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?

early spring

"early spring " 12"x12" pastel on Uart 320

After a break from painting for a week or so, I have been back in my studio for the last two days. I thought I would share with you the progression for this painting. Spring was bursting out in Connecticut last week. The daffodils , forsythia and rhododendrons were in full bloom. In one week the forsythia blooms were gone. I took a lot of photos and did a lot of observation. I have tried to paint forsythia before with out much success, but I wanted to try again!. 

 I started in my sketch book with some drawings from the photos. I was out for a drive with my sister and the red barn and forsythia caught my eye. It was right on the side of the road so we drove back  so I could take some photos and take in the scene. I made some mental notes for painting. I had brought along some UART pastel paper and decided to do some simple sketches with Nupastel and washed them in with a brush and alcohol.

a page from sketchbook and some of those underpainting on the pastel paper. 

Back in my studio, I pulled out the underpaintings and added some pastel thinking about using complimentary colors to make the painting pop in the barn scene.

5"x5" pastel study

I used neutral colors for this marsh scene, because I wanted it to be more moody. I will work on a larger version on the study at another time, possibly with some more texture.....

5"x7" pastel study

I really was feeling connected with the barn scene. The red barn next to the golden forsythia , and the sky was overcast with a lavender glow.  I chose the UART 320 grit pastel Paper, as I have said before, I love the roughness of the paper. I chose a brown Nupastel and did a sketch on the paper and then washed it in with a brush and some rubbing alcohol.

nupastel sketch

blended in with a brush and some rubbing alcohol

I did not want to get carried away with putting too much into the Forsythia branches. I wanted it to be light and airy and soften the structure of the red barn to create a balance of the hard structure and the softness of the bush. The light violet in the sky, I think, created the pop for the painting. I'm leaving it sit on my easel for a bit, to be sure I'm satisfied with calling it finished.

What to do with small scraps of pastel paper

"hazy day" 4"x12" pastel on Uart 400

 I have not been very committed to posting on my blog this last month. I have been focused on trying to paint daily,  draw in my sketchbook daily and working on setting up an exhibition of my paintings at the frame shop where I work. ( more info on this to follow)

I recently came across a live video by Bethany Carter Fields. In her video she showed what she does with her scraps of pastel paper. Of course I love her pastel paintings! But what a great idea!  I was so inspired!! Pastel sanded papers can be very expensive. I hate to waste any bit of it, even washing off unsuccessful paintings and reusing the paper. I had quite a bit of UART sanded paper scraps in 400 and 500 grit and decided to put them to use.  

This was the first one I did. 4"x10". I decided to work with some of my favorite reference photos that I have painted from before.  I started with an  underpainting of a blue/violet Nupastel with an alcohol wash on all the paintings. I really like blocking in the painting this way. Working this small, it's important not to get caught up in the detail of what's in the photo. For me , it's more about capturing the essence of what attracted me to the scene.  Doing these small paintings forces me to look at what is really important.  Hopefully doing these small paintings will help me transfer those same ideas to a larger painting - a direction I am trying to go with my current work. It's so easy to get caught up in the details and before you know, the painting becomes overworked. 

Here are a few more of the small paintings. I spent 2 days on these. I'm thinking about framing some of them to have in my exhibition. 

4"x5"

4"x6"

"Susan's sunset" 4"x12"

"wildflower field" 4"x6"

"marsh sunrise" 4"x5"

 I work at The Frame Up II in Marietta GA, a few days a week, and the owner graciously lets me hang my paintings in her shop.  We have decided to do an open house and exhibition of my paintings. We are busy cleaning up the shop and framing many of my paintings . If you live near Marietta GA, please stop by Saturday, May 6th 2-5 pm

Spring begins to show her face

14"x14"  mostly Terry Ludwig pastel on Pastel Premier 400

I'm always excited this time of the year when Spring begins to show her face

quince

pear tree

migrating cedar waxwings

We don't get much snow down here in Georgia....practically none. So when I see all the snow paintings my artist friends are doing, I'm a little jealous. I have to get inspired with the grey's and browns. I usually go to my collection of bird nests for some inspiration. 

I pulled this one out of the box and put it on a plate in my studio

 I chose Pastel Premier sanded 400 grit paper. I did a watercolor underpainting to cover the white of the paper and then added some clear gesso for added texture. The more I work with pastels , the more I prefer the rough surface where I can build up the layers of paint and pastel. So while it is cloudy and rainy out side, I can be inspired in my studio. Enjoy! Spring is on the way!

painting some more animals

11.5"x15.5" pastel on Sennelier LaCarte sanded paper

"shaggy"

I really enjoy painting animals and birds. I try to capture their personality. Another reference photo from my trips to Connecticut. Again I drive by these cattle many times. They are Scottish Highland cattle. I love their long hair! This sanded paper is perfect for doing animals. I don't need an underpainting as there are several colors of paper to chose from. I mostly used Terry Ludwigs Box of Shades of Nature pastel plus some great American and Diane Townsend.

Here is my sketch

I have been asked to do several commission paintings of dogs and cats. If possible I try to meet the animal, photos don't always tell the truth, so I like to see the real thing!

Here's Lexxie! My neighbors cairn terrier, who I spend a lot of time around. I always start with the sketch. then go to the painting. Again I used the Sennelier sanded paper.

5"x7" pastel

sketch of Clementine and Cupcake to get familiar with the dogs. I met both of these sweet dogs.

Clementine is Cupcakes Mom.

Both paintings are 6"x6"

Meet Roxanne! A cute Tabby rescue cat. I did not get to meet Roxanne and had to work only from the photos I received from the client. I did several sketches and they decided which pose they liked.

this painting is 5"x7"

Meet Okra! this is my daughter's cat. She is part siamese and is a real sweet kitty

sketch in my sketchbook and the 8"x8" painting on black Sennelier sanded paper.

8"x8" pastel on a grey black Sennelier sanded paper

Ok last one for this blog post. If you know me , you know I am a fan of owls. Photo credit reference goes to Sagar Suresh from the OWL pages on FB. I actually did the painting first and then went back and did a sketch.

Hoot Hoot!