I had decided it was time for another ‘Close Look” blog. A number of possibilities came to mind but as I began preparing, I realized it was almost Remembrance Day. So it made sense to choose work related in some way to war. I began to recall pastel portraits I’d seen somewhere along the way,
It all started at a recent demo I did at my local Opus art supply store. The presentation was called “Use Colour Studies To Unleash New Possibilities in Your Paintings.” I took one subject and created four different colour studies. Each piece had two layers of pastel. The only thing that was different between the
PanPastels. This is a medium I’m not familiar with. Since I’ve had a number of people ask me for information on this product, I thought I’d search out someone who could tell you about it. I’ve also had other readers ask me to do a blog about wildlife painting. In my research, I came across
We’re almost two weeks into the 31-pastels-in-31-days Challenge (our 4th Annual!) and the HowToPastel Facebook group has been lit up with amazing work and wonderful encouragement between members. One of my ideas for this challenge has been to take a subject and work with it in various ways. (I did this last year and wrote
When I first saw pastel artwork by Jeanne Tangney, I had to slow down and really look. I was mesmerized by the quality of light, by the mood, by the solidity of objects taking up three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface, by the quality of edge work, by the subtlety of colour and value transitions.
I am deeply grateful to have participated in a Richard McKinley workshop on Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada. Richard McKinley, Pastel Society of America Master Pastelist and Hall of Fame Honoree, is renowned for his ability to teach. “He’s a great teacher” is the most common phrase I hear about this gentle, talented, and entertaining
While researching another project, I came across two paintings by Edgar Degas – one in oil, one in pastel – on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website. I was so taken by these pieces that I had to bring them to you! They have slightly different titles but are basically the same painting of a
We had a plan. I would go to Salt Spring Island for three days and I, along with my mum and dad, would go out to work en plein air every day. It had been sunny for weeks. I went to Salt Spring and the next morning…. it was cloudy. And cool. And grey. Really.
The International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) Convention that happens every two years in Albuquerque is a bit of heaven for a pastel artist. There are workshops and demos to attend, the temptations of the ‘candy store’ to succumb to, new pastellists to meet, and old friends to reconnect with. And I personally love demoing
Before every workshop I teach, I have students read a blog I did some time ago called the 14 Ways To Get The Most Out Of A Workshop. I ask each participant to choose one of the points that they know will be a struggle for them. At my most recent workshop (in Gibsons, BC,
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