A Calling of the Heart - pastel seascape

A Calling of the Heart (16 x 20 dry pastel) sold

My heart is visiting Bandon, Oregon, so I thought I would share this earlier seascape I painted from the magnificent beaches there. I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday weekend.

Lazy Painting!

Camano Highlights (pastel 6" x 8") sold

Feeling really lazy, I was going for the fewest strokes possible to make this painting believable. The strong colors may have been my saving grace in this one because if you click the image to enlarge it, you can see just how lazy I was.

Study of Sam, from oils to pastels

Sam, a study (oil 8 x 10) available on Etsy

Traditionally, pastels were used as studies for oil paintings. I often like to use oil paintings as studies for my pastel paintings and this one of "Sam" (named in honor of  Sam-Dolman, painter) is no exception. I still have a few refinements to make to the pastel painting which is larger and longer (12 x 24).

I really enjoy the process of working on a study. I know there are lots of things I can work out in Photoshop (I love Photoshop) but there are some things that can only happen, for me anyway, while working at the easel. Doing a study gives me a chance to really study and experiment on a particular subject in the painting without the fear of wearing out the paper or canvas.

Oh, those lovely Colors!

Turvy - crop (5 x 7 pastel) sold

When an artist uses colors correctly, it makes our eyes yearn to view the image again and again. It’s addictive. Suzanne Berry’s painting, "Ciree" is such a fine example of the skilled use of color!

Biscuit is often referred to as a black and white cat. Ha! I am pretty certain I have used nearly every color in my pastel box to get all the colors in her fur correctly represented. There is not much restraint here as I start pouring them onto one of my favorite pastel papers; Sennelier La Carte.

Once the patches of color are established with Unison and Diane Townsend pastels, I use NuPastels to blend them together and to define the fur. I don’t want to overdo the blending process; otherwise the colors will turn muddy and lose their sparkle. Eventually, I work over the entire painting, defining shapes, adjusting value and color as needed.

I will intentionally leave some of the edges undone and fuzzy to give the viewer’s eyes some resting spots and to allow her to participate in filling in the blanks. I also add a few token hairs and/or whiskers to give the “feel” of fur without actually putting in every hair. Each painting tends to dictate just how much detail is required to make the story believable. I err on the side of less is better.

This is the uncropped version of the painting:

Purrs, Sandy.

Seascape Pastel Tutorial you can Download

Whidbey Island Life 

I find it an honor that other artists have sought to gain some insight into the way I work either through watching my videos on youtube or by emailing me and seeking my advice.

It is because of these inquires that I have put together a downloadable step-by-step tutorial for painting a seascape in pastels.

This tutorial is:

• I apologize but this tutorial is no longer available.

Cat Pastel Painting - A Reason for the Sun

A Reason for the Sun (pastel, 8 x 14 sold)

Biscuit is my constant studio companion and never ceases to be inspiration for me at the easel. It is more than her external beauty. It is much more than what you see with her long flowing mane and those beautiful sun-catching eyes of hers. It is really much more than that. She has the sweetest, kindest, most generous little personality I have ever encountered in an animal. She has made an appearance in The Pastel Journal four times and I have lost count of how many times I have painted her. I wonder if there is a spot for her in the Guinness World Records. Hmmm....

Winter Tulip Crew

Winter Tulip Crew (oil, 16 x 20) click to enlarge

I have been buried in my studio so I thought I would share another of my bird paintings in honor of the eagle meeting at our "cove" this morning. You can see some of the photos I took (here) on my photo blog. It was quite a sight and the sounds were amazing, too. Happy painting!

Light or Dark - Pick a Value

Colors are such an addiction, aren't they? I was thinking about some of my other SEAL (Self Engendered Art Lesson) projects and thought I would share this one that I know many artists before me have done and many artists after me will do; a basic value study. I think it is such a great exercise. To mix it up a little, I chose to do this one using pastels. Yum. I thought I would miss the color but, really, there was something that felt free about not having to make color choices...but just for a little bit. I'll soon be back to my addiction.

About the painting: This Little Light (pastel, 9 x 12) Ever since she was born, my grand-daughter has held that special little place in the heart and arms of her Papa. My goal for this painting was to convey that sense of security, trust and love she has for him and, in return, the love, sense of protection and longing for the right future he has for her.

High or Low - Pick a Key

For me, painting the same subject in both high-key and low key goes in to my SEAL (Self Engendered Art Lesson) bucket. I've seen them, I just don't usually do them. For those not familiar, a high-key painting is when you drop out most of the bottom half of your value range and what is left is what is on your palette. Those colors can be a lot of fun! A few darks can sneak in here and there but overall the painting will be quite light, as if all the shades on all the windows have been removed.  

These are two studies, the one on the left is done in high-key. Notice how saturated some of those colors are, especially on the duck's right (shadowed) side. Which do you prefer?

Bunny Pot and Friends, I am not a pastel

Bunny Pot and Friends is another of my not-pastel paintings. It is an oil (16 x 20) painted on linen. I have since taken to painting on panels and like it much better. I often prep my own but admit that my studio is really half studio, half mad-artist lab. I love to experiment. I must dash, something is bubbling....

