Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2021 i The Pastel Journal

Although I’ve had the good fortune to travel all over the globe, my home country of Scotland still takes my breath away and never fails to supply me with contentment as an artist. It took me years to convince my Londoner husband to move to Scotland, but gradually he saw past the wind, rain and wild weather to the beauty of the Highlands and the Isles. As much as my husband and I love to travel, we quickly realized we had true paintable beauty right at our doorstep, so we expanded our business from teaching art classes into leading complete painting holidays. Our “Scottish Paintaways” offer painting trips to destinations throughout Scotland, but none has attracted and captured the hearts of our students more than the magical, mystical Isle of…

Rolling orchards. Towering eucalyptus trees. Craggy cliffs. For Patricia Prescott Sueme, a third-generation Californian, these subjects are practically in her blood. She insists, however, that depicting specific landscape elements isn’t her primary concern. “Although I’m a representational painter, representation isn’t my only focus,” she says. “Equally important are the abstractions and subtleties found within a nature-based scene.” Whatever the subject, Prescott Sueme’s paintings demonstrate her devotion to the goal of refining and simplifying a composition for maximum effect. Composing the Scene Prescott Sueme distills her subjects into deliberate compositions, drawing upon her early fine art studies and more than 30 years of experience in graphic design. “When designing a magazine spread, you consider the first read (focal point), the second read and the nuances that may only be noticeable after…

Art can be a powerful vehicle for change, raising our awareness of social and political issues. Wisconsin artist Roberta Condon has known this since she was a girl, when she started drawing on her blue jeans to protest the Vietnam War. Her art has grown more sophisticated since then, but her interest in using art to bring attention to important matters hasn’t wavered. In 2018, Condon began walking a route called the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, which rambles through Wisconsin’s glaciated landscape for more than 1,000 miles, of which the artist has completed more than 200. “There are a lot of connecting routes that run along country roads,” she says. “Those roads are lined by farms, and the beauty of them just blew me away.” Condon began taking photos…

Atists often find themselves keeping their own company in their studios. While studying with others is sometimes necessary and often transformative, working alone also holds educational potential. This can be tricky because, left unexamined, inner voices can pose an obstruction. The self-teaching I’m talking about involves engaging in a conscious dialogue with yourself during which you’re both the teacher and the student. Think about it—even if what you envision for your art is vague and elusive, no one knows that persistent ideal deep within you better than you do. Accessing and honoring that-which-you-long-for provides the surest orientation for getting to your best work—but you can’t simply think your way through this. You must also make your art, providing the source material for the next lesson to be learned. After all,…

Staying with the same subject matter, color palette or other feature until your interest wanes allows for a deep exploration of something that captures your interest. Sandstone formations on my property in central Wisconsin are an abiding love of mine—and the inspiration for these four paintings and many others.…

Like many other organizations over the past year, in response to the pandemic, The Pastel Society in the U.K. chose to present its 2021 annual show exclusively online. Even so, the organization, which was founded in 1898, considered the event as successful as ever. It even broadened the scope of entries to include artists beyond its members and to add new prizes for emerging artists. The exhibition opened with comments from actor Griff Rhys Jones, who said, “There is nothing as inspiring as looking at this exhibition and seeing what can be achieved.” Halla Shafey, winner of the Artists & Illustrators award for her painting A Walk in the Fields (opposite), said this of her work: “This painting is inspired by my close connection to nature, my meditations, my philosophy…

Celebrated artist Victor Ambrus gained recognition for his work in a variety of media. A prolific illustrator of history, folk tales and children’s books, Ambrus also became well known for his appearances on the British television archaeology series Time Team, on which he rendered pictures of how sites under excavation may have once looked. A charming and modest man, Ambrus was an Associate of the Royal College of Art and a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Painters, Etchers and Engravers. An enthusiast of pastel, he was active in The Pastel Society in the U.K., serving as its vice president from 2002 to 2007. His work was featured in the June 2012 issue of Pastel Journal. Ambrus had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease,…

Painting a compelling landscape in which light breaks through a canopy of trees takes a thoughtful approach. Before jumping in to tackle what can be a complex challenge, an artist must first understand what they’re seeing and to do that, real-life observation is a must. When I’m out in nature searching for a subject to paint, I’m constantly evaluating the conditions that surround me. Factors such as the temperature and strength of the light, the feel of the atmosphere, the way the wind interacts with the trees and how shadows from trees are being cast upon the ground all contribute to the story I want to tell. These observations will impact my decision-making process when I’m painting back in the studio. When observing those shadows, it’s important to break down…

