Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023 i The Pastel Journal

It’s a default human characteristic to love color, so it’s not really surprising that the subject has occupied the minds of some of the most famous thinkers of all time. It was none other than Sir Isaac Newton who, in the 1660s, undertook a scientific study of color. His experiments with prisms and light wrere the first to establish our understanding of a visual spectrum made up of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. Wondering whose color theories Newton’s discoveries debunked? That would be Artistotle, who posited—about 2,000 years earlier—that color was sent by God from heaven through celestial rays of light. “If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been due more to patient attention than to any other talent." — SIR ISAAC NEWTON Anyone who…

“When I draw flowers—when I really dive into this practice—I switch from fear to light.”…

Other artists: Wallis-King says the atmosphere in the works of American painter Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) “captivates” her. She’s also inspired by the paintings of classical Russian landscape artist Isaak Levitan (1860-1900), who advanced the genre of the moody landscape. Prehistoric art: “The prehistoric cave paintings located in France and Spain take my breath away," she says. Poetry: “Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem, ‘I Live My Life in Widening Circles,’ always makes me pause for thought,” she says, “and I can spend all afternoon revisiting Séamus Heaney’s poetry, with his imagery of landscape, weather and seasons.” Music: Tunes are always playing in Wallis-King's house, as both her partner and son are musicians. “In my little studio,” she says, “I usually listen to Townes Van Zandt, Gillian Welch, Nick Drake, Van Morrison or…

Although the 18th century is generally regarded as the Golden Age of pastel, the medium experienced a revival between the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. The available range of pastels, in terms of color and texture, expanded considerably during this period, opening the door to all types of experimentation. The more than 500 works that comprise the pastel collection of the Musée d’Orsay, in Paris, tell the story of this renewal in an exceptional way. Now, for the first time since 2009, the museum is bringing out of storage a selection of about 100 pastels from its collection, in an exhibition showcasing how and why the medium came back into fashion, and enabled artists to create such iconic pastels as Jean-François Millet’s The Bouquet…

Abstract artist Paula Phelps loves to be on the move and in the thick of things. She divides her time between homes in Montauk, N.Y., and Merritt Island, Fla., and her website includes the invitation, “Come dance with me!” The intrepid artist is no stranger to travel, but you won’t find her on some tame tour or following a staid itinerary. Instead, you might catch her sailing up the Nile, canoeing the Amazon in uncharted territory, driving cross-country in a taxi or flying to Nome, Alaska, in a single-engine plane sans navigation aids. That lifelong adventurous—and fearless— spirit also propels Phelps ever forward in her artistic journeys. FROM JOURNALIST TO ARTIST Born and raised in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Phelps’ early life was unconventional. “I was raised in an all-male…

Massachusetts native Lisa Regopoulos says if she wasn’t a painter, she’d be a garden designer. Many people, in fact, tell her that her gardens remind them of a painting. “Gardening is a creative extension of my artwork,” she says, “and it involves many of the same concepts, such as color and texture.” Because she has extensive resource material right outside her studio, the artist finds it easy to paint florals. She prefers to paint them en plein air, as with Under the Cloak of Winter (page 63) but, if she can’t, she either uses her outdoor sketches as references or sets up an arrangement in the studio. Birds are frequent visitors to her gardens, and they, too, have worked their way into the artist’s paintings. Indoors or Out? In the…

For me, it only takes one tiny spark of inspiration to light a creative fire. In this case, it was a patch of cattails. Rimmed with a soft whisper of sunlight, cattail fluff floating on a gentle breeze, it was a subject I couldn’t resist. Once that blaze is burning, I simply follow my muse, listening to her wonderful and wild ideas for creating something that expresses that magical moment. Although a mundane photo is often the starting point, it’s quickly replaced by my personal vision. Adrift is a case in point. Notice the many ways I deviated from the photo: I simplified the number of cattails and altered their placement to improve the composition. I opted for a bolder, interpretive color palette and replaced the busy background with simpler…

Whether you’re painting a representational landscape or a colorful abstract, there are items you most likely already have on hand that can be used to create unique mark-making, textures and other special effects. Here, I’ll share tips for getting the most out of some of my favorite tools. 1. Your Pinky Finger The perfect mark-making tool might just be at your fingertips. In fact, your pinky finger can be one of your most versatile tools. The tip of the nail works perfectly for removing an unwanted mark in a tight space or to achieve the perfect blend. Though the pad of the pinky can also come in useful, the tip is more precise. You can use the back of your fingernail for mark-making as well. 2. Slice of White Bread…

When Katrina Wallis-King first submitted her pastel paintings to The Pastel Society, in the U.K., back in 2019, she never imagined that just two years later she would be elected as a full member to the prestigious organization. “Being invited to join was a great honor,” the artist says. When just starting out, Wallis-King was unconvinced that art could be a “credible life path.” A TIME OF TRANSFORMATION Born in 1963, Wallis-King spent her early childhood years in her mother’s homeland of Norway. Over the following years, her family moved throughout Europe for her British father’s military career. The artist assumed her creative inclinations had been inherited from her mother’s side of the family, which is populated with writers and poets, and actors and publishers. When leafing through her English…

• Paint as often as you can. • Don’t let any painting become too precious. • Paint things that excite you—things you love—not what you see others painting on social media. • Paint on-site. It will help you develop a unique style. • If you take a workshop, don’t try to emulate that teacher’s work, but rather, stay true to your own style. Find one thing you can take away from the workshop and incorporate it into your own work. • Keep track of your achievements and acceptances into shows. • Plan one day each week to just play and experiment. • Paint from life, if you can, but when you must paint from reference photos, don’t be afraid to deviate from the source. • Invest in professional-quality art supplies.…