Here is my newest addition to my soft pastel Amish Collection titled “Sarah in the Flower Field”.
In this painting, this young Amish girl is enjoying a peaceful moment gathering flowers while walking through a field of daisies.
After painting this piece, I had found that the daisy flower symbolizes innocence and purity, and also joy and cheerfulness. I believe this detail only adds to the beauty of the art itself. Also, Sarah’s serene look is captivating, and provides an overall sense of calm to the piece.
I believe this print would make a great gift for anyone that enjoys visiting Amish Country or for someone who collects amish themed items. Also, a great piece for someone that likes art that calms the soul. She is now on my Etsy site here : https://www.etsy.com/listing/1429005176/amish-print-of-pastel-painting-sarah
Again, I have completed yet another amish themed painting. In this painting, a young, Amish woman is taking in the beauty of the warm,sunset glow of the skies at the end of a long, summer’s day. One can almost hear the crickets chirping and cicadas still singing their songs before the sky turns dark here. The soft sounds and warm breeze just bring peace to the soul. This woman’s face reflects this.
I love the peaceful feeling I get when I am painting these scenes. I never tire of it. I hope you like this one too! Can’t wait to do another! :)))
I love the soft, orangey glow reflecting off her cap and dress
Hello everyone, hope you are all well. Ive been on the mend as I had Covid a week or two ago and it was a little tougher than I thought it would be.
Anyway, I’m back and finally finished this painting, just before I got sick actually. It took this long to put it up! I really like the way this painting came out too. The colors are easy on the eye, with a simple, uncluttered background. The focus is right on David…and those beautiful blue eyes. He has a very determined, but gentle look on his face as he tends to the one of many animals on his farm. This is on my Etsy shop now.
Also, I wanted to show you that I am almost finished with Mary-Ellen Walton. I just have to finish her hat! I would love to paint a picture of the Walton House with a light on in the window like on the show. I will let you know if I ever attempt that. But I will try to paint more I promise. Stay safe and check back soon. Enjoy!
Hello! I finally did it. Three paintings completed, finally! I am so happy I accomplished this and really happy with all of these.
The two new Amish paintings were a lot of fun, especially trying the landscape painting, which I haven’t painted too many of. But what I thought was going to be “impressionistic” and simple, of course for me…turned out to be more of a perfectionistic approach. I can never seem to just throw the color on the paper and go with the flow, which I really want to try! But anyway, I’m very happy with the colors and the feel of the painting, since my photo (which I took on one of my trips down to Lancaster) was very dull colored. This came out really warm.
“The New Puppy” was also a lot of fun, but always a challenge trying to keep the focus on the amish boy and girl with the puppy, and not the background. I had to stop myself! I added the flowers in the girls hands to look like she had just picked them from the field, then decided to stop over to see her brother and his new companion. I just like the serene feeling to this painting.
And then there’s little Elizabeth Walton! This was really for fun and because I love the Walton’s Show so much. She is so cute! I wanted it to look like the scene from “The Homecoming” when she is standing beside the Christmas tree as Mary Ellen is calling her names. I tried my best to look like she had raised eyebrows as she defends herself.
Anyway, I hope you like them and the Amish ones are now on Etsy, and Elizabeth will be on there soon! Stay Safe!
I just completed a new amish painting which I titled, “Anna Mary”. I believe that this painting is beautiful in it’s simplicity. I wanted the real focus to be on the little, amish girl’s face, and I think that’s what draws you in to this painting.
This painting came about from a memory we had on a past trip to Lancaster, Pa. My husband and I were driving down a back road in Amish country when this little, amish girl came running out to the road. Then peeking behind a pole, she waved to as we drove by. I just decided to paint her peeking from a barn door for more interest. I hope you like her.
The other Amish painting “Nature’s Grace” is of an amish girl resting on a rock on a creek, dipping her toes in the water enjoying the beauty of nature all around her. I just love the peaceful look on her face and the subtle glow from the subdued sunlight. I hope you like them.
Also, I completed “Gilbert Blythe/Jonathan Crombie” from Anne of Green Gables. I had already done a portrait of Anne, but people kept asking me if I would ever do Gilbert (if you are familiar with the movie, which is awesome). And so I painted Gilbert. Now Anne will never have to be alone!
Also… here is another old seaman portrait painting. I just love painting these rough, old faces with wrinkles and ruddy complexions, faces that tell a story of life on the sea. I love that!
And finally, a portrait profile of my daughter’s new dog. His name is Oliver and he is a German Shepard/Great Dane mix, which gave him this beautiful spotted coat of gray and white and hints of brown. He has a strange dark spot under his iris under one eye and so I painted that side. A beautiful dog indeed, and I painted him on velour, which gave a very soft effect.
Well that’s it for now…I have been busy…but back to the drawing board! Enjoy!
