Mesa

"Mesa" Pastel 6" x 3"

A small abstract landscape in pastel.  This began as a non-objective piece with some random scribbles of charcoal, which I heavily sprayed with fixative to create a wash.  I developed the values a bit more, added some subtle olives, browns, and rusts, and discovered this landscape hiding in the work.

The surface is acid-free foam core board treated with pastel primer to give it some tooth.  I love the textures I get with homemade surfaces...well worth the extra prep time.

The original art is currently up for auction and can be yours for as little as $6!  Click to bid!

Purple Flowers

"Purple Flowers" Pastel 3" x 6"

A small, contemporary still life pastel on a home-prepared, textured surface.  I referenced the shape of the vase in the flowers themselves, giving a rhythm to the piece.  I love the complimentary combination of purples, greens, and yellows...

Still Life With Violets

"Still Life With Violets" Pastel 10" x 8"

The largest of the contemporary still life works I've created lately...I used a different approach here, first creating a sketch, then printing that sketch on drawing paper.  I then mounted the paper to a piece of acid-free foam core, and coated it with a layer of clear primer.  The primer is textured to give me tooth for the application of pastel, but I could still see my sketch beneath.

It was a nice way to work, although I'd say I do enjoy the spontaneity of sketching right on my drawing surface and taking it from there.  Still, I may play around more with this method.

This original, framed artwork can be yours for as little as $14!  Click to bid.

Red Flowers II

"Red Flowers II" Pastel 3" x 6"

Not to be confused with my first "Red Flowers" pastel...

This was one of those magical pieces that seems to create itself; everything came together so quickly and so well, gives this work a wonderful sense of freshness and spontaneity.

Surface is primed, acid-free foam core.

Lean-To

"Lean-To" Charcoal and Pastel 3" x 6"

It can be a bit of a challenge to come up with titles for abstract pieces sometimes.  This piece was starting to look a bit forest-y, but not quite...so I guess it started to suggest a primitive structure one might construct in a forest...?  It's mostly done in grays, but there is some subtle brown and sage green in there, too; each monitor is a bit different so hopefully you can see that bit of color in yours...

Flowers and Fruit

"Flowers and Fruit" Pastel 6" x 6"

Small, contemporary still life in pastel...can you tell I'm influenced by Cezanne?

Bottle, Fruit, and Flowers

"Bottle, Fruit, and Flowers" Pastel 5" x 3"

Contemporary still life in pastel, a study in complimentary blues and orange.  The round shapes of the fruit and flowers create a rhythm across the piece.

The surface is hand-prepared with a textured pastel ground applied to acid-free foam core.

This original artwork is up for auction on Daily Paintworks; it can be yours for as little as $12!  Prints are available at my Etsy shop.

Abstract in Red and Orange

"Abstract in Red and Orange" Pastel 5" x 5"

A small, non-objective, relatively monochromatic piece in pastel.  I used Sennelier La Carte for my surface, which has a lovely sanded surface and comes in wonderful colors; some of the base color shows through in spots.

While I enjoyed working with the limited palette, it was very difficult to adjust the scan to accurately represent these colors.