Friday, April 8, 2016

New Found Appreciation

Demo--First ever!
14x12, pastel

This past Sunday was a first for me.........giving a pastel demo for the Pastel Society of the Southwest during their monthly meeting. This group of artists are so very talented, it was a humbling experience. They were so gracious and kind to me as I tried to hide my anxiety.

I anguished for several months trying to decide on a subject to paint. The PSSW had requested that the demo be of a still life. Now still life paintings were a staple when my main medium was watercolor, but since pastels have ruled, very few still lifes have been completed. So many small paintings were tried to help me determine the subject matter......and heaven forbid that I choose a simple composition! The demo was begun with the drawing on prepared gatorboard ( you can see the light yellow pastel on the picture below), and was worked on until the break. At the end of the break a second painting closer to completion was put up on the easel (the apple on the left and two flowers needed to be painted). Really like the subject and may continue working to refine this painting.

It really was a fun experience and I am grateful to the group for allowing me to dip my toes into the world of painting demonstrations. There is a greater appreciation for those artists who so willingly share their knowledge of creating art.

Demo...what was completed prior to the break.