Bob Palmerton 

I recently started a YouTube channel with pastel painting demos and painting tips. Before YouTube, I would blog about a painting from start to finish. "Marsh Meadow Morning" is a 12x18 pastel inspired by the early spring wetlands of Marsh View Meadow Park near Saline, MI. Here is a complete pastel painting lesson from start to finish. I chose to paint another marsh! I like to paint marshes (perhaps I should change my name to "Marshall"). This view is in Marsh Meadow View

Here is the completed painting of the Crane Creek Estuary scene at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. You can see the earlier underpainting and initial techniques used to create this piece by clicking here to read the initial blog article. You can find this painting and others available for purchase at our Etsy shop. #marsh #OttawaNationalWildlifeRefuge

Here's a painting based on my recent visit to Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Northwest Ohio. This scene can be found at the Crane Creek Estuary hike. The grasses grow on a small beach at the inlet where Lake Erie feeds the estuary area. As the reference photo was grey and dull, I grabbed those vibrant pastels and composed lighting impacts to spice up the scene. #marsh #pond #water

I recently re-arranged my pastel palette, which revealed an abundance of blues. So I thought I would take advantage of such a variety and do an landscape underpainting in blue. Below is the reference photo. The scene is at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge along Route 2 in Northwest Ohio. This particular location is along the Crane Creek Estuary Trail. I highly recommend a visit to this wildlife refuge along Lake Erie. There were a number of bird watchers and photographers

Spring has finally arrived in Southeast Michigan. Touring a local nature preserve with my dog Cosmo, I came across this scene, replete with early greens: To see what this locale looks like in mid-summer, see my plein air painting of this site below: I started this painting with an alcohol wash of dark pastel for the deepest values: I dried the surface of the Uart sanded paper with a desktop fan, then chose purple and green watercolors to fill up the canvas: I'm particularly

Looking forward to an Autumn trip to Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, here's another version of the Labor Day weekend trip to the marsh walk at Point Pelee. This painting was begun in a demo for the Garden City Arts Club at the Michigan Art Center. There is a complementary color acrylic underpainting (orange beneath the blues and red behind the greens) to help bring out the brilliant colors of pastels. #PointPeleeNationalPark #marsh

The latest version of my plein air painting at the Pittsfield Preserve. I guess it is 50% "plein air" as I am completing the pastel in my studio. This vista can be found off Marton Road in Pittsfield township, a modest hike from the parking area. Distant tree lines can be effectively conveyed with a light-to-medium value ochre, brown and a little bit of orange. A tortillion comes in handy to spread the pastel sharply upward to capture the hair-like treetops. More to come.

New pastel painting: pond in Lillie Park, near Ann Arbor, MI. Soft pastel on Uart sanded paper. 10x13. See Marsh Madness and other available paintings for purchase at our Etsy store. #Uart #DakotaArtPastels #pastels #pond #marsh #water