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A look inside my brain.

Why Make My Own?

7/20/2015

5 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
I've been using pastels on and off for more than 35 years. The beauty of the medium increases and overwhelms me each time I develop a new technique within a new image.  Along the way, I have strived to learn all I can about all the technical aspects of pastel, as well as the historical.  My driving force was to remain free from any toxic nature due to an auto-immune disorder, followed by being in complete control of the colors.

When I first became interested in pastel making, there wasn't much information available, so I began a long process of trial and error that continues today. Fortunately, my kitchen made pastels have become something I would choose over any other. To date, my palette consists of around 92 colors.


Why make my own?
The strength of pastel as a painting medium is its rich, unsurpassed color. For an artist of any type, color is critical. For me….absolutely essential to my success in my own mind. When I received my first gift set of 100 pastels, I quickly set to work. Within a short period of time, a pattern became noticeable as I burned through my pastels. About a third of the pastels I used very heavily, and they were beginning to disappear. Another third received much less use, and the remaining third I had never used! In speaking to other pastel artists, I found this pattern was common.


So we attack this problem using several strategies. We either buy many sets to build up an impressive and expensive array of colors, or we mix and match different brands, taking advantage of strengths in each manufacturer's palette.

I went in another direction. Why not design my own palette where every stick was a color I would use and enjoy, and the pastels themselves had the qualities I wanted to best express my style of painting? In addition to this, why not be completely organic, natural, green, and healthy?


5 Comments
Ann Evers
7/20/2015 06:49:53 am

that is a great undertaking, I like to do portraits and it would be great to have just the right colors to use.
I enjoy seeing your work on Facebook

Reply
julie link
7/20/2015 09:36:51 am

Ann...it isnt very difficult. I have put my recipe on my site so most of the w9rk is done. Go for it!

Reply
Kathy Gambino
7/20/2015 08:31:25 pm

I am also an artist and love the oil pastel medium. I haven't done any art since 2003, but would love to get back to my art. I have not wanted to pick up oils again(my principle instruction) as my instructor(4 th grade through high school) died of cancer she said was caused by the by the medium she loved. So I'm intrigued by your oustanding work and media of choice as something I may be interested in trying. And you make your own?! Wow!

Reply
David Kent link
11/17/2022 05:22:59 pm

Policy campaign under data. To trial give. Fill reduce indeed mission million.

Reply
Kentucky Gloryholes link
1/17/2023 07:38:31 pm

Thhank you for sharing this

Reply



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    Just a Shrink doing her own therapy.

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  • Home
  • Highlights
    • Festival Schedule
    • New Releases
  • About
    • My Vision >
      • A look inside my brain
      • Organics and Why?
    • My Identity in My Work
    • Color in Black & White
    • A word from the artist
    • Production
    • An Interview wIth Art Reveal Magazine Editor Ann Grahm
    • my resume
  • Gallery
  • Publications & Exhibits
    • Exhibits Worldwide >
      • Water Expressions
      • Custom House Museum Surroundings 2020
      • Albuquerque 2019
      • Life Speaks Texas Collection 2017
      • Lone Star Exhibit 2021
      • Reflections of American Horsepower
  • Collections
    • Glen Rose 2022
    • Colorado Indian Market 2022
    • Illustration of Life
    • A Colorado Collections
    • The Art of Leaves Exhibit 2019
    • Autumn Trails
    • A Western Collection 2018
    • Rockport Collection
    • Private commissions
    • Color Sights Collection
    • My Previous Work >
      • the importance of self
      • life celebration
      • gregarious
      • rippling affect
      • rain on my car window
      • healing colors
      • the shower
      • umbrella utensils
      • jose tito
      • the color of rain
      • italian Fruit
      • water dance
      • diversity
      • street stories and making street stories
  • Newest Pieces
  • commissions completed
  • Untitled
  • New Page