Pictures

I’ve tried several forms of art. In late 2009 I tried soft pastels and they clicked in a way that other types of art did not. I think it’s the hands-on nature of them which truly speaks to me. I love putting color on the page, then using my fingers to blend and shape the image. It’s really me creating this, which for a control freak like myself is perfect.

My style is “dicking around with different styles and seeing if I can make a picture out of it.” Typically when I do a picture I’m trying something new with it just to see if I can. Also typically I’ll reach a point where I’ll be convinced that I’ve somehow screwed it up beyond repair, only to find it coming together after I sit down and keep poking at it. I assume this latter part happens by magic, since heck if I know how I made it work out.

So here are my pictures. I should mention that in addition to being a beginner at pastels I am also a beginner at taking pictures of pastels. Luckily I am not using these photos to enter a contest. Especially the early ones that were behind glass at the time of my picture taking and no way am I going back and redoing it without the glass in the way. Trust me, you want as much between you and the early efforts as possible.

Unless otherwise mentioned the pictures were done on Canson Mi-Tientes paper with inspiration photos coming from the WetCanvas reference library. Click on the pictures to view larger and read my notes about them.

Inspired by Goddesses and/or Spirituality

Psyche (January 2010)

A picture in honor of the goddess Psyche, using some of her totems.

Sister Moon (April 2010)

Done in honor of a moon-focused month, spirituality-wise. I'm fond of how the mist turned out.

Hestia (May 2010)

Hestia is one of the goddesses I feel a strong connection to. Hollyhocks are one of her flowers.

Fools Born of Faith (April 2011)

An exercise using turtles made me realize that sea turtles are a great example of faith. They lay their eggs and then have to leave them and trust that it will all work out. This was followed by the realization that baby sea turtles are great examples of The Fool in the Tarot deck, since they head directly for the water even though they have no idea what will happen. I'm particularly proud of how the foam turned out in the top picture.

Light and Shadow (May 2011)

I wanted to try a picture that was more "painterly" as well as one that really focused on light and shadows. Figs were part of a spiritual exercise that month so I chose those.

Summer Solstice (June 2011)

Made up freeform design done in honor of the summer solistice and for a monthly spirituality exercise. There's a goddess shape in the center pattern.

Personal Transformation (July 2011)

Trying a side by side composition instead of one on top of the other. The plant is laurel, the flower is for the goddess Pele.

XmasTree (12 21 11)

The first picture in my Solstice 2011 sketchbook. My Christmas tree, more or less. I wanted to play with all of the pens I bought and this offered a good opportunity to do so.

All Pastels in Order of Creation

Pastel Sampler (November 2009)

My first practice with pastels was an exercise in playing with matching different colors and stroke styles just to see what it looked/felt like.

Elements (November 2009)

Part of playing around with the pastels to get used to them. I decided to make an elements picture to play with color and different styles.

Maple Leaves (November 2009)

Top left is the original picture. Botton left is my first attempt at using watercolor pencils. Top right is pastels. I believe this was the first time I used pastel pencils too, which worked out nicely for the veins in the leaf.

Psyche (January 2010)

A picture in honor of the goddess Psyche, using some of her totems.

MMMMBOP (January 2010)

Birds of Paradise flowers give me happy memories of New Orleans. My goal here was to not be afraid to use bold strokes and to cover the page with color.

Butterflies (March 2010)

Based on a picture that a friend of mine took at a butterfly garden. One of my first attempts at filling the page with color. I love how the lighter, vertical leaf turned out. I gave this picture to my parents as a gift.

Daffodil (March 2010)

An attempt to draw a daffodil in my small patch of a flower garden. I feel it came out very crayon-y so it's not one of my favorites.

Flowers and Shadows (April 2010)

I love irises and I love how this picture turned out. It's one of the ones hanging in my bedroom.

Irish Coastline (April 2010)

My first landscape. I love how the sky and water both turned out (the horizon is easier to see in person than in this photo).

