Blog

I returned from the International Association of Pastel Societies Conference this week.  There are commissions to paint and workshops to prep for but I was itching to try out all of my new toys that I purchased at the trade show.   My peonies are in full glory in the garden so I figure the best part of being an artist is to paint when the spirit calls.  I used a piece of Kitty Wallis Belgian Mist with its lovely mottled streaks.  She sells the seconds at the trade show for a price that makes me load my suitcase as full as possible.  The seconds are slightly different in color and have irregularities that I love to incorporate into the work.  I laid in the painting using Pan Pastels in burnt umber using the thick foam applicator which felt like a large brush.  Then I broke out my new collection of Terry Ludwig pastels.  The pinks, yellows and blues that I purchased to paint the New Mexico landscape came in handy in describing the flower and the pot.  His popular Eggplant pastel was used to push the darks as deep as possible. 

I also saw two demos during the conference.  One with Lorenzo Chavez and one with Margaret Dyer.  I thought about what I had learned watching these two artists while I painted.  Lorenzo had this lyrical way of cutting into the dark shapes with the light.  I used that on the flower and the edge of the pot.  Margaret stressed a step by step lay in of values that was especially helpful when painting the patterned pot.

Ok, now on to commissions and workshop prep.