more pastel dust

number 56,57,58,59. As I had promised, I toned Wallis paper with pastel and alcohol wash and then layered that with the pan pastels. The result is better than previous experience, but I did highlight some with some Sennelier as a finish. I noticed that the Pans looked beautiful on smooth newsprint though, when cleaning the applicator! I do like some of the brilliant color...the blue is intense. I do like the softness they give.
In addition to putting some of the small studies in the Willow Show in Walla Walla and the Cafe Utza show in Miles City, I will have some framed for the Feast of Walla Walla event on April 10. I was happy that Jennifer invited me again to participate in that event.
I started painting the "statues" for The Ancients production that is Idalee Hutson Fish"s brainchild and is directing. The statues are 24" cylinders cut 6 feet in lenth and then I am painting "Muses" (the 9 Muses of Apollo likensses) on them. 3 are done and are gracing my studio. It's sort of cool to walk thru the upright 6 foot half cylinders all painted black, awaiting their own Muse to appear. I have some of the muses sketched out on the cylinders awaitng the paint application and long with the 3 that are painted...So now, I must attend my Muses and leave some time to at least get #60 done in the series of small landscapes...
happy painting!

The dust hasn't settled yet...

Getting back to Walla Walla from the Oregon coast on March 14th evening and then racing into the week with projects that needed to be completed before leaving for Nevada on Friday morning. All things worked out and all planned tasks were completed. I met with Colleen Sargen the curator for the Willow Show and we selected the work that will hang in that show. I will also have some work at the new winery of Joe Grant and Doris Wood - Grantwood Winery - on Hwy 12 near Gose St. for the spring release.
Happily got a call from Laura at North Star Winery requesting work to hang there. I am hoping for a late fall time. Hopefully Idaho Beauty can bring some quilt work to the winery this spring.
I am ready to begin the work on the 9 Muses of Apollo "statues" for the Whitman Dance performance. 6' tall "half cylinders" that will be painted to the likes of grayish statues resembling the 9 muses.
And tomorrow I should have some new work for the series of 100 ready to be photographed and on the website and blog. 10 of the already completed ones are in frames and ready to hang at the Willow show! Six will go to Miles City for Chris to hang at Cafe' Utza show.
Thursday I will join the other board members of the Northwest Pastel Society for a meeting in Bellingham and then maybe a short stay in Seattle and back to work on more Muses.
The photos are from the OR coastal area...a diverse and interesting area. I am itching to get back out and start painting after being away for a few days...so I am leaving you with happy painting thoughts and some photos of Oregon!
Happy painting...

Art of the Oregon Coast

This past week was frantic getting the paintings ready to go to Earthworks Gallery in Newport and Yachats, OR. Steve has beautiful galleries in these two popular coastal towns and shows art well. I was happy to be asked to bring work to the galleries after he saw my page in the Northwest Artists Gallery magazine. (if anyone is interested in being on the mailing list for this publication respond to my blog or email me and I will add your name. It is a publication that is charged for...and shows the work of several very god artists in the mid-Columbia region.
Les, the dogs and I came down to Newport yesterday, dropped off the art, wandered around the bayfront in Newport and ended up having dinner at Saffron Salmon...an excellent restaurant behind Earthworks Newport Art gallery. Absolutely a fabulous dinner.
Spent a good part of Saturday scouting the area and taking a lot of reference photos that I am anxious to get loaded on my desktop and use hopefully for future painting reference.
Oh by the way, several of the Series of 100 were left at the Earthworks Gallery and the comment from Steve was great colors! More will be hanging at the Willow Show in Walla Walla April and May. The opening for that group artist show is April 2nd, 5-8 pm.
Daylight saving time is upon us...clocks move ahead; check your smoke alarm batteries...and in my world...
happy painting...

The Dust Hasn't Settled

The dust doesn't settle quickly in a pastel world! I finished the poster for Whitman dance production and sent it on to the director...now on to two images for a backdrop...
In the meantime I am wrapping up the inventory for the Willow show and deciding what to take to the gallery on the Oregon coast. (Lincoln City visitors look for work in Earthworks gallery there) The two above are most likely going to the Willow show. I selected 12 of the Series of 100 also for that show. I am wavering between 8 and 12 of them for the moment.
Maybe later tonight I will go back out and do some more of the series of 100...I want to do some with an actual underpainting (wet) with Pan Pastels on top of that...
The weather thas been so nice and I am painting everyday with the doors wide open! Love this time of year!
I can reaffirm my preference for a couple of types of paper...Wallis and ColorFix...Also tried a few sticks of Art Spectrum pastels...I liked them...good strong color and pretty soft; easily blends...

More Pastel Dust

I have been working on the Whitman College Dance Production poster and finished it yesterday "The Muses of Apollo and She Who Remembers" production. I am certain this production will transcend beautifully from accient Greek mythology to the Anastazi culture...I have heard bits of the music and it is fantastic!

The piece that I finished yesterday - one that will most likely go to the Willow Show at month end is posted. I wanted to give the viewer the sense of space, the differences of one side of a stream to another; one harvested, the other wild and a fence that meanders.
The other piece with the road is a demo that I did on a piece of Canson paper at the Pendleton workshop. It requires talking and working on a piece when you demo. That adds a element of challenge. I don't think about talking when I am working in my studio, alone with music or not...So I try to lay out my thoughts in words to teach when I demo and work through a painting.
The weather is incredible...I may be moving to plein air sooner than later...I have all the doors wide open now to enjoy the warmth of the sunny days.
With that said, it's time to go to the studio and do some work...
happy painting!

More chalk dust

Ok, so it really isn't "chalk", but it is dusty!
I finished #55 this morning early and decided to move most of the series to a piece of foamcore - really just to be able to photograph a large number of the paintings in a single frame. Part of these will go to Willow; perhaps some will go to Feast of Walla Walla in April, hopefully a couple to the NWPS show and maybe another show in Seattle as well in later April.
Tomorrow, before the sun comes up I will be working on the art for the Whitman's dance production...first the poster...I have some good ideas to get on paper...
happy painting!

More pastel minis in the series of 100

The weekend workshop in Pendleton finished up on Sunday afternoon with each student producing some great work. There is certainly rewards to working with students and sharing with them...to see their work evolve because of what you have shared...
I finished up 4 more in the series Monday and they are posted today. Some luminous color combinations - an interesting development with the light blue sky with some whitish-blue on top of it...it creates a sort of cloud effect on its own. I am not certain that the photos illustrate that well, but in real time it looks good. Part of the effect is the Wallis paper, I believe.
I read some more on the pan pastels and have decided to try another technique with them. I am most anxious to make them work because of their low dust, wonderful colors, etc.
I am in the midst of getting the body of work ready for the Willow show. Next huge project is coming to the aid of one of the best dance instructors in the northwest Idalee Hutson-Fish. She teachs at Whitman College as well as at her private studio and has lead several dancers into their professional world of dance. I have, in the past and now again, illustrated a poster for the productions. The Whitman production will be early in May and promises to be wonderful. I will post the stage set work I am doing once the production happens...I promises to be quite "the ride"....I love a challenge...so in the meantime...
happy painting!