PanPastels

were a surprise gift from the company who makes them at the 2015 Golden conference in Fort Lauderdale. I have loved working intuitively with pastels and have adored the pastel works of Degas and Renior and have been lucky enough to do a workshop with Melbourne based pastel Artist Judy Drew.

Recently I began to work with them whist Life Drawing and found the technique to be thoroughly inspirning particularly when married to the Golden Acrylics Black Gesso used as the ground. The Gesso has just the right amount of grit to hold the pastel on the surface without having to fix them with a spray, which can take away from the vibrancy and immediacy of the mark making.

The pieces below have been a progression from my first foray into this new medium to the more complex pieces based on photographs of the Originie Laura Dance Festival by James Henry.

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I am looking forward to continuing and building my relationship to this medium with their unique spatula delivery system and offering workshops and demonstrations at our local art store Still @ the Centre.

Please go to workshops page for timetable.