Canson Paper

The other day I went out to paint, but wanted to do something larger than the 12"x18" sheets of Wallis paper I've been doing lately. I took a sheet of gray Canson paper, taped it to my board and off I went.

It was a hot night, so I headed up to the beach with a couple of my kids. I set up on the sand and went to work.

I was immediately struck by how smooth the surface of the paper was. Now I have been using Wallis paper exclusively for over 3 years and am very used to the toothiness of it. This was very different. I was unable to put layer on top of layer like I do with the Wallis. In fact, as I tried to apply more and more layers on top of the first ones, I noticed that the pastel stick was actually rubbing the first layers off into a pile on my easel tray! This wasn't making me happy. Pastels are a very expensive medium to use. One of the most expensive, as a matter of fact. The idea of having the pastel just turn into dust which will be wiped away is very unappealing to me. I tend to be very thrifty.

I continued to work the painting, however and after a while, noticed that the smoothness of the paper caused the painting to look very soft and smooth, too. I've noticed that sometimes with the Wallis, drawn lines can appear very defined since the paper tends to hold whatever is put onto it. It's also easy to put down very stong lines with Wallis, but the smoothness of the Canson make that more difficult since the pastel sort of skates across the surface instead of being ground right into it.

I ultimately liked the way the painting came out and will post a photo of it. I am also planning to try using the watercolor paper again to see if I can use that again with landscape. After all, I still have about half a case of the stuff laying around.

Paper

I have used three kinds of paper since I have been working with pastel.

The first was a rough, heavy-weight(300lb.) Arches watercolor paper. I had just taken a class in watercolor painting and had bought a case of the stuff. Thankfully, the lady who taught the pastel portrait class I took after that used watercolor paper for her pastel portraits. The paper really has a good tooth and does take some abuse since it's so heavy. The one thing I didn't care for was that the texture seemed a bit too rough and was a bit obvious after the painting was done.

The second was Canson Mi Tientes. I originally used it when drawing and doing portraits in colored pencil, and later as I moved into using pastel pencil. One side is relatively smooth with a tooth which worked well for layering in the harder colored pencil and pastel pencils. However, the other side has a very regular texture which reminded me of little holes. This side never worked for me, as I always wanted to fill in those little holes with pigment. I tend to think most artist either loved that side and made it work to their advantage or hated it. I hated it and always used the smooth side. Luckily, it's pretty easy to determine which side is which.

The third paper and the one I have used the longest is Wallis paper. Made by pastel artist Kitty Wallis, it is, in my opinion, the perfect pastel paper. It come in two grades: "Museum" and "Professional". Honestly I just use the cheaper of the two. It also come in two colors: Belgium Mist which is a neutral gray and antique white. I prefer the Belgium Mist as the little flecks of white paper which show through when I paint make me crazy. The wonderful thing about Wallis paper is the tooth. It has a sanded surface and holds up to 25 layers of pastel according to the manufacturer, one on top of the other. It's very tough stuff. I have used an alcohol wash to liquify the pastel at times and the paper never buckled. I have also used the paper over again. After I do a less than great painting, I use a cheap bristle house-painting brush to brush off the pastel dust from a bad painting and use the paper over again as if for the first time. I actually like to do that because it leaves the paper toned with a ghost image on it.

How I Became Who I Am

First, I have always been an artist. It is the thing that most describes who I am and it has been for as long as I have existed. I have always expressed myself in some creative way. It's not a way to get attention, as some "artists" do, it is a part of the very core of my being. I love to draw and really, need to draw. It challenges me, helps me to focus, gives my soul a place to rest and gives me insight into the world around me. It is so deep that it's really hard to explain.

I love nature. I am fascinated by the natural world and this is a deep part of who I am also.

Put the two together and you wind up with me: an artist who loves to create outdoors or simply put; a plein air painter.

In October of 1996, when my youngest daughter was 4 months old, my mother-in-law came to live with us for several months. She had broken her wrist and wasn't able to live on her own until it healed. During that time, frankly, she drove me nuts. She was a great lady, but very opinionated and not always tolerant. I was trying to manage with the craziness of a young family. We had 3 young kids: a 4 month old, a 3 year old and a 4 year old. My husband is self-employed. To say it was somewhat chaotic would be an understatement.

My wonderful husband, Dave, must have sensed that I really needed a break and signed me up for a portrait class at the Creative Workshop at the Memorial Art Gallery here in Rochester. I went and loved it, continuing to take classes with the instructor, Sari Gaby at her studio. I started doing by portraits in colored pencil, eventually moving on to pastel pencils and finally on to soft pastel. Sari was sponsoring a plein air workshop by noted painters, Albert Handell and wife Anita Louise West. I decided to take it. During the workshop, I learned so much about pastel, color and values, but mostly, I experienced painting en plein air for the first time.

While at the workshop, I heard about a group of Rochester-based painters who were getting together for an international paint-out for the first time. It was the first of what would become an annual event and it was the beginning of my association with the Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters, an amazing group of talented and supportive artists lead by organizer and human dynamo, Barbara Jablonski. GVPAP holds paint-outs throughout the year and I try to attend as many as I can. The comraderie can't be beat and the chance to paint outdoors with a group of such talented painters is terrific.

After painting a couple of years I felt that my work had not been advancing and that I was beginning to stagnate. I needed something to push me to the next level artistically.

My friend and fellow plein air artist, Chris O'Handley, suggested that we consider going to a workshop given by Marc Hanson, an artist whose work we both admired. This was no small feat for me as the workshop was in Michigan and I live in upstate New York. The idea of leaving my family for over a week was terrifying for me. Never the less, we did go and it proved to be a fantastic experience. I learned so much at the workshop and the experience of going someplace I'd never been before was really enlightening and fun. I hated to come home. After getting back and figuring out how to use the new information I learned, I painted more than I ever had and the results were better than I ever expected. My work took a huge leap forward.

Right now I just try to get out as often as life will let me.

I truly love to paint outside. I never use photographs because they seem so lifeless and it's the experience of being in a place that I re-create, not just the image. I believe my need to paint and love of the world around me comes together perfectly as I attempt to re-create what I see. I think of it as being like meditation. It feeds my soul. In fact even now, when I am crabby, my husband often says, "Why don't you go out and paint?" I think he understands.