I have been invited to teach a couple of pastel workshops this summer and I'm very excited at the prospect of sharing my love of pastels with others.
The first will be for the Livingston Art Group in Lakeville, NY, in the beautiful Finger Lakes. The date is July 28th. Please contact Sally Moses for more information at 585-243-3305.
The second will be on August 12th for the Coonley Ward Artist Community, in the "Gaslight Village" of Wyoming, NY. For more info, contact Diane at the Handyside Gallery in the Village of Wyoming.
If you are interested in attending either workshop be sure to contact them to register.
In both cases, I will discuss "everything pastel", give a demo and then give you dome time to try your hand at creating with pastels as well as answer your questions about the medium. Please bring any materials you need to work in pastels.
I am looking forward to these wonderful opportunities to demonstrate this terrific medium.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Buying Used Pastels
I belong to several art organizations here in Rochester where I have met many wonderful artists who work in all kinds of mediums. I was recently approached by another member artist and friend who decided that pastels were just not working out for her. She does amazingly tight colored pencil drawings which are much more controllable for her. As a result, she decided to sell her collection of pastel sticks and paper. Two other pastel artists and I met with her and purchased her stuff at a very reasonable price. Her pastels and paper were high quality Schminckes and Rembrandts. I really appreciated her contacting me, as I am sure I will use them and somehow, I can never have enough pastel colors!
The moral of the story: Pastels, unlike some mediums I have tried, are usable no matter how old they are. If you know about pastel prices and if you are looking to build your general color selection, you can find some real deals out there on some used sets. Once you have the chance to work with what you currently have, you can go to an art supply store and purchase the specific colors which you may decide that you need to fill in the holes in your collection.
Watch out, though! Getting just the "right" pastel color can be addicting. After all, I don't think any manufacturer has yet developed just the right shade of "winter marsh grass on a really sunny early winter morning on Lake Ontario" or the allusive "purply-bluish-gray with a little yellow on the underneath of that cloud in late October just before it gets really cold" color. Somehow, I always find myself having to make due with ochres, blues, violets and grays. I know that every day and every season brings changes in the scenery and to the colors out there. My palette can never keep up. Nevertheless, I keep trying to fill in the colors I am missing! It's a losing battle, I know. But it's still fun trying.
The moral of the story: Pastels, unlike some mediums I have tried, are usable no matter how old they are. If you know about pastel prices and if you are looking to build your general color selection, you can find some real deals out there on some used sets. Once you have the chance to work with what you currently have, you can go to an art supply store and purchase the specific colors which you may decide that you need to fill in the holes in your collection.
Watch out, though! Getting just the "right" pastel color can be addicting. After all, I don't think any manufacturer has yet developed just the right shade of "winter marsh grass on a really sunny early winter morning on Lake Ontario" or the allusive "purply-bluish-gray with a little yellow on the underneath of that cloud in late October just before it gets really cold" color. Somehow, I always find myself having to make due with ochres, blues, violets and grays. I know that every day and every season brings changes in the scenery and to the colors out there. My palette can never keep up. Nevertheless, I keep trying to fill in the colors I am missing! It's a losing battle, I know. But it's still fun trying.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hot Off the Presses! My Newsletter
I have recently developed a newsletter which I have emailed to anyone interested in what is happening with my art. If you would like to receive future editions, please send me an email and I will be sure that you name gets added to the mailing list. In the meantime, just click on this image and the current newsletter will come up full size.
Friday, January 9, 2009
The Results Are Finally In!!!
I've been trying out different paper and pastels and wanted to give you my opinions on them all.
PAPER
Uart paper in the 500 grit is too smooth a surface for me. It seems too regular. I like the slightly irregular texture of the Wallis paper more. The Uart paper also seemed to eat up pastels faster. Now, that being said, I do have a lot more experience with Wallis paper and I am very used to it, so maybe this is just a case of not being able to teach an old dog a new trick. I also really like the color of the Wallis Belgium Mist. The white Uart paper is difficult for me to deal with, so I will stick to the Wallis paper. In fact, I am going to trade my white Uart for some Belgium Mist Wallis with an artist who has problems dealing with the gray Wallis paper. It really is a matter of sticking with what works best for you.
PASTELS
I also had the chance to try the variety of different pastels which I bought .
To me, Unisons are about the same as the Mt. Visions that I love so much. As a result, I will stick with the Mt. Visions. I like the colors and texture (a little gritty from pumice in the pastel) of the Mt. Visions and the price is great.
Although I have tried them in the past, I just don't like Giraults. They feel too small and don't seem soft enough for me, (probably because I use a lot of Mt. Visions).
Rembrandts and Windsor Newtons are kind of unspectacular and chalky in the way they feel when I use them. They seem a bit hard.
I still like Senneliers for their softness. Unfortunately I have gotten some Senneliers that were inconsistent in texture in the past.
I also had the chance to try Terry Ludwigs for the first time. Although the colors were really nice, I don't care for the texture of them. They seemed to drag across the paper, rather than glide smoothly.
I didn't try the Henri Roches. The colors which I had (reds) are something I'd probably never use and will sell them instead.
However, the pastels that impressed me the most were the Great American Art Works. They are beautifully soft with amazing coverage and color saturation -truly buttery in feel. I really liked them and would love to get my hands on more of them if I can. They tend to be a bit pricey, but I usually buy only a couple at a time so I'll hope to add more of them to my collection over time.
PAPER
Uart paper in the 500 grit is too smooth a surface for me. It seems too regular. I like the slightly irregular texture of the Wallis paper more. The Uart paper also seemed to eat up pastels faster. Now, that being said, I do have a lot more experience with Wallis paper and I am very used to it, so maybe this is just a case of not being able to teach an old dog a new trick. I also really like the color of the Wallis Belgium Mist. The white Uart paper is difficult for me to deal with, so I will stick to the Wallis paper. In fact, I am going to trade my white Uart for some Belgium Mist Wallis with an artist who has problems dealing with the gray Wallis paper. It really is a matter of sticking with what works best for you.
PASTELS
I also had the chance to try the variety of different pastels which I bought .
To me, Unisons are about the same as the Mt. Visions that I love so much. As a result, I will stick with the Mt. Visions. I like the colors and texture (a little gritty from pumice in the pastel) of the Mt. Visions and the price is great.
Although I have tried them in the past, I just don't like Giraults. They feel too small and don't seem soft enough for me, (probably because I use a lot of Mt. Visions).
Rembrandts and Windsor Newtons are kind of unspectacular and chalky in the way they feel when I use them. They seem a bit hard.
I still like Senneliers for their softness. Unfortunately I have gotten some Senneliers that were inconsistent in texture in the past.
I also had the chance to try Terry Ludwigs for the first time. Although the colors were really nice, I don't care for the texture of them. They seemed to drag across the paper, rather than glide smoothly.
I didn't try the Henri Roches. The colors which I had (reds) are something I'd probably never use and will sell them instead.
However, the pastels that impressed me the most were the Great American Art Works. They are beautifully soft with amazing coverage and color saturation -truly buttery in feel. I really liked them and would love to get my hands on more of them if I can. They tend to be a bit pricey, but I usually buy only a couple at a time so I'll hope to add more of them to my collection over time.
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