Lock and Snow, Great Falls, 16 x 20, Pastelbord
Very cold and windy today and spent the entire day in my home studio working on this painting, that I plan to enter into the IAPS Master Circle show. I did the preparation yesterday, including charcoal lines added lightly and then hard pastels. I decided to try something different and used Turpenoid to melt the pastel. I loved the way it spread the pigment, particularly in the background where I had used multiple colors. Couldn’t wait to begin painting it. HOWEVER, I soon discovered that what I had created was a fairly slick surface. I lost the tooth of the Pastelbord and had a really hard time with anything other than really soft pastels. I tried to start with Giraults, and did the entire background with them, but found that they felt like hard pastels. I ended up using primarily Schminckes, Great Americans, and Senneliers. Even the Ludwigs were too hard! Various people have mentioned using Turpenoid (I thought) so I was really surprised at this. The dark blue was the worst area and I’m wondering if it wasn’t a pastel! (I have only a small box of hard pastels here at home now.) Anyway, I was able to complete the painting and just hope that the pastel won’t fall off!!! I really enjoyed the process, but next time I’ll do a test run!!! Hope you are all staying warm.
Jean, I was most interested in your comments about the Pastelbord, as I had used a 5×7 a long time ago, didn’t like it and recently came back to it and fell in love with it. Your struggle with the slick underpainting fascinated me because I thought the final painting to be quite stunning! I blew up both the underpainting and the final on my screen and several things struck me, the final painting glowed, but had just enough detail particularly in the foreground grasses and the brickwork on the right side of the lock where the sun is hitting. These were my thoughts, and, I had not read any of Ms. Bradburn’s comments on your earlier painting of the Farm Road in the Snow until I was writing my comment and glance to the right and clicked on her comment. I do agree with her, but I actually think your latest with the challenging underpainting is the best!
Thanks Laura. I agree that this is a better painting. It’s definitely not the fault of the Pastelbord! I love this surface. It was the turpenoid and whatever it was that I used for the dark blue. Actually, it was fun getting out some of the Senneliers I never use (I have a complete set!). I love using soft pastels but often find them difficult to control. Not in this painting!
A wonderful painting! All parts of it are done beautifully.
Thanks Margaret. I’m not completely happy with the reflection of the tree in the middle bottom and might make a change to it. Hoping that the photo won’t appear all black in the middle! It’s hard to photograph such extremes of light and dark and I am no professional.