soft pastels
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Thursday, February 6th, 2020
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Pacific NW Sunset
Thursday, January 30th, 2020

Pacific NW Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
I’ve never really been successful with soft pastels. They are ultra-fussy, ultra-messy, particularly once you start adding dark colors, which leaves you feeling ultra-discouraged at the end of the day.
I’m up for the challenge though, with the additional provocation to use black, which I never use, preferring usually to use purple or blue or other color combos instead. Using black is an offense that will be fun to defy, at least that’s the intention. Black will help the other colors sing with contrast, assuming I’m able to prevent too much accidental blending. Workable fixative is very helpful.
The 18 x 24 inch pad of 140 lb cold pressed no-name watercolor paper that I ordered online does not have the tooth or qualities I like as a painting surface, but is working nicely for soft pastels. There are 6 more pages left in the pad for this pastel series.
Alberta Bound
Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
Alberta Bound, 18H x 24W inches dry/soft pastels on 140 lb cold pressed.
Chrysanthemums
Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
Chrysanthemums, 85W x 45H 3D inches graphite, charcoal, soft pastels, fixative with primer used as paint on white 100% cotton. Grey narrow frame. This is a beautiful painting, impressive because of its size and the expressionistic style of the flowers. The small photo doesn’t do it justice, so some detail images are provided below. It’s hanging in our family room on a grey wall beside the Chrysanthemums Chair. They do look great together!
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