Working with New Papers... A Bit of a Struggle

With 2018 drawing to a close, I am getting ready for my first show in 2019 at the Muttart Conservatory(Edmonton) in February. I need some new pastel works for this solo show so in between prepping for Christmas I am working on surfaces that I am unfamiliar with. I normally work on hand-made sanded paper but this  "new" paper is store bought. It is also a sanded paper but I am finding that I can not blend the colours as much as I am used to. The paper does take a lot of pastels so I am on a steep learning curve in terms of application. In between conquering this new paper I am also doing a couple pieces on suede board which requires a different technique. Ah well...the life of an artist .....

A Great Workshop with Pastelist Joan Larson

This past Sunday I spent the day with several other students learning some fundamental/core ideas behind creating dynamic and powerful paintings. Joan Larson, a premier pastelist now living in British Columbia, taught a session on the value of "value". The premise of the workshop was that a painting will be dynamic if the values work. It does not matter what the colours are so long as the values work. " The colour gets the glory; the values do the work." We did several exercises throughout the day to test this premise. It was very liberating not to worry about getting the exact tint or shade of colour for a tree or shrub. The piece that I completed (still needs to be "pushed" ) started out with a brilliant red sky ; hence the title.."Sailors Delight". I like this approach to pastel work and may try my hand at more of these pieces.

"Showcase" exhibit at AGA

Sorry for not posting but Christmas preparations and shopping are a priority right now. Along with putting up the Christmas trees and planning the Christmas eve menu, I am going to deliver one of my works to the AGA for exhibition in their showcase "Small spaces/Big Ideas." This piece is a mixed media/collage work. My piece, along with several others, will be exhibited January 10 to March 10, 2017.