Anna Mary“Nature’s Grace”Gilbert Blythe/ Jonathan CrombieOld SailorOliver
It has been way too long for me not to post, and again, I’m sorry. With the voting crisis, Christmas and it’s craziness, and all that’s going on with the news everyday, it has just made me somewhat numb. They say “the woman that works with her hands, her head and her heart is an artist.” I tend to agree. I get too caught up in with what’s going on around me, that I can’t settle down..I can’t get my creative “flow” going. All the bad news just “breaks my spirit”. And therefore, I can’t seem to paint.
I had tried to play quiet music, read inspirational books, and even to meditate, to no avail. I still could not find it in myself to just sit down and paint. I found every excuse not to do so. I even had asked my husband if it even mattered anymore…to paint. He told me, “Yes, it does matter… your paintings make people feel good”. That thought had stayed with me, and finally changed my mind. I somehow found the energy and focus to paint again. I told myself I was just going to finish this one. Just start again! This painting of the amish girl by the window had been upstairs unfinished for so long.
But here she is, and I think the title of this is perfect, especially with what’s happening today in the world. We just need to calm down, step back and take a breather. I think we need to do for ourselves, what we have to do..to renew and refresh. Start over, think differently.
Anyway, I wish you all good and better things this year, 2021. I pray it will be a much better and safer new year. Hope you enjoy “Contemplation”. Stay safe. Cheryl
I know I haven’t posted in awhile, but I’m still trying my hardest to keep up with the painting. Having some more issues with pastels, I believe, and hoping I’m not allergic to them, as I just love that medium to work with. But for now, I have two to share. One is a little, Amish boy with a baby calf. It’s springtime at the farm, and he is enjoying the new addition to the farm. This painting is titled “Finding The Calf”.
The other Amish one is in the beginning stages of an amish girl daydreaming as she looks out her kitchen window. I have always wanted to do a painting with the reflections of light coming in from a window, so I am going to add many highlights on her edges of clothing to portray that. I can’t wait to see this one completed. I will share when I do.
Enjoy and hope to get more paintings out there soon! Stay safe!
Well, I have the beginnings of a new Amish painting I am very excited about. This one is going to be an Amish girl, possibly in her kitchen, taking a break from baking and looking out the window. This one will be tricky though as I want the focus on the girl’s face, with that daydreaming stare.
I am thinking that she will be surrounded in dark browns, with the white light coming through the window. Ahhhh, like I said, it will be kind of tricky, but I will go forth!
I had also wanted to show you the completed painting of the amish boy with the calf, but I am not really happy with the way it came out. I would look at it over and over, and I just didn’t get the feeling I have had with all the others. So please bear with me, as I may do it over, or I just might share it to see what you think. I will try some things with it in the next day or so.
But I hope you like the beginnings of this painting and I am so excited….I will tread carefully with this one! Thank you and check back. Stay safe!
Hello again. I promised I would bring you sketches and here they are. Â There are 4 here that I am currently working on….and I want to paint them all NOW! I am excited about painting each of them, envisioning what I want the finished pieces to look like, and actually seeing what they will become. Â So exciting!
The one I am working on presently, and actually have more done than what is shown here, is the little Amish boy with the calf. The background is going to be tricky, as I want color and interest, but don’t want to take away interest from the  connection between the boy and the calf. We will see.
I also have a little girl peeking from behind..hmmm…something. A fence post outside? Around a barn door? The door to her house? So many decisions…and I just want to paint!
Another one here is an older girl in thought…in a kitchen after baking? In a field of flowers? By a buggy, maybe?
And lastly, the little amish girl with the butterfly that rests near her feet. What is the background? On a haystack…on a rock in the garden? The colors…I have to make sure the colors all go together! This is what takes the time…but it is all worth it in the end. Let’s see what happens with each of these. If you have any ideas, please give some insight. Thank you!
Anyway, I will try and share what I have done in several days with the Amish boy and the calf. Please check back. Take care!
P.s. On a sad note…several days ago I heard that N.A. Noel, an artist and beautiful painter of many subjects,  especially Amish and angels, passed away. I was so saddened by this news as she had been an inspiration for my paintings since I saw an amish painting my mother placed above the mantle in our living room years ago. Just to think  how much that  made such an impression on me back then! She was a beautiful person and exceptional artist.  Please check out her paintings when you can. Thank you.
I finally finished this Amish themed pastel painting titled, “At Day’s End”. I must say, this took me awhile, with a lot of fixing and erasing! But I made it!
With this painting, I wanted to portray an Amish girl lost in her thoughts, at the end of a busy day. At this moment, she is enjoying the quiet and gathering wildflowers as the day turns to dusk. What could she be thinking? What will tomorrow bring, perhaps? I hope you like her.
I added the farm in the background and the quilt for added interest.
Cherylmcnulty's Blog 