March 03, 2016

Why Pastels?

Many people have asked me why I choose pastels over many other media. Pastels are advantageous to me for a myriad of reasons and their appeal is so great that I have not enough time to list them all but here are some:

• I love the feel of the pastels on my sanded paper. As it scumbles across the surface, it is a delight to my fingertips and really engages my moment of creating.

• The colors have a spectacular luminescent quality, from the most subtle grays and browns to the most brilliant oranges, purples and greens.

• The color does not fade away, even for decades or centuries. Because it is pure pigment, if contained under glass, there is no telling how long the painting can last.
(Many types of paint can yellow or fade with age, but not pastels.

• There is no drying time. I can work fast or slow, depending on my mood or schedule.

• It is relatively low in toxicity and there are no solvents. No fumes or toxic chemicals to expose myself to as I am painting.

Pastels have the longest shelf life of any medium. Their dazzling interaction with light is evident in a well-lit room. A particle of pastel pigment looks like a prism under a microscope, reflecting light. Many of the world’s great masters of art used pastel, Degas, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Whistler, Bonnard, Cassatt… the list goes on.

Some students new to pastel have asked me, “What about the mess?” Yes, pastels can be messy. They smudge and get on your fingers. You may have to wash your hands often. The painting is volatile and can be smeared if not placed under glass. But to me, the mess is only part of the process like the clay that must get under a sculptor’s fingernails or wood shavings that might be all over one’s clothes if turning a wooden bowl. An artist is engaged in the entire process and makes a commitment to the vision.

Messiness or scattered pigments are of no matter to me if there is a masterpiece in the making.

I hope you will give pastels a go one day. I doubt you will be disappointed. I am almost positive you will be hooked.

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