pastel
Two Meditations in Oil Pastel
Overtly exploring the connection between art and spirituality, these two non-objective works were literally meditations. Aurora Borealis (oil pastel) by Polly Castor
My New Pastel Painting: In Kent with Jill
This I just painted of a stunningly memorable afternoon in Kent with my friend Jill. We do not have colors like these this year…
Pastel Idea
At first glance, I thought these were black and white photographs, but they are actually black, white and gray pastels. Very effectively done, they are by artist Whitney Knapp of New York (click here for her website). As much as I love color, this opens up a lot of ideas for me that I might … Read more
Two New Paintings
Last night I was what my mom would have called “beside myself.” I was exhausted and would have gone to bed, but the sheets were in the laundry. I wanted to read, having searched for a moment to do so for weeks, but was too tired and restless. My husband and son were off at … Read more
I Finished My Big Pastel Painting
This is the painting I started in my pastel class. It is the largest pastel I’ve ever done. It has been sitting on my mantel for over a month awaiting completion! I had a great time finishing it. This was done from a photo of mine taken on the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park, … Read more
Today’s Paintings
Today I had the pleasure of painting outdoors on location with two other artists. (This is called Plein Air painting.) It was a very refreshing and invigorating experience. The pastel painting above was the first of the two, done under heavy cloud cover, which led to a hearty downpour. (My feet in my hiking books … Read more
I Bought a Box of Pastels!
This is a big deal for me! We really didn’t have this in the budget, and it is both a true indulgence and a show of commitment to this medium for us to over extend ourselves in this direction! The box came from Heilman Designs (see here) and will keep the pastels from crumbling … Read more
Laura’s Water Lily and an Update From Our Pastel Class
Above is the first of two paintings my 12 year old daughter made in my adult pastel class. I love it and we will frame it for our upstairs hall. It looks particularly good from far away, and this way we’ll see it down the hall every time we come out of the upstairs bathroom. … Read more
Today’s Painting
This a landmark in the Palo Duro Canyon, near Amarillo Texas. I will be visiting there soon, and I painted this for my husband’s Uncle Harvey who is having a birthday party while we are there. Uncle Harvey is an artist at heart too (although an oil and gas man by profession) so I thought … Read more
My Pastel Class Started Today
My Pastel Class started today. The teacher said if you skip one meal a day for a couple months you could afford to buy some pastels!