Karen margulis pastel

'Into the Tall Grass' 11x14 pastel ©Karen Margulis sold "To interpret what we see before us, to distill its es...

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'Discovery' 9x12 pastel over oil stain ©Karen Margulis available $165 It is so easy to paint stiff gra...

'Island Oasis' 9x18 pastel ©Karen Margulis available $165 It is so tempting but I have to resist. I have to remind myself that when painting a landscape my goal is to paint my impression of the scene and not to make a photographic copy. I don't have to paint every leaf on the tree for the viewer to know it is a tree. It isn't always easy though. Once the pastel is in my hand and I start painting the tree or shrub it is hard to know when to stop. How many leaves are really necessary and how…

'Autumn Warm Up' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis sold Which comes first, the sky or the land? Do I choose the sky color and key the land to fit? Do I paint the land and then choose a sky color to work with the land? When working from photos I have the freedom to interpret the landscape however I see fit. I could make it sunny or perhaps I want a moody feeling. This is why I like bad reference photos. Bad reference photos give me permission to make changes. A bad reference photo often has problem…

'On a Winter's Day' 8x10 pastel ©Karen Margulis $145 Etsy shop painted with the Richard McKinley Great American ...

Pawley Impression' 5x7 pastel ©Karen Margulis

'Pawley's Pleasure' 12x18 pastel ©Karen Margulis sold Water and Grass....two things that can be a landscape challenge. In my classes this week we have been working on water. Specifically water that winds through a marsh. You know...those creeks that run through the marshes, some deep and some shallow but all interesting and challenging! But I realized that we can't do a good job with the water without dealing with the surrounding grasses! How much grass should we paint? How many blades of…

Karen Margulis