Red Hot 8 x 8 Pastel

This bright little bird captured my full attention and I felt drawn to paint him.  His magnificent red feathers were a deligtful challenge as they required many layers of hard and soft pastels to achieve his bold markings and brilliant coloring.  It was one of those paintings that I didn't want to end because the process was so
 enjoyable.
                                                                                   

Princess 11"x14" Pastel Sold

This was a commission for a woman I met during my employment.    I created this painting from several photographs that were provided to me...two for the pose and one for a close up of the face and one to show light and color.  The surface I chose  to paint on was a dark navy blue mat suede board.  I selected mat suede board  becuase it allows multiple layering and supports fine details in a painting without smearing edges.  It is one of my favorite surfaces becuase it enhances the richness of color that pastellists love to express in their paintings.                                                                        

Marco 11x 14 Pastel Sold

                                                          


Add caption

I have never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Marco, but I was provided with several photographs that depicted his personality and vivid coloring as well as the love and contentment he shares with his family, of which he is a treasured member.  The surface I chose was a light tan mat suede board and the background is done completely in pan pastel.  For Mr. Marco, I worked from Nu Pastels into softer pastels, such as Rembrandt, Unison and Great American Art Works.  He was absolute fun  to paint.                                                                         
                                                                                    

Desert Hues 5 x 7 Pastel SOLD

                                                                                    

Desert Hues was an exciting accomplishment for me.  I worked mainly with large simple shapes, texture and a limited palette for this piece.  White ampersand board was the chosen surface because of it's advantages for creating a wet underpainting.  After the initial colors were blocked in, I held a spray bottle about 8 inches from the painting and sprayed it with water.  The colors ran and merged with each other.  A delightful blending resulted.  The masses in the painting still retained their shapes and it was interesting to apply the various pastels over the underpainting.  Scenes like this are delightful to paint.  Using this technique I am never sure what is going to develop during the process, thus the adventure.

11 x 14 Echos of Times Past Pastel SOLD

                   

Tumacacori is a place that excites artists imagination and fills their hearts with a desire to paint echos of times past.  This old priest's housing quarters caught my eye with it's rounded corners and beautiful textures outlined against the brilliant AZ sky.   A friend exclaimed, "You can see the softness of the ages in this."  Her  insightful comment echoed  what I felt while creating this painting.   For the surface, I chose Richardson's Gator Board in a gold color and used pan pastels for this heavily toothed surface to depict the marvelous textures, highlights and shadows in the ruin, as well as the desert earth surrounding it.  For the sky, I employed almost every kind of pastel I had and blended many layers to achieve the brilliance of the blues inerent in the sky.  This was a painting that just seemed to flow.  I enjoyed the process immensely.                                                                           

Opals of the Desert 16 x 20 Pastel

Painting this was absolute fun.   Black mat suede board provides a rich background for the jeweled colors of the desert flowers so prevalent in Arizona every spring.   People stop and stare in awe and they take cameras on long walks with the hope of seeing these desert beauties.  The flowers usually stay in bloom only a day or two, so to get a photograph at the right time in the right light is considered a treasure by artists and photographers alike.   Pan pastels were used for this painting with the smallest applicators.  They were new to me at the time but I loved using them in this particular painting.   Unison pastels were also used at times to lighten and/or brighten certain areas.                                                                                                                                                    

Look Into My Eyes 8 x 10 Pastel

This wonderful resident of our Desert Museum drew everyone to him with his beautiful captivating eyes that seemed to smile and beckon to his admirers to stop and get acquainted.  He won me over and I just had to share the light in his eyes with others in a pastel that was a delight to create.  I chose mat suede board as the surface because it is my favorite medium for our furred and feathered friends.                                                                                                                        

8"x10" Browsing Pastel

I have always enjoyed painting our furred and feathered friends...so, when I spotted this little group browsing in a sheltered courtyard I just had to take photos and rush back to my little studio area and begin painting some of the many scenes these lovely ladies had shared with me.  Once again, I chose mat suede board for a surface for my pastels...the color of this particular piece was a deep golden ocher which served as a wonderful underpainting for this particular scene...I often choose very deep wild colors of suede board just to see the effects it will have on the paintings.   It usually works out very well for me.  Often, I use hard pastels with layer upon layer and apply them lightly...Later in the painting I begin turning to the softer pastels to brighten certain areas and, at times, to soften edges.                                                                                                                                  

Sunset Reflections 12"x16" Pastel

Sunlight on the water drew me to create this painting with it's strong contrasts versus vivid colors...For this painting I chose Kitty Wallis sanded grey paper and Terry Ludwig Southwest Sunset Colors for the vivid oranges, reds and yellows...I greatly enjoyed interspersing the vivid colors in with the beautiful greys of the water and it's horizon... I painted this because it is a subject I enjoy.