Inspirations: My love of pastel painting

I read a book and my mind creates a visual scene.

Snapshots appear and details fade in and out, as if I am watching what the author has penned.

This is how I paint, those millions of snippets that pass within my view and partner with my imagination will then merge together on my painting surface.  

Pastel lends itself to my style, the subtle layering, the bold strokes, the ability to harmonize with other mediums, and most of all its tactile quality in my hands and on the painting surfaces.

My studio is filled with quotes and phrases.

I will end with words from The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

“Excellent outcomes are the result of wise choices of many alternatives”

 Betsy’s pastel paintings have been selected for inclusion in numerous juried local and national exhibitions, where she has won many awards including Best of Show at the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod’s National Exhibition in 2013.   Betsy is an art instructor and teaches both pastel and plein air classes and workshops.  

The Pastel Society of America shares this information about the pastel medium.

Technically, pastel is powdered pigment rolled into round or square sticks and held together with methylcellulose, a non-greasy binder.

It can be either blended with finger and stump or left with visible strokes and lines. Generally, the ground is toned paper, but sanded boards and canvas are also popular .If the ground is covered completely with pastel, the work is considered a pastel painting; a pastel sketch shows much of the ground. When protected by fixative and glass, pastel is the most permanent of all media because it never cracks, darkens, or yellows.