Category Archives: Skies

Sunset in the Field

Another attempt to capture a sunset scene over a corn field in late October. I used a warm underpainting for this one.

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Rainbow Bridge

Driving around our neck of the woods and came across a beautiful green field, probably winter wheat, bordered by a lovely line of autumn trees. So pretty.

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Last Sunset before Home

On our way home from the U.P. and we were treated to a gorgeous sunset. Welcome back!

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Sam’s Glee

This is less about the sky, although that’s important, than it is about Sam running freely down the beach. You can’t see him, but Nick is right behind. Maybe I’ll add Nick when I do a larger version of this one. For now, the contrast between skin and sand and sky are what made me want to try this one.

pastel study of a child running along the beach

Sam’s Glee (at beating his younger brother in a race on the beach), 5×8″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia. $75, unframed. Contact me to purchase.

Stormy Weather

This study is based on another picture looking out at the end of US-10 in Ludington, probably late fall. That’s the time of year when the sunsets are spectacular and the clouds fly low and dark at the end of the day. I’m really looking forward to being up there again, doing more clouds. This series has been an eye opener for me in a lot of ways.

First, I’ve discovered that I really like painting clouds, and the moodier they are the better I like them. Second, it’s good practice to be looking up all the time instead of down. Just gives you a better outlook on life, I think.

pastel painting of a sunset with low clouds

Stormy Weather, 5×8″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia. $75, unframed. Contact me to purchase.

Sunset Downtown

This study is from a picture I took while driving around downtown Ludington, not sure of the exact year but I know it was probably November. November is when you get the fiery sunsets reflected against heavy clouds rolling in over Lake Michigan. It’s awesome and dramatic, probably why I took the picture in the first place, although back then I wasn’t doing any painting at all. Just taking pictures for some nebulous future time when I’d have leisure to do something with them. Now I know that future time is the same as now time and if you’re going to do something, it’s best to do it now.

pastel painting of a sunset over a downtown intersection

Sunset Downtown, 5×8″ pastel on mi teintes Touch paper by Marie Marfia. $75, unframed. Contact me to purchase.

Behind the Treeline

This is a painting taken from a photo of clouds looming from beyond the trees on our way home from the beach one day. I wanted to leave some evidence of the original drawing in this study. I like my initial sketches and sometimes feel it’s a shame to cover them up!

pastel painting of tree line with clouds

Behind the Treeline, 5×8″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia. $75, unframed. Contact me to purchase.

Ol’ One Eye

This is a painting of the morning clouds from my yard. I decided to include the top of my neighbor’s house, the vent in the side of the house like an eye ball.

Ol’ One Eye, 8×5″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia. $75, unframed. Contact me to purchase.

Nick and Abby, Warm and Cool

I did these two studies while I was working at the Attic last weekend. I combined two different photos for the reference and then tried it twice, once on warm toned paper and once on a cool toned paper. Which do you like best?

child and dog on the beach on warm toned paper

Nick and Abby, warm, 5×8″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia. $75, unframed. Contact me to purchase.

Nick and Abby, Cool, 5×8″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia. $75, unframed. Contact me to purchase.

Noctilucent Clouds

This sky painting is based on pictures I saw on the National Geographic twitter feed, talking about noctilucent clouds, which aren’t visible this far south in Florida, but which I hope to see once I move back north to Michigan. I didn’t copy the pictures for this painting, but instead I tried to remember what the clouds looked like and devised a landscape from my head to match.

Noctilucent Clouds, 5×8″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia. $75, unframed. Contact me to purchase.