It's official! I'm a Pastelist.

In my continual struggle to find my place in the world of art media, I have finally landed on my feet. Wow. Pastels. Pan Pastels. Pastel Pencils. I've said it before. I have used pastels for decades and experimented with and hunted for my "best" medium. I've given away all of my pastels, all varieties, numerous times, going back to oils and acrylics; learning watercolor; inks; colored pencils.  What a journey and I realize that most of the experimenting was self sabotage. While I could have been improving upon and creating magnificent art with pastels I kept stepping back into mediocrity. Yes. I mastered all the media; well, most of them. I was looking for easy and difficult and permanent and light and heck, I just don't know. But I do know that I am finally, after 70 years on the right track. I started drawing when I was 2. I hit a snag in grammar school, fourth grade as I recall. No need to go into it but that's where I first used pastels in the form of colored chalk. I was good. I took to it naturally but I was seduced away to colored pencils and oils and all the rest. 

I think today about where I could have been and just throw up my hands. This is where I am. This is where I start. This rooster is representative of my pastel work. I painted it yesterday. The video is on Youtube. I have hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of art supplies ready for donation and gifting. I keep doing it but this is the last time. I feel so satisfied; so right; so ready. Today is the first day of my avocation as a Pastelist. I'm already a member of PSA. Juried even. 

I have printed out photos I've taken around of birds around our house and pulled out the pencils and pad and tomorrow I begin creating a composition for my next step in pastels. I am also going larger. In small steps. From 9 x 12 to 12 x 16 and 16 x 20. A lot of the constraints lie with my work space but I can do 18 x 14 with no problem and I have lots of paper and art board in large sizes. And while I enjoy pet portraits and bird portraits, I really, really want to create compositions of animals doing "stuff". Is that period in the wrong place? Oh well. I threw out my Harbrace years ago. It's so exciting. It's so heartening. It's so WOW! 

And here are some of the other pastels I've painted over the past few years. I was so happy with each of them. Each piece was a step forward in the process. https://youtu.be/WtF4pDsF9rM

  

  

 

  

 

 ... even my logo is a pastel portrait of Renard, Mon Petit Chien Rouge