taking my time

"taking my time" 12" x16" pastel on Pastel premier Italian clay grit paper

The ocean is always a favorite place for me. It slows me down, lets me relax and I take time for contemplation. I took several photos on my recent trip to Hilton Head Island . I love to walk the beach in the morning when the air is cooler, softer. I wish I could live in an ocean environment year round, so I have to soak it up while visiting. I've been busy this week and haven't had any consistent time in my studio. Usually I will spend 1-3 hours on a painting and finish it off. With this one I was forced to take my time.....hence the title.

I took photos along the way so you could see my progression.  I used a blue/violet Nu pastel on Pastel premier Italian clay 320 grit paper (my favorite!) and laid in the darkest values. With a brush and some alcohol,  I brushed in the pastel. I wanted that underpainting to stay and not mix with the other pastels. Then I laid in the first layer of pastel and doing most of the work in the sky. Darkest first, lightest next. Then some middle values.

Here is a detail of the tree line along the waters edge. I started blocking in the colors being careful to let the underpainting show through.

 I continued laying in the colors on the distant beach and put in the shadows under the grasses. Working my way from top to bottom of the painting.

Here I focused on painting in the grasses..... remember, less is more, just a suggestion of the grasses. So easy here to get carried away and put too many marks in and over work the painting.

Here I finished working on some more refinement in the whole painting and putting in the "spices" as Karen Margulis calls them!. I'm happy I took my time with this painting conveying my mood to you. 

Hope you enjoy!

the low country of Hilton Head Island SC

"low country" 12"x16" pastel on Uart 320

From the desert of Albuquerque NM to the low country of Hilton Head Island SC. I came home from the IAPS pastel convention all inspired and headed to the oceanside. The oceanside is really my favorite place to go. Something always calls me there and I always feel peaceful when I get my feet in the sand.

It was hot, but the weather was perfect. I sat by the pool and walked on the beach. Perfect..right?

I brought along my single Heilman sketchbook pastel box. Easy to carry around and added some small pieces of Uart paper to do some quick studies. This one is 6"x8" and I painted while sitting by the pool.

This one is 6" x8" . I had just come back from a morning walk on the beach and painted this from a photo I had just taken. The sun was sparkling on the water and the colors were cool and soft in the early morning light. 

 

This one is 5"x7" , also from a photo on my morning walk.  I sat on my porch while it was all fresh in my head. I will use these smaller paintings as guides to paint larger paintings. The photo never really tells the true color and what the feeling was when I was there. 

On my way home I took several drive by photos of the low country from the car window. The post painting is from one of these photos. I wanted to paint it while the image was still clear in my head. I painted quickly..... Hope to get back to the oceanside again soon..... 

words about IAPS 2017 pastel convention in Albuquerque NM

6"x8" pastel on Pastel Premier Italian clay

International Association of Pastel Societies.  WOW - I had no idea... my teacher, mentor and friend, Karen Margulis, told me two years ago that I needed to go. So when it came time to sign up last year - I plunged forward. It was overwhelming trying to figure out what workshops/demos to sign up for. How many could I afford? How much could I absorb mentally? I decided on one demo each day for three days - keeping the afternoons open for the trade show and some painting. Now, I wish I would have signed up for a few more!

As the artists started arriving, the excitement began to build! It was so wonderful being able to put a FB image with the real person and having conversation with them. I made many new friends... Becky and Sharon and SO many more.

me, Becky and Karen at our favorite porch hangout

The quality of the work at the gallery !!!! - I went back 3 times to look - an inspiration to keep pushing forward with my pastel painting. The idea - that at IAPS 2019, I could possibly have one of my paintings there.

Paintings by Natasha Isenhour and Lyn Asselta

I took demos from Mike Beeman, Stan Sperlak, Marla Baggetta and helped Karen Margulis with handing out her teaching materials. I walked away with pieces of each artist to apply to my own painting - helping me to grow with my own style emerging. This community of pastel artists, like minded souls, always sharing and moving forward together.

In the early morning, Karen and I, would walk into old town Albuquerque, catching the morning light on the holly hocks and adobe buildings, a little plein air painting and lots of reference photos for future paintings.

a few of my reference photos

my 5"x7" plein air of the holly hocks

6"x8" pastel on Pastel Premier Italian clay from one of my reference photos

The only regret I have, was that I did not have a chance to go out and see the New Mexico landscape, to see it, feel it , paint it and take more photos. But I am already thinking about IAPS 2019.......

can you find my name?