The end of another month has rolled around and it’s time to inspire you with January’s Pastel Delights!
As always, the decisions were TOUGH, maybe even more so because of the 3/5 challenges being posted on various pastel Facebook groups over the past month. In case you are unfamiliar with this challenge, it means a nominated artist posts three paintings a day for five days. So you can see that there was even more work than normal to view and then choose from. I began with over 50 choices! Some got dropped because I didn’t have all the info necessary (that made it somewhat easier although there were a few choices I hated to lose!). Once I got the pool of images down to 20, it took me quite a bit of time, of rotating through the images again and again, to whittle the choice down to the mandatory 10 (it was almost 11 this time!).
My choices are totally subjective. Some artists are well known, some emerging. I chose the pieces that made me look and look again, and that made some part of my being vibrate.
So, enough talking, let’s get on with the show.
I was absolutely charmed by this pastel of a young girl. I love the way Alain captured her sweet expression and the many colours in her skin. I also like his technique of blocking in the dress and the headdress (vegetation of some sort? makes me think of corn). The background is very simple and uses some of the colours from her skin and hair (purples and dark browns). Click here to see more of Alain’s work.
Alan is well known for his work portraying the French Quarter of New Orleans which he has been painting for 50 years. This pastel is of the St Louis Cathedral, a subject he has painted many times. In this version, Alan manages to capture both the architecture of the place and the mood of the approaching evening, when the sky is still light but the warm lights have come on. The light is reflected in the wet pavement and the lights themselves are haloed by the damp air. The sky gives the feeling both of heavy clouds and sheets of rain. See more of Alan’s work at his website.
I was totally taken with this piece when I saw it. Like Joan Eardley’s pastels of tenement kids, this pastel has a wonderful immediacy and energy. I love the colours and the blocky application of pastel used to describe a young girl in motion. Click here to see more of Corry’s work.
A beautiful rendering of rocks and look at the many colours that Diane used! The colours appear mostly in the areas of reflected light and areas of rock that face outward but are not directly hit by the sun. And look at the way she creates the same effect in the distant set of rocks but with values closer together, simpler shapes and greyed colours. The whole is a wonderful study of lights and darks and of shape patterns. This is a great example of how understanding values can open the door to colour! (And, be truthful, would you have thought of painting a pile of rocks?) See more of Diane’s work here.
When you’re demoing in front of a class or an audience, you’re under time pressure to produce work that you can feel good about and that teaches those who are watching something about pastels and how they work. When I saw this piece, I was appreciative of it as a demo but also as a completed work. There is a wonderful sense of light, of movement, of things (weather, light, people) changing, of place, of a mood. Interestingly, Dori’s colour choices remind me of those of Diane’s above. Check out Dori’s website for more of her work.
Just sea and sky, this evocative pastel gives me a feeling of being there. I can almost smell the sea, feel the salty air, hear the waves and perhaps even a distant roll of thunder. Jennifer used a simple complimentary colour scheme of yellow and purple effectively that’s for sure. There’s something about the colours and energy and line in this piece that remind me of Sargent’s watercolours.
I was totally beguiled by this piece what more can I say? It has a magical quality about it. Is it of this world or another reality? I find myself wanting to be there, and wondering where ‘there’ is. You can see more of Lysiane’s work here.
Although this painting shows the destruction done by beavers, because of the sombre quality of the work, I can’t help but see it as a metaphor for a larger destruction. Nature’s destruction is one thing but that of human’s is devastating. A difficult subject of water, field and lots of things sticking out of the water, I’m rather in awe of Marc’s ability to capture it. Like Jennifer above, Marc successfully uses a simple colour scheme of compliments – this time blue and orange. You can see more of his work on his website.
The warm glow of this iconic painting belies the sense of a house abandoned. The house remains beautiful in its form even though it is no longer inhabited. I love Marie’s simple design and how she has elevated a particular house to represent the touchstone of ‘house’. The work reminds me of Bill Creevy’s skill with composition, texture, and colour. To achieve the texture, Marie primed gatorbord with a couple of coats of gesso and a couple of coats of pastel gel medium. (The pattern of brush stroke may be random or basket-weave as it is here.) She coated the entire thing with an orange acrylic wash before starting in with soft pastels. Click here to see more of Marie’s work.
I was rather taken aback when I saw this pastel. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or disliked it. But one thing was for sure, it got my attention! Over the last little while, it’s grown on me. I’m fascinated by the juxtaposition of the sort of sickly sweet colours used for the human form, the rather awkward position of the hands, the terrific drawing skill and the rough application of saturated blocks of colour in the background that interrupts the body’s boundaries to the bottom of the page. I couldn’t find a website for Stacey but you can find more of her work on her Facebook Page.
~~~
So that’s it for another month. I have presented you with my choices, pieces that spoke to me. Such incredible talent and variety of styles out there don’t you think?
I would LOVE to hear what you think of my pastel delights! Please leave a comment and let’s get a conversation going!
I sure do appreciate your company 🙂
Until next time,
~ Gail
12 thoughts on “January’s Pastel Delights!”
What a wonderful surprise to find these luscious paintings that you have chosen! And many of these artists were unknown to me until today. Thank you!
I am so glad to have helped you discover some more amazing artists. And so glad also that I gave you a wonderful surprise 🙂
Your January choices are so inspiring. I love that you include links to artist’s websites where possible. Thank you so much for ferreting out such wonderful paintings. What a big job! Carol
Glad you are inspired Carol! It is a big job but I get much pleasure in being able to promote these fabulous artists!
Hi Gail – just wanted to let you know how special it was for me to have you select my piece for your January top ten. I was especially thrilled to be compared to bill Creevy. He has been one of my pastel heros for a long time!! Thanks again. Marie
It’s my pleasure Marie – your piece is wonderful!!
Gail, I am honored to be selected with such talent here! What a lovely blog you have devoted to pastel. Thank you very much–I delighted my painting moved you! Sargent is one of my faves and I’m so flattered my work could be likened to one of his! many thanks, Jennifer
Your painting is beautiful Jennifer and so a real pleasure to include. Glad you like my blog. I hope you have subscribed 🙂
thank you so much for showing my work Gail, I am honored.
Love the other choices very much, and your work too! Thank you for sharing my work. Love from Holland, Corry
Corry, fabulous piece which deserved to be included!! Love your work and so happy this piece made the final cut (others have been oh so close!).
Loved your choices, Gail! Thanks for an inspiring set of paintings.
You are most welcome. Glad you enjoyed the. It’s a real task to cut the total to ten but really, pretty enjoyable to look at so much wonderful art!