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The “All TX All Pastels!” 2024 Texas State Juried Pastel Exhibition mission is to inspire artists, enhance public appreciation for the lasting value and beauty of the medium of soft pastels, and further establish Texas as a viable cultural market. This biennial exhibition is hosted by Austin Pastel Society and will exhibit at the ArtWorks Gallery in Austin, Texas.

I am one of 32 artists that were juried into this show! Artwork is on display May 4 – June 15, 2024. There will be an awards ceremony if anyone is local or in town on May 11. Hope you get to stop by and see the artwork.

You never know what to expect when you submit to a national juried show. The first bit of good news was that I was accepted! Then I had to figure out if we ship or drive it the 4 hours away. I was also not sure of the exact date of moving, so we drove it in. That also allowed me to see relatives who had moved nearby. I was a nice trip away from everyday chaos. I didn’t make it to the award reception of course. The pickup date was moved out a week due to bad weather. I began making plans to travel and the best thing happened. I was contacted by a local art lover who purchased my painting. YEAH!

Now about the painting. It is a sailfin lizard found typically at zoos unless you are in tropical areas like the Philippines. I painted this with soft pastels on UART 500 sanded paper.
Please reach out to me if you like something you see on my website and/or desire artwork of your favorite things.

We came across the remnants of a blue barn on Page Road in Morrisville, NC. Near the barn was a cemetery for the Page family (dated roughly 1822-1923) on the north side of the intersection of Page Road and Crown Parkway. There were two large upright stones and six small field stones with modern markers glued to them. I imagine the city has or will relocate the small prominent county farmer family cemetery. To learn more about the area, I did some research.

The namesake of the cemetery, LeRoy Page, was beaten to death by his son Fab, with a heavy elm root (from a tree) during a quarrel in 1926. "I'll kill you if I ever get up," were the father's last words, according to witnesses. This was 52 years after LeRoy’s own father Obediah, was aiming a shotgun at his son Alonso for some reason or another. The son ended up killing his father with a rifle. That son disappeared, never to be seen again. Talk about family drama.

I don't know if the cemetery is related to the barn. Despite the tragedies, the barn on Page Road held my interest to paint a picture. I imagined mountains and an old tractor in this award-winning painting created with several layers of soft pastel on sanded paper. Don’t be too surprised if I paint it again.

I remember taking a polaroid photograph and always wanting to draw the scene. The background had to change to make it modern. Who has pink and red shag carpet? Really. Little sister sitting in the background at the kitchen table had to stay. That was before the kitchen was remodeled. Remember how small the kitchen was? Don’t make it too detailed, please.

The subject matter was our rescue dog, Golden Labrador / German Shepherd mix. Good natured dog adopted to be a companion to an older dog. She lived only five short years but provided memories that last forever.
This was created with several layers of soft pastel on sanded paper. The result is an award-winning painting that has been juried into several shows. Artist owns copyright.

Contact me to create a unique gift of artwork.

I purchased Girault and Henri Roche soft pastels!

Girault Soft Pastels have been produced by French craftsmen since 1780. The first Girault artist created 526 colors. The company and handmaking process has been handed down through generations. And each stick has a hand stamp.

I went with a smaller set of light colors as that was what I seemed to need at the time. I found these to be creamy and soft sticks. I can layer them over many other brands, but not all. They are thinner making them good for adding details. I was told by another artist, that “Girault sticks will change your life”. Well? I don’t know. Maybe I need to try more colors?

The Henri Roche pastel brand goes back to 1720 and are produced today by La Maison du Pastel in France. This pastel is manufactured in small quantities and are hand-rolled with stamps on each stick.
These put down more color pigment than anything else I have used. They hold up very well to sanded papers. An instructor was surprised how the application of Roche black on a painting could be seen from across the room.

These sticks do not play well with other brands. Meaning, you can’t always layer different brands on top of each other. The price prevents most of us from buying sets. Save up some money and buy a few! I keep mine in their little box ready to use when needed.

Which is better? Depends on the painting and artist. I recommend trying any you can.

Do you wonder what you should do with those old polaroid photos? What about creating an original piece of artwork?

Our family had a great dog when we were kids. Today we would call it a rescue dog because that was what she was. She survived many moves and a household of kids and always did what she was supposed to do. Wouldn’t it be great to pay tribute to her? So, I put pastel to paper… Instead of black and white as in the Polaroid photograph that I had taken, I chose to create a painting in color with soft pastels on sanded paper.

Our subject loved kids and playing in the backyard so it seemed fitting to place her in the yard instead of on a porch where she waited to get into the house. It was a bit tricky remembering all the details one needs to put it in a painting. Several texts and calls to siblings found answers to questions. I can’t remember a house or backyard we had with her not in it as a kid. The resulting colorful painting has been displayed in several art shows.

I should paint that other one of her seeing snow for the first time. Perhaps another day.

Artist owns copyrights. Contact me to create an original piece of artwork of your pet.

What makes a great wedding gift? Artwork of course! The hunt to get a source picture proved to be a bit of a challenge. The trusty nephew forgot to snap a photo. Really? The owners texted photos showing their new prize possession, a 100-year-old farmhouse. But unfortunately, the snapshots did not have the right viewpoint. We wanted to keep it a secret that I was painting a picture with soft pastels on Ampersand Board.

It took a trip to end the photoshoot dilemma. The weather held out for one perfect afternoon when the sun was hitting just right. The photo lined up with the artist’s expected viewpoint. I found a great weathered wooden black and blue colored frame to hold the painting when it was complete.

By the way, the weather also held out for a sunny fall afternoon wedding. It was a clear but somewhat chilly outdoor ceremony. You can find this farmhouse in a rural area of Michigan. Although the owners no longer own the house, they have a painting and many memories of their first home together.

Artist owns copyrights. Contact me to create a unique commissioned piece of artwork.

My pastel painting, Behind Market, was juried into Art in the Atrium 24. The curator exclaimed that he loved the dark colors used in the painting. (How nice to hear!)

The subject matter is based on a work trip to Bangalore India a few years back. I focused on local happenings outside of the taxi rather than the way the driver had to maneuver through traffic. It was a short drive through construction zones of unpaved streets from my hotel to the well-paved area of IT business in Bengaluru. We happened upon this scene