Pastel Demonstration

I was very inspired by Wednesday’s demo by Liz Haywood Sullivan.  So much so, that I immediately went to work painting.  I had wanted to paint all week anyway, but finding time is always a problem in my world.  Finding inspiration is not. Luckily, my granddaughter spent some time at the babysitter’s and with her grandfather, allowing me some uninterrupted time to complete this painting and to photograph it as I went.

First, I decided to reuse a piece of Wallis paper which I had painted on a few years ago, with less than mediocre results. 

I brushed it off, leaving a ghost image on it.

Using a sketch done from a photo I took last spring, I blocked in the basic shapes.

I laid down the darkest and lightest areas first.

Then, using alcohol and a brush, I liquefied the pastel in those areas, making large areas of solid color.

From there, I began to actually paint, putting down many light layers of pastel.

And after some tweaking, the finished product. 

"The Last of the Snow" 

12" x 18"

It felt wonderful to get something accomplished and I have to admit, I think it came out pretty well.

Liz Haywood-Sullivan Demo

I was fortunate enough to go to a pastel demonstration by Liz Haywood-Sullivan last night.  This free event was sponsored by the Rochester Art Club and was a great opportunity to see how Liz creates her beautiful pastel paintings from start to finish.  She generously shared her painting technique with us, explaining every aspect the process as she went.  Despite stopping to explain what she was (Photo credit: Suzi Zefting Kuhn)                   doing and why, as                                                                                    she continued to paint, Liz was still able to finish her painting in just about 2 hours.  The finished product was stunning and it was very for exciting to see the image emerging as she completed each step.  It was a wonderful experience.

I want to thank Rochester Art Club for opening this to the public and to Suzi Zefting-Kuhn for posting the notice about it on Facebook which is where I read about it.  By the way, Liz has written a book about pastel painting which will published by NorthLight in the very near future.  Look for it!

Millennium Marsh

On Wednesday, February 13^th, I did a pastel demonstration for the Suburban Rochester Art Group. I do enjoy doing demos, even if it's still a bit unnerving for me to stand up in front of a group and discuss what I do. I guess my love of pastels and painting en plein air helps me to over-come my fear. I usually get a lot of great feedback and I'm always happy to be able to share my knowledge with anyone who will listen.

The demo I did was based on some photos I took this summer of Montezuma Wildlife Refuge's Millennium Marsh. The view overlooks the marsh and the day I was there it was hot and sunny. A beautiful day, with just enough haze to make things interesting. The demo went very quickly – about an hour of painting time. When I was done, the painting was pretty loose, but I was able to convey that value is more important than anything else in a painting.  It is painted on a piece of Wallis paper which I had done a painting on once before.  The original painting had been unsuccessful so I had wiped it out and I reused it here.   Once I got it home and in better light, I decide to work on it a bit more.  The pictures are of the piece after the demo and then after some refinement.   I like seeing them side by side. 

9"x12"                                                        

Goldenrod and Loosestrife

 Got an early start one day in September.  The morning had started out clear, but clouds gradually made their way in.  Actually, I had spied this scene a year or so ago and had planned to paint it, as the beautiful colors were hard to resist.  However the morning I was planning to go there, a friend contacted me to say the town had mowed all of the beautiful flowers down!  Argh!  Nevertheless, I remembered the scene and timed things just right this year.  Got a keeper out of it!

9"x12" currently unmatted and unframed

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112633995/original-pastel-landscape-painting    

Fields of Green

 Sometimes I just can't get out to paint due to a lack of time.  So this time instead of just ruminating about it, I looked over a bunch of photos I'd taking during my daily travels to find some inspiration.  I did this little one based on several of those photos.  You can see the unfinished edges on this one.  Ordinarily, these are covered by the mat.  Just something a bit different.  SOLD

5"x7" currently unframed and unmatted

for more information about this painting, please click on

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112550073/original-pastel-landscape-painting

September Stroll

A beautiful day in September with soft sunlight, and the colors of the foliage just starting to show change.  I was standing in a low spot looking up the grassy hill at the distant trees.  Nothing super exciting, just relaxing and calm.

6"x9" currently unframed.  SOLD

Artist Row

It's that time of year again, time for Artist Row at the Public Market here in Rochester!  I haven't participated recently as family obligations have taken a priority, but this year I will be sharing booth space with several other artists from the Suburban Rochester Art Group.  I will have my pastels hung there.  I hope you'll come down to the market and see us this Sunday, Sept. 16th.

Fall Colors

 This pastel painting was done in Mendon Ponds Park on an unusually warm day in late October.  The sunshine through the atmosphere made the distant hills a beautiful blue color and gave a warm cast to everything.  It softened the edges on the hazy shadows that crossed the path where I stood.  I occasionally had horse-back riders pass by me, as this is one of several riding trails through the park.  

unframed size - 6"x9"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107667895/original-pastel-landscape-painting-fall

Painting Show

Now through the end of August, you can see 27 of my paintings at the Parma Town Library in the Village of Hilton, NY.  

Included are original pastels in a variety of sizes done over the last few years, as well as several oils and this lone watercolor, entitled "Juliette's Daffodil".