Multi media ... pastels, oils, acryilcs, you-name-it

The Socialite (acrylic 20 x 24)

On the off chance you think I only work in pastels, I thought I would post one of my acrylic paintings (from some time back). As much as I love pastels I do enjoy mixing things up a bit in my studio and I think having more than one medium to work in is good for learning. I work a lot in oils, too, and confess to loving the smell of a freshly laid palette.

The easel calls. Happy Painting!

Easel Struggles, even Andrew Hemingway has them

While reading Andrew Hemingway's The Making of a Painting (The Diary of Andrew Hemingway), I smiled in heartfelt recognition at the anguish he shared and his ongoing arguments with the painting on his easel. It surprised me, and in some way comforted me, to hear someone as accomplished as he is say what he did in his book. Following is an excerpt from his diary:

Monday 17th April

The picture looks like nothing. Can it ever hope to work. I am confronted with a solid mass of dull slate grey, the surface colour. If only it was something else. How long will I have to stare at this nothing of a colour? Gainsbourough's pink ground (the colour of my last big painting, 1994) to Ruben's honey colour, but not this dead grey.

Almost for the entire day I battle inwardly with thoughts of the fruitlessness of the entire project. I have little or no hope that this picture is going to work. Can I go back? If I do I will never know what could have been. What a dilemma! For any reader of this diary this may seem a small thing, but to me it is a dreadful torment. The work on the background continues; however, I operate on a kind of auto-pilot.

Let me assure you that Andrew and his painting, "Still Life with a Green Glazed Bowl" (60 x 45), both came out of this experience in tip-top shape. My point in sharing this is as a note of encouragement for those times when the struggle at the easel seems overwhelming. I find comfort in knowing that other artists have the same struggles I do, stand and stare endlessly at their paintings and anguish over a multitude of issues. What gives me even more comfort is knowing that by sticking with it and working through the tough times we all come out of it more accomplished whether the painting makes it or not.

May you find peace at the easel,
Sandy

Trusted Wings - pastel on Wallis (WIP)

"I Choose Flight" is the name of one of the paintings I am currently working on and that prompted me to review some of my earlier bird paintings. I thought I would share this one since I have a couple of photos of the piece in progress and I always enjoy seeing others' WIPs. This little bird was just outside my office window and I felt compelled to capture him on Wallis paper.

Using a turp wash for a smooth, gradiated surface in the background ended up as a nice touch though it takes a bit of nerve since there was no way for me to fix anything without completely redoing the entire background. I skated out of that one with a large brush and by holding my breath (whew).

I added more texture with the build-up of pastels as I added the foreground rocks (ala big bird).

I left the little baby bird whispy and soft so it felt, to me, like you could reach down and pick him up, ever-so-gently.

Well, back to the easel. Thanks for stopping by!

Making Pastels from Dust

Do you have a catch-tray full of pastel dust? If so, you might want to reclaim that expensive falling dust and turn it in to little bars of gold. Well, okay, they look more like slugs but they are easy to make and you can even get creative with the shapes. I actually formed mine to look like slugs. What can I say? I am inspired by my (Pacific Northwest) surroundings.

You will need

• Pastel Dust
• Gloves
• A mixing container (preferably a disposable one)
• A spoon or palette knife for stirring
•  A smooth surface for forming your pastel stick/log/slug

I am assuming you are using professional pastels and it doesn't matter if you have used a variety of brands. If you want, you can even leave the tiny chunks of color in for  "surprise" streaks.

The pastel dust already has a binder in it so you won't need to add that. Just add enough (filtered) water to make the dust moldable. You don't want it too gooey so go light with the water. Once you have have the right consistency, form your logs, or slugs, and leave them out to dry for a couple days or until they no longer feel cold to the touch.

Have fun! I would love to know if your experiment was successful.

Cheers,

Sandy

Cheers to Blooms

Skagit Pinks (16 x 20, dry pastel)

The tulips are blooming, the tulips are blooming! Everyone grab your paints and easels and head to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I just know you won’t be disappointed. There are so many reasons I love this part of the country; the Grand and Beautiful Pacific Northwest. It certainly has my heart and now my pastels and paper, too. In all honesty, I painted this piece last year and have not been to the fields yet this year but I am going and soon. So soon I can hardly stand it. My camera and pastels are shaking with anticipation.

Before this tulip painting, I completely avoided the pinks in my pastel box. In a way, that was nice because I had all brand new colors to work with and then there was this moment of “uh-oh” how does one actually see pink? Not having worked with them much my eyes were not well trained to see the value shifts between these hues. To help me sort through my value issues, I got out my handy-dandy-can’t-live-without-value tool-thingy and put it to work as I soaked up a new SEAL (Self Engendered Art Lesson). That was a fun little lesson and I now have a newfound respect for the pinks.

By the way, if you don’t have a Picture Perfect Value Finder, I highly recommend this tool for any artist. It has dug me out of more than one hole, I promise you. If I were to need another, I would buy mine from Dakotapastels (no, I don't get a kickback, I just love their store!) but you can find them from a variety of places through Google.

May you find peace at the easel.

Cheers, Sandy