Sister Moon (April 2010)

Done in honor of a moon-focused month, spirituality-wise. I'm fond of how the mist turned out.

Window Reflection (April 2010)

My goal was to try a picture with reflections in it. I think I choked on doing a window and a shutter, in that my brain couldn't stop thinking of the concepts of windows and shutters long enough to let me actually paint what I was looking at.

Mother's Day (May 2010)

First attempt at using my super-soft pastels. I discovered I didn't like trying to put the pencils over them, but OMG the blending - when it works, it works.

Hestia (May 2010)

Hestia is one of the goddesses I feel a strong connection to. Hollyhocks are one of her flowers.

Hidden Kisses (June 2010)

I did this for a girlfriend based on her favorite flowers and mine.

Fall (October 2010)

The challenge here was the barn and the road. I like how the fall leaves turned out.

Fools Born of Faith (April 2011)

An exercise using turtles made me realize that sea turtles are a great example of faith. They lay their eggs and then have to leave them and trust that it will all work out. This was followed by the realization that baby sea turtles are great examples of The Fool in the Tarot deck, since they head directly for the water even though they have no idea what will happen. I'm particularly proud of how the foam turned out in the top picture.

Spotlight Flowers (May 2011)

Done the same day as the fig painting. These flowers were a spotlight challenge on the Pastel Boards. My goal was to attempt the dimensions of the petals.

Light and Shadow (May 2011)

I wanted to try a picture that was more "painterly" as well as one that really focused on light and shadows. Figs were part of a spiritual exercise that month so I chose those.

Summer Solstice (June 2011)

Made up freeform design done in honor of the summer solistice and for a monthly spirituality exercise. There's a goddess shape in the center pattern.

Depression (June 2011)

My attempt at showing what the two kinds of depression can feel like.

Personal Transformation (July 2011)

Trying a side by side composition instead of one on top of the other. The plant is laurel, the flower is for the goddess Pele.

Form (September 2011)

Practice based on a suggestion in the Pastel Forums: using clear and obvious shapes to figure out how to show and plan form in your painting.

Sketches

For Winter Solstice 2011 I bought a small sketchbook and some pens. Here are my attempts to fill it.

XmasTree (12 21 11)

The first picture in my Solstice 2011 sketchbook. My Christmas tree, more or less. I wanted to play with all of the pens I bought and this offered a good opportunity to do so.

Mac (12 22 11)

Mac on the arm of the couch, his paw over his nose and eyes.

Luna (12 23 11)

Luna at my feet while I was on the computer. For obvious reasons I like my second attempt (on the right) more than the first (on the left).

Nativity (12 24 11)

A quick sketch of my parents' Nativity, which they've had for a few decades.

Life (12 25 11)

The pill bottles and water glass I keep by my bedside so I can take them first thing in the morning. I flip the bottles over so I can tell if I've taken the pills or not.

Waiting I (12 26 11)

Done in the few minutes I had in a movie theater while waiting for Sherlock 2 to start.

Waiting II (12 26 11)

After the movie I stopped for Thai and sketched what I saw while waiting for my food.

Wind (12 27 11)

Looking at the lights in the tree outside my living room window on a dark and windy night.

Cats Meow (12 28 11)

The church in my Cat's Meow New Orleans set.

Nom (12 29 11)

Lindt chocolate reindeer before giving its life. I'm proud of how the logo came out.

Not A Steeple (12 30 11)

Top of building and lookout tower of a nearby church. Done while waiting for a call to pick a friend up at the train station.

Reflection (12 31 11)

The reflection of my wall and bureau in the mirror on the back of my bedroom door.

Bedtime (01 01 12)

My computer, day journal, and the top half of my bed.

Diner (01 02 12)

Seat at the counter of a diner, done in the few minutes while my friend paid the bill.

Laundry (01 03 12)

The washing machines I usually use, and the sinks beside them.