Back for day two of my workshop of Non-traditional Surfaces and Techniques in Pastel! We worked hard again, with visits to the beach after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the morning, they tried unusual methods of pastel on the popular surface Uart, and in the afternoon we whizzed though the fundamentals of printmaking in pastel.

There is a lot of material in this course, and the pace is rather rigorous, but all the students did well, some trying everything, others focusing on what interested them. All along they had my encouragement, and listened to adages like:

• nothing ventured nothing gained
• value does the work; color gets the credit
• if you’re not having fun, you are not doing it right
• paint for yourself, not for validation
• a painting is a safe place to take risks
• precious is overrated
• paint what you love
• don’t should all over yourself
• the world needs your unique voice to be heard
• don’t even try to paint like someone else
• copying is not art; realism is only technique
• when you like it you are finished
• if you don’t like it; you are just not done yet; keep going
• run with your strengths, and manage your weaknesses
• no negative self talk, kick out the inner critic
• let painting help you connect with what is both within you and beyond you
• painting is a healing process; creativity makes you whole
• analyze what will make your painting work; step back and ask it questions
• do the areas of your painting talk to each other?
• does your viewer’s eye stay on the page?
• do you have the full range of values?
• let the painting tell you what it needs
• keep the good bits; charge the not so good bits
• 80/20?

Sunrises have been lovely, and I can see them from my bed. Tomorrow, the students will synthesize all these new methods into works of art. I’m having such a good time nurturing these people.