was a kid..that hazy, quiet, time-to-go-fishing feel. Lovely. Thank you, Mary ❤ Happy weekend!
Thanks Angie – happy this takes you back to wonderful family moments. Hope you had a wonderful weekend – killed my knee while running yesterday (hoping it doesn’t take too long to heal).
Oh no, Mary! I’m so sorry about your knee. I did the same thing to both ankles when I started up. After that I slowed my pace and tamed my enthusiasm. I’m glad that you are taking care of yourself and I’m praying for a quick and complete recovery ❤
Wow this is an incredible piece, you say that you have switched from flowers/still life, I can’t wait to go have a look at your other work.
Thank you for your kind comment!! Nice to meet you ~
Stunning Mary! You have captured my favorite kind of morning.
Thanks so much Susan!!
This is gorgeous, Mary! The reflections are amazing! I was wondering…what brand of oil pastels do you use? I picked up a very small box of some years ago, but they feel hard to work with to me. I love your work so much, and I hear you about switching from portraits and flowers back to landscapes! I was just thinking about that last night. I haven’t done a landscape in quite some time either. 🙂
Thanks Patsy! There are two types of oil pastels, artist-quality and student-brand. The student brand has more wax in the formula and could be why the ones you have feel hard to you – often times to the local art stores will carry the student brands. The brands I use are: Senneliers, Holbeins, Neopastels and Mungyo-Gallery – I did a writeup about them a couple of years ago, here is the link to OPs brands. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any additional questions.
Beautiful Mary. It reminds me of my home. I love the colours.
Thanks Joanna for your kind feedback, it’s really special for me when one of my pieces evokes memories for a viewer. Have a great week!
Makes me think more of a very muggy sunset, swatting the mosquitoes away, listening to loons off in the distance. That sun’s a-melting!
Thank you Pauline!
I love it ❤
Thank you Leyla!
Delicious painting, Mary. I absolutely love it!
Thank you Sarah for your generous comment!
Just the piece of peace I needed after the week I had. Thank you beautiful Mary!
Okay then Resa, glad the scene can bring you peace – please enjoy!
Beautiful, Mary…the mild rays of early morning sun…. 🙂
Thank you Maniparna!
I love the overall mood of this painting. Wonderful work! Have a great weekend, Mary. 🙂
Thanks so much Jackie – it’s really all about the mood. There is something magical in fog atmosphere. Have a wonderful weekend too!
Magnificent! You captured it, Mary!
Thanks Patrick!! You must be treated to a lot of scenes like this where you live ~ Happy Memorial Day weekend.
Enlargement didn’t work, but I like the picture anyway
Thanks Derrick – I realized that the image was already being shown in the larger size. I’ll go back and edit the post. Thanks again ~
You make the transition look easy, Mary, but I can imagine how it might not be so.
Thank you so much Gallivanta – appreciate it! I think it is really mind over matter and just adjusting my thinking and technique as the oil pastels are applied. Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Love the lingering fog and the subtle colors. Very peaceful.
Thanks so much Heidi . The colors were great to mix, it seemed each time I scraped them off and applied a new layer of color a whole new dimension showed itself in this piece.
Beautiful, Mary and very inspirational. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Jill – a quiet scene as a nod of appreciation to mother nature and how it doesn’t take much for her to brighten our days. Have a wonderful weekend.
Perfect. You can almost feel the warmth of those early morning rays through the fog.
Thanks so much for your beautiful description – I’m so happy you mention “warmth of those early morning rays” its the atmosphere I was hoping to achieve. Have a great weekend Audrey!
That’s a lovely painting Mary! I use Mi Teintes Touch paper and my favorite soft pastels are also Sennelier.
Thanks so much Sibella! I have a piece of Touch paper that I haven’t used yet – I’ve heard mixed reviews for it with oil pastels. I should dig the paper out and see about painting a large scene, just to get a feel for how it handles OPs and an underpainting. Thanks again ~
It works really good with soft pastels. I use it for all my portraits and one sheet is enough for two 14×20 paintings. Have a great weekend Mary, happy painting! 🙂
Sounds good – I’ve been hesitant about cutting it, but I think I’m going to give it a go and have at it. Thanks – you too!
Thanks! I cut it all the time and usually leave 1/2 inch border around the actual size of a future painting.
Perfect, Indeed! Beautiful composition and reflection. Love the peacefulness of the painting. 🙂
Thanks Amy! Your description of “peacefulness” was what I was after, loved working out the reflection so thank you so much for mentioning! Happy Memorial Day to you ~
I have learned so much to appreciate beautiful paintings from you. Thank you, Mary! Enjoy the weekend. 🙂
Thank you Amy, a really kind thing to write. Have a great weekend too!
Mary I love this painting!
Thank you Nicodemas, I’m glad you enjoyed the scene.
Beautiful sun
Thanks Jess!
Wonderful pastel, Mary. I love the big glowing sun in this piece. I go between abstracts and landscapes. I know the adjustment you’re talking about.
Thank you so much Kerry, trying to be honest about the challenges at least for me. It’s all in re-thinking the application for whatever the subject is – now, I’m close to getting to going big again. Thanks again ~
truly lovely…the first thing that popped into my mind was how like the work of the Impressionists this seems….
Thanks so much Cynthia. I wasn’t too sure that I could mimic fog in the foreground area as I had in mind, because Senneliers is so thick, but scraping with a razor, then layering again and scraping, etc. gave me the feel I was after. I do appreciate your compliment – thank you! Happy Memorial Day to you ~
Oh wow!!! Just gorgeous Mary! I don’t see you have any trouble at all switching genres. You are so talented. I love this.
Thank you Rhonda, really appreciate it. I actually trashed the post two days ago and then reconsidered because I’m trying to stay true to showing what’s actually happening in my studio. You always know how to make my day – have a great holiday weekend.
Good morning! The promise of a new day… 🙂
Thanks John!!