Demo - Pastel

"Flower Patch", 12x12, pastel on sanded Wallis paper.

In the first image you can see the colors blocked in to start the composition. I use Nu-Pastel brand to block in colors because they are a hard pastel and inexpensive. I then washed over the pastel with rubbing acohol so it dissolves into the paper to create a wash without the surface clogging up with color. This keeps the colors fresher for the remaining layers and speeds up the whole painting because the white of the paper is gone.

The next three images are the pastel colors applied over the underpainting. I continue to use Nu-pastel in the beginning stages. I then used other soft pastel brands such as Sennielier, Schmincke, Unison and Terry Ludwig. I tried to work dark to light, applying the colors lightly almost like a glaze, and then drawing in the flowers, softening edges as I go.

My focus has been on painting!

I have been extremely busy since I posted "My first blog". I admit I have procrastinated a bit on my goal to keep my blog current. I have accomplished 48 new paintings since the commission piece above, and 30 are from this year, 2008. I have managed to photograph them and post most of them on the web sites. So today I will show a few new paintings.

"A Snowy Day , oil, 16x12, was painted a few days ago after another snowstorm. The sun finally made an appearance after many gray days. This pine is in my backyard next to the bird feeder and it looked so lovely that I had to do a painting from it. I painted it from the view of the living room window.

"Long Shadows-Farm", 15x30, is a studio oil painting that I finished yesterday. The painting is a combination of several reference photos of the same farm in northern Michigan.