Tag Archives: Pastels

Sketching, Life and Nature

What is she  gazing down upon? What is she,  thinking and what is she feeling? By inferring, or hinting at things  just outside their view,   my objective is to engage the viewer more.       Sketches Fast and Loose Photographs often, though not always,  spell out a subject with exact precision.  Recording textures, veins, size,Continue reading “Sketching, Life and Nature”

Pastel Mark Making

Vibrant, vivid, versatile!  Pastels,  actually  the  “Soft Pastels”   are brilliant learning tools for the beginner.  Why?  Their soft edges.  Their mark making power.   Combined with their sensitivity and their  immense range of techniques they can perform.    Amazing Pastels.                   A closer detail of theContinue reading “Pastel Mark Making”

Simplicity in Mark Making

What do I mean mark making?  It is a term that indicates the types and variations of brush strokes, drawing lines, gouge marks….. really, any visual evidence of your hand or tools upon the canvas or the paper. “Snowfields” is  featured once again, as it really does tick all the boxes for ‘mark making.’ TheContinue reading “Simplicity in Mark Making”

Impressionistic Landscape in Pastels

“Foulweather Bluff,”  Kitsap County painting was inspired by a simple morning walk along the shoreline with my dog Laura when we lived in the Pacific Northwest. We lived on a small hillside overlooking  Admiralty Inlet and the Olympic Mountains with the beach  a mere half mile away. I’d taken several photos which I’d tucked awayContinue reading “Impressionistic Landscape in Pastels”

Being Inspired

Sometimes we wonder where to find inspiration, where to find beauty, where to find our muse in life. The daily tasks, unexpected emergencies, the routine daily grind seem to take their toll and leave us just a bit tired and jaded. I found my breath of inspiration early this morning, drinking my hot coffee watchingContinue reading “Being Inspired”

Influencing The Viewer By Directing The Eye

People scan images constantly. Looking for pathways of least resistance. The easiest routes have no hard sharp edges that act as ‘shut gates’.   Upon A Hill has several  “open gates”    Soft Edges that allow the viewer’s  eye to easily travel up and through the image. This painting is very easy on the eyesContinue reading “Influencing The Viewer By Directing The Eye”

Beginner Artists- Words of Encouragement

Those who create art, even as beginners:   you are artists. By virtue of the simple fact  that you have pursued your interest far enough to join an art course, you’ve purchased art materials, and you have begun creating.   You    –   are an artist – for you are creating art.    This  isContinue reading “Beginner Artists- Words of Encouragement”

Igniting the Fires of Creativity: art workshops

Igniting the fires of the imagination is a subject close to my heart.  I firmly believe we all have been given a form of creativity,  though as the years progress, for many of us,  it may have gone into hiding.  This post features several students’  imaginative and original art pieces created in class.   ItsContinue reading “Igniting the Fires of Creativity: art workshops”