Blue Plum by Ria Hills

Blue Plum
7 x 7 unframed pastel painting

I've been working on preparing a video demonstration for an upcoming show. This is the first painting that I've filmed.  What’s funny is that although I was alone during the process I felt like I was under pressure.

My blog post where you can view the video- http://riahills.com/plum-painting-video-demo

contact me - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Orange Segment

5" x 7" pastel painting

I always come back to painting food art. A fresh, juicy orange is not only delicious to eat. It's also delicious to paint because of the colors. I was surprised how my palette changed with this piece. Finding the right color to portray the nuances of orange was the biggest challenge.

My hope is that you'll want to eat an orange after seeing this!

My blog - http://riahills.com/orange-segment/
email - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

3 tomatoes by Ria Hills

6.50″ x 8″ unframed pastel

I wasn't sure what to paint yesterday so I went through my photo files. The reference photo is an old one which I cropped and re-cropped and finally came up with this composition which I just love. My favorite part is the stem area. I stretched the small leaves to make them pop a bit.

Spring is almost here and I’m really looking forward to fresh tomatoes from the garden!

My blog and purchasing info- http://riahills.com/3-tomatoes/
on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/RiaHillsPastelArt
contact me - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Staged Strawberries by Ria Hills

7" x 7" pastel painting 

unframed

These strawberries were originally painted for a start-up business but the project died. I'm happy to be able to finally share this piece. There were many strawberries that applied for the modeling job, some were consumed, including these little guys.

The painting can be cropped to 5" x 7".
For purchasing information please visit my blog.
contact me

NEWS: The Pastel Journal Magazine article which features my food art as well as the paintings of Lisa Ober and Karen Howard is available. Thanks to Anne Hevener for thinking of me!

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

pink frosted cupcake by Ria Hills

6" x 6" pastel painting 

surface: pastelbord, unframed

This reference for this cupcake painting is a photo I used for the most recent Shoot and Paint art challenge. If you are a painter we would love to see your version! The photo will be available at ShootandPaint on December 1st.
It's been more than a month since my last finished small works painting. I've missed it and I'm continually trying to schedule better than in the past. The good news is that I have a few commissioned paintings to work on and just finished a painting for an Apocalypse theme show which was so much fun!

For more information please visit my blog - http://dailypaintings.riahills.com/
Ria Hills

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

crumpled paper by Ria Hills

5" x 7" pastel painting 

unframed

I'm addicted! I've crumpled all the index cards in the house and I need to get more. I just love the shapes and folds that they create but I have yet to make the perfect one. Each one is uniquely different.
My daughter is an origami wizard and I was thinking of taking a quick "course" in folding although I would prefer to have my shapes be more organic.

 purchasing info - http://dailypaintings.riahills.com/2012/09/crumpled-paper-2.html
rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

lotus flower pastel painting

11" x 8" pastel painting 

unframed

One of my favorite flowers is the lotus.

For purchasing information please visit my blog.

Ria Hills / rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

fruits of the garden by Ria Hills

pastel painting

NFS

This is an older painting of vegetables which I had grown in my garden.
I've been busy with my father these days who is going downhill health wise. Because of this I haven't had as much time to paint. I used the photo reference for the February Shoot and Paint art challenge.
Check it out! We already have some great submissions. Artists - come join us. . it's free.

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Corgi dog portrait by Ria Hills

11" x 13"  pastel painting of a Corgi

SOLD

This was a commissioned painting that was completed just in time for christmas. The buyer had it painted for his wife and she loved it!

Another fun painting. If you are interested in commissioning a pet portrait you can visit my other website Pastel Pup for more information.

My blog with other paintings for sale.
contact me
~ Ria Hills

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

A Day in the Life by Ria Hills

"A Day in the Life"

5 x 7 pastel painting (unframed)

You should see my clothing at the end of the day! The plus side to using pastels is that they wash out. I painted this in response to an art challenge at dailypaintworks.com. And yes. . it's my hand.

For more information and to purchase please visit my blog.
email me - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Salt Marsh by Ria Hills

8" x 11" pastel painting (unframed)

surface - Wallis sanded pastel paper

Last week my husband and I took a day trip to Cape Cod. What an amazing day which included alone time together, 2 great meals and best of all visits to the various boardwalks at the salt marshes along the coast.
The photo which I used for a reference was taken from the Sandwich, MA boardwalk. There was a slight drizzle of rain for most of the day which enhanced the colors.

Artists! If you haven't checked out the new blog http://shootandpaint.blogspot.com/ please join us in our challenge!

for purchasing info please visit my blog

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Lonely Pear Painting giveaway

5" x 7" daily pastel painting  (matted and unframed) 

surface - pastel board

I'm giving away a painting for the week of Oct.15th through Oct. 22nd. If you leave a comment on this blog post, you'll be automatically entered to win this Lonely Pear pastel painting. If you haven't already, you will also be subscribed to my newsletter which you can undo at any time, although I hope you'll give it a try.