The library is located at 7 West Ave. in the village of Hilton, New York, 14468, phone (585)392-8350.  The show is open to the public and the last day to view them there is August 31st.  The library's hours are Mon. 10:00-9:00, Tues. 10:00-9:00, Wed. 10:00-9:00, Thurs. 10:00-9:00, Fri. 10:00-6:00, Sat. 10:00-4:00, closed Sunday.

The response from those who have seen the show have been extremely positive and I am very grateful for everyone's comments.  I hope that if you are in the area, you will stop in to see the show!

By the way, you can find more info and even "like" the event on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/events/449557241732093/

Karen's Koi Pond

This pastel was done last fall at the home of my friend and fellow artist, Karen Arieno.  She and her husband have this picturesque pond behind their house which is now the home of several koi fish.  Karen pointed them out to me swimming past as I was finishing up.  

The painting itself took longer than I expected that day and I wasn't really satisfied with it when I got home.  It sat untouched for several months until I felt ready to tackle it.  All of those reflections were very intimidating and some corrections had to be make.  It was definitely one of the more challenging paintings I have done. 

Completed size is 12"x18"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107296372/landscape-painting-autumn-reflections-in

SCAM!

I was recently emailed by a woman who said she was interested in purchasing two of my paintings. Now, having people contact me by email about a painting is nothing new, but something about this email sounded fishy. I did a little research online and sure enough, it is a complete SCAM. It just proves that you have to be careful all the time! The content of the email follows:

Joy Howard davidhowardd08@gmail.com
Apr 16 (4 days ago)

Hi,

Hope this message finds you well. I saw these creatives works on your
website and i will like you to get back with more details if they are
still available for purchase.

Purple Loosestrife and Summer (demo)

I will appreciate an urgent reply.

Best Regards,
Joy Howard.

A second email looked like this:

Joy Howard
10:41 AM (8 hours ago)

Hi Colette ,

Thanks so much for your response to my query about those creative
works. I will like to proceed with the purchase of both pieces (
framed and ready to hang ) . I will also like photo of Summer so i can
know how best to proceed. I will also like to know what inspire you
to make the pieces.

I will look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best Regards,
Joy

Since a lot of the people who read my blogs are artists, I want you to be aware so that you can protect yourselves!

Summer (demo)

This was done as a demo piece for the Suburban Rochester Art Group. It's been a while since I've had the chance to paint outside and the weather has not been co-operating. This was done using a photo as reference and was finished in about an hour. I had a wonderful time doing it and it really makes me want to get outside again. Come on Spring!
UP-DATE: After looking at this painting for awhile, I decided that it needed some refining and more visual interest in the foreground. You can see the outcome.

Lake Ontario Dream

This was done as a demo piece using a photo- graph taken several years ago on Lake Ontario. I really hate using photos as reference. A camera doesn't see the world the way I do, but sometimes there's no choice but to use a picture. Anyway, I pretty much used the photo only for general information and values, then really went to town using my imagination to build up colors, texture and to get the feel for the subject. I was very happy with how it came out.

Purple Loosestrife

There was this great patch of purple loosestrife growing along this gravel road which was very eye-catching. I see this stuff growing all around the area. I know it's an invasive weed, but it really is very beautiful.

Clouds Over Canandaigua Lake

Clouds Over Canandaigua Lake - available 

This has been a tough summer for painting for me. Rainy, over-cast weather is not conducive to working in pastels. Even this particular day, which started out sunny, changed into one with tons of clouds and a very brisk wind blowing across the lake at me. I really loved the pattern of the cloud shadows across the hills in the distance, however.  And yes, the color of the water really was pale green!

Can be viewed at the Pat Rini Rohrer Gallery in Canandaigua, NY.

Size: 12"x18"

Workshop

I will be doing a workshop this Wednesday, August 12 in Wyoming New York. It is part of the Coonley - Ward Summer Art Workshop Series. It will be held from 9 am to 2:30 pm at the Village Hall of Wyoming, 15 S. Academy St (Rt 19), Wyoming, NY. The workshop is $15. Please contact Linda Metcalf at 585-591-2406 or Sally Almeter at 585-591-1764 for information and materials list. I'm looking forward to it.

Around the Bend

I have always had the perception of March as being a "blah" month - just an other month of waiting until the real spring of May gets going. But recently I've come to appreciate the subtle colors along with those very rare teaser days when the temperatures get above 50 degrees.


size unframed is 6" x 9"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/110149534/original-pastel-landscape-painting-by

Clouds Clearing Over Braddocks Bay

This was done last summer, but never photo-graphed - probably couldn't find my camera. Anyway, it's a very nice piece. The clouds were just clearing out after another of the many down-pours we had last summer.

9"x12"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107563386/original-pastel-landscape-painting-storm

Fields of Dandelions

I came upon this great field in the spring when the dandelions were in their full glory. When you see then like this, I have to wonder why we perceive them as weeds. I once heard that weeds are just plants growing in the wrong place. This was definitely the right spot, though.

The Erie Canal from Perinton Park

I had the oppor-tunity to hang a couple of pieces at Riki's Res- taurant in Fairport, but decided they should be something from the area, so I headed to Perinton Town Park and did this from under the Rt. 31F bridge over the canal. Lots of people stopped by to chat while I worked.