Just Before Dawn

Just Before Dawn

8x8 pastel on Wallis Warm Belgium Mist

Yesterday's painting was from my imagination.  This one is from memory, an early morning trip to visit my daughter.

What is different:

• Started with soft pastels, Terry Ludwigs and Sennelier and blended with hard pastels, Gireault and Nupastels.

My thoughts:

• I liked this blending technique, I found it my accident searching for the right color.
• I like this ground, now I am glad I bought several pads when it was available, can't wait for the white version.

The Darkest Hour

Day 8 of 30 in 30

The Darkest Hour

6x6 pastel

This was a re-do of an painting I did in Stan Sperlak's class. 

What is different:

• I cropped it in closer and used mostly sennelier pastels on Wallis Warm Belgian Mist. 
• I used Ed's technique of putting a hot pink under the sky 
• I am trying to really push the color
• This time I remembered to keep a scrap of the same paper near by to test my colors

What I learned:

• I really working on this Wallis Warm Belgian Mist, I can't wait until the white version is available.
• It really helps to test colors

Week one is over and I'm still in the game.

Day 7 of 30 in 30

5x7 pastel on UArt

Underpainting

What is different:

• I tried a warm underpainting that I alcohol washed. I wanted to adjust the tones and not rely on the photo reference for color.

What I learned:

• If I adjust one color I have to adjust them all.    Originally the grasses were too green and the lavender strokes toned them down nicely. The trees in the upper  left may still be too dark.I liked the looseness in this one.

This is one of my "do ahead" paintings done at the end of December.  I spent yesterday at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston viewing the show Dutch Paintings from the time of Vermeer and Rembrant and today at the Currier gallery to see the Maxfield Parish exhibit.

http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

Marsh Impressions

Day 6  of the 30 in 30 challenge

Marsh Impressions

6x6 Gireault Pastel on Paastelmat, peach

What is Different: 

• I followed Ed Chesnovitch's advice "Do not be afraid of the color"

My Thoughts:

• This was just plain fun to paint!
• I have done this scene many times, again advise from Ed and it really made it all easier.

Marsh Gold

Day 5 of 30 in 30

Marsh Gold

5x7 Gireault pastel on ampersand astelboard

This started out fine with a pastel underpainting that I alcohol washed but I lost control  about half way through. It was almost a wiper but my husband said to wait.  My friend Barbara always tells me that I wipe too soon so I will sit on this a while.  It was almost a relief to be able to say "OK, I painted but I don't expect them all to come out good"

A water color teacher in college said "Paint one painting a week, at the end of a year you will have 52 paintings and if you have two good ones, you have two good ones"

What  is different:

• This was done with Gireault pastels on ampersand board
  

My thoughts:

• The Ampersand is a nice surface but does not hold many layers of pastels. 
• Gireault are still my favorite. When I separated them from the rest I realized that while some were hardly used, quite a few are almost too small to use.
• I would like to adjust the composition a little but this board will not take any more layers.

Lonely

Day 4 of the 30 in 30 challenge

Lonely

5x7 Soft Pastel on Canson MiTeintes Touch - black

This little tree is famous on Plum Island. It used to have a companion tree but that came down in a hurricane several years ago.  I have heard them called the bean and the pea and also the ball and the glove.  Now it is just lonely.

Just day 4 of the challenge and I am losing speed, this little painting didn't look like it was going to happen.  It is amazing how just one stroke can pull it all together (or turn it into a wiper!)

What is different:

• I worked on black and tried Stan Sperlak's scratch technique - I think I need a different pin.
• I remembered Ed Chesnovitch's advise to keep it abstract as long as possible.

What I liked:

• The black ground helped because I didn't have to remember to put the darks down first.

Problems:

• I underpainted the grasses with an orange and when I set in the water line it kept bleeding through.

http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

Just a Dusting

Day 3 of the 30 in 30 challenge

Just a Dusting

6x8 pastel on pastelmat - anthracite 

What is different:

• Tried a technique that Stan Sperlak told us about - layering pastels on a dark surface and scratching through with a push pin.
• Used pastelmat instead of my usual sanded surface

What I like:

• This surface and will use it again.
• The scratch technique and I will try it on o sanded surface.
• Skimming the light colors over the dark background