Visit my blog for your chance to win this painting!
contact me rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Painting Challenge by Ria Hills

I started a new art challenge with my friend Pamela.

We'd love to have you join us!

Please visit us here - http://shootandpaint.blogspot.com/

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Shades of Spring, 3 in one pastel paintings auction

click for larger view

6"x 6" Daffodil ,  4"x 7" Early Tulip,  6"x 6" First Crocus

 3 pastel paintings, frames not included

Spring passes so quickly as do the first flowers of the season. If you have the perfect spot in mind for this group of paintings visit the link below and place a bid!
Looking for a specific theme for a grouping of art? Email me with your thoughts . . . I take commissioned work as well.

auction at Daily PaintWorks

Click here to view the auction at DailyPaintWorks.

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

three marble paintings auction - Ria Hills

click for larger view

sample framing

6"x 6" Six Marbles
7"x 7" Mason Jar
7"x 7" Three Marbles

 pastel paintings, frames not included

Sometimes you'd rather buy a large painting for that empty wall you've been looking at but large pieces of art can be expensive. By placing three relatively small works together you save money and have a great looking collection!

Click here to view the auction at DailyPaintWorks.

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

'Far Nieinte, Oakville, CA"  10" x  3.75"  pastel painting

Far Niente winery owns 5 vineyards. According to the description on their website this view is part of their John C. Sullenger Vineyard which covers 42 acres. Their wine prices are a bit out of my range but I hear they make exceptional wine.
As far as the painting - I wanted to abstract this scene considering the limited view. I'm pleased with the feel of it.My husband is away on business in northern Washington state and has been photographing vineyards for me. He's been taking some up-close shots which I can not get through Google street views. I'm very excited to see and paint them!

To browse the Google street view for this scene please visit my Vineyards blog - http://paintedvineyards.riahills.com/

For purchasing info go to http://dailypaintings.riahills.com/

contact me - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Via Scopeti, Italy

'Via Scopeti, San Casciano in Val di Pesa Florence, Italia"
 10" x  3"  pastel painting

I love the rows of cypress trees!

The buildings on the horizon and the vineyards are part of the Villa Mangiacane. The review at Google stated "At the heart of an estate that reigns over 300 hectares of vineyard, olive groves and majestic Tuscan forest, in the famed winemaking region of Chianto Classico."

For more details and the reference I used from Google street view please visit my new blog - http://paintedvineyards.riahills.com/

contact me - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

Henry Road in Napa

"Henry Road"
Artesa Vineyards & Winery, Napa CA
7.50" x 9"  pastel painting

I lived in Berkeley, CA in the 70's and loved it. Driving through Napa Valley seemed magical . . . there were many places in California that felt magical. The terrain is so beautiful in spots. As far as I know it's the closest place in the US where one will experience a similar beauty to France and Italy. Someone I know who is french told me that and I agreed once I started driving around France in Google's 'street view'. Traveling has never been a huge priority for me but I recently started a list of places to go and France and Italy are at the top. Actually they are the only ones on the list!

Be sure to visit my new blog of Painted Vineyards! It's my new project and I include the Google 'street view' of the reference for the painting.


My daily painting blog - http://riahills.blogspot.com
contact me - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

vineyard by the sea

'La Mare Wine Estate' Saint Mary, United Kingdom
10.25" x 2.75" daily pastel painting

Vineyards are my favorite landscape scenes. I suppose farms would come next. It's the rows of the plants that captures me. And this one is by the sea, another favorite place although I haven't been to the ocean in quite some time. It's only a little over 1/2 an hours drive but I'm lazy.
This piece was painted in response to the Virtual Paintout challenge. The reference image was found on Google maps on the island of Jersey which sits off the coast of Normandy, France and southern Great Britain. If you want to see a beautifully landscaped island with some amazing architecture, this is one to check out!

For purchasing info please visit my blog - http://riahills.blogspot.com
contact me - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.

last hurrah by Ria Hills

6" x 6" daily pastel painting

unframed

This onion's final moment of glory before I chopped it up and threw it in the pan for stir fry.
Another 'paint from life' challenge completed for DailyPaintWorks. I really enjoy on-line challenges when I struggle with thinking of a subject to paint.


Read more . . . 
contact me - rh@riahills.com

Discover Pastel Art,Pastel Paintings,Paintings in Oil Pastels as International Pastel Artists post daily their newest artwork. Sign up to receive free our daily posts of Pastel Art in your email. Fill in your email in the left column where it says FOLLOW US!.