I love working with pastels. I am drawn to their rich and vibrant color and the energy that can be achieved by the actual pastel stroke or mark. There are endless ways of experimenting with this medium which makes it interesting and exciting. When choosing subject matter and composition, color seems to be foremost in my mind. It is what excites me and draws me to a subject. My color choices often reflect what I am viewing but as the painting develops my color becomes more intuitive and somewhat pushed as I try to express the “feeling” of what I am painting and respond to the painting itself.

 

Painting “plein air” is a particular joy to me as it combines my love for painting and drawing with being outdoors and interacting with this beautiful world. It is always an adventure and a surprise to see what you will find to paint and how the painting will evolve and – when a painting comes together – it is like a little piece of the creation that you can carry home with you. The information absorbed during an outdoor painting session becomes an important resource when painting in the studio.