Category Archives: pastel

February Featured Nature Art and Desktop Calendar: “Colorful”

"Colorful" desktop calendar, 1280 x 1024 for square and laptop monitors.

This painting is entitled “Colorful”, 11″ x 15″, done in soft pastel on self-prepared board with marble dust and gesso. This work was one of my new paintings for the 2015 Wings & Wildlife Art Show at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. “Colorful” is one of my favorite duck images on Chartiers Creek from my […]

#30PaintingsIn30Days Review, #30in30

January 2017 30 Paintings in 30 Days Gallery

Well, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do a painting for each of the 30 days, but I did 14 new paintings, and they were 14 ideas I’d been wanting to paint for a while, so I consider that a success, for me. I had five more planned, but things get in […]

Commissioned Portrait: Annie, the World’s Greatest Dog

When I painted Annie’s portrait I didn’t yet know that she was the world’s greatest dog, but I could tell she was sweet-tempered and good-humored, and she was very beautiful. Her commissioned portrait was a Christmas gift from wife to husband. I get a little choked up when my portraits are gifts, and as I […]

Rainy Violet Sunset, #30paintingsin30days, Day 22

Rainy Violet Sunset, pastel on black Canson paper, 9" x 12" © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I am participating in Leslie Saeta’s annual “30 in 30” painting challenge this month. This is my painting for day 22. I’m still tinkering with the title for this one because it’s also one of my Main Street paintings and I want to get “Main Street” in here somewhere. I have no idea when I […]

Tiffany and Rags, #30in30, Day 18

The painting for "Merriment, Mayhem and Meows".

This is a little confusing for me because I’m skipping book number 20 in this series, and this is the cover for book number 21. I’m counting the cover painting I did as part of my “30 Paintings in 30 Days” painting, for day 18, so up we go with these two kitties and their […]

Promises to Keep, #30in30, Day 16

"Promises to Keep", soft pastel on self-prepared board, 8 x 12 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I am participating in Leslie Saeta’s annual “30 in 30” painting challenge this month. This is my painting for day 16. This panting is named for the famous poem by Robert Frost, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, which was my first thought when I walked around a bend in the trail to see […]

Studio Morning Shift, #30in30, Day 15

"Studio Morning Shift", detail © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I am participating in Leslie Saeta’s annual “30 in 30” painting challenge this month. This is my painting for day 15, and it’s the first cat sketch I’ve done. I painted a number of portraits over the holidays so I moved to landscapes and other subjects first. I actually had a different image planned for […]

Sparkling Gems, #30in30 Day 12

Sparkling Gems, pastel on Strathmore charcoal. pastel paper, 12 x 16 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I am participating in Leslie Saeta’s annual “30 in 30” painting challenge this month. This is my painting for day 12. I have no idea why I chose to tackle this one today, except that after working on the water in yesterday’s little painting of a gull, the visualization I’ve had to do this painting […]

Observant Gull, #30in30 Day 11

Observant Gull pastel on gray fleck mi-tientes, 5 x 7 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I am participating in Leslie Saeta’s annual “30 in 30” painting challenge this month. This is my painting for day 11. What can you say about gulls that is unique, since this is pretty much what they do all day? I’ve done a few other gull paintings and intend to do a few more, but […]

Reflecting on Each Other, #30in30 Day 8

Reflecting on Each Other, pastel on tan Canson mi-tientes, 5 x 7 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I am participating in Leslie Saeta’s annual “30 in 30” painting challenge this month. This is my painting for day 8. At this angle I could see a little splash of orange on the Granny Smith and a few specks of green on the Clementine. The light on each of them, the shadows and shapes […]