A square format appeals to contemporary artists and collectors, but its equal dimensions can present challenges in terms of composition. Prescott Sueme offers some insights on the format and tips for how to make it work. • A square format provides an opportunity to achieve a perfectly symmetrical composition and/or an interesting, more intimate view. • The strong geometry of a square frame can highlight other shapes and angles within the composition. • Artists often use the rule of thirds, placing the subject off-center. In a square format, that is still an option; however, there can also be beauty, and a sense of stillness and calm in the simplicity of deliberately centering an object within a symmetrical square. • All sides being equal in length encourages the eye to move…

Lee recently began an experimental series of paintings featuring children, which the artist says is all about “bright, happy and colorful—I wanted to do something just totally fun.” Balloons is part of this series. The seed for the idea was planted when Lee found a smiley face balloon that had wandered into her rose bushes. “I brought the balloon inside and thought, ‘Oh, someone sent me a smile today,’” says the artist. Later, she felt a change of mood (smiles sometimes turn to frowns), but the smiley face balloon remained constant. Eventually, the balloon and it’s optimism found its way back to Lee. With renewed inspiration, she decided to create a painting. “I wanted to put something joyful out there,” she says. Lee created the composition using photographs she’d taken…

If you’ve ever done any plein air painting, you’re familiar with some of the routine trials and tribulations: the consequences of overpacking, the ever-changing light, the whims of the weather, where to go to the bathroom. Anyone dedicated to a regular outdoor practice has developed and refined their strategies for meeting these challenges. Still, surprising encounters and unexpected mishaps do happen. It’s all part of the plein air adventure. We asked seven pastel artists to tell us about some of their best—and worst—experiences painting out of doors, in the field, on the streets and outside the country. For some, plein air painting is a primary focus; for others, it’s a more occasional but valuable complement to a studio practice. In either case, these are artists who’ve found tremendous inspiration when…

Stage 1: In the first phase of a painting, I try to establish my overall light and dark patterns and keep a loose-handed approach while covering the entire surface. Stage 2: By lightly applying some denatured alcohol over the surface, I lock down the underpainting of pastel and start building layers of color on top. During this stage I try to resist my natural urge to add too much detail. Stage 3: In the later stages of refinement, I pay attention to color harmony and begin to punch up the intensity of color. I also fine-tune the subtle transitions between light and shadow.…

Prescott Sueme didn’t start out using pastels. She began her fine art career with oils, applied in many thin layers to create simple ‘fruitscapes,’ as she names them: small, jewel-like renditions of one or two items in a pared-down setting with dramatic lighting (see Just a Red Onion, below). Her first showing of the paintings in this series sold out, a resounding confirmation of her skill, but the artist modestly credits other factors into her success. “These very specific pieces were featured in a show curated by the Lisa Coscino Gallery in Pacific Grove and Studio City, Calif.,” she says, “and that exposed my work to many great collectors. The elements of scarcity, combined with the intimate nature of the work and a room full of collectors, all contributed to…

“It’s no secret that I love color. I’ve often been called a colorist,” says the artist. “Being a bit of a contrarian, I challenged myself to stay away from a large color palette to see if I could still create interesting pieces without the use of bright, exciting colors. As a result, composition became even more important, as did a perfect balance of shapes and textures, and of light and shadow. The ensuing pieces, I feel, have been some of my most successful work to date, and I’ll continue to move in this direction.” WITH HER KEEN EYE FOR COLOR, A BENT FOR FEARLESS, ARTISTIC EXPERIMENTATION AND A GREAT LOVE FOR THE MEDIUM OF PASTEL, MARIE TIPPETS COMPOSES REMARKABLE CREATIONS. Painting With Design Restraining her palette to a dominance of…

Inspired by photos of a packed-dirt path in the Amazon rainforest, I created my Crucible series, structured with ripped and layered hand-made watercolor paper. I didn’t continue using the spherelike motif beyond this series, but those works did lead to the series The Ever Forest, in which I use layers of hand-made papers for the background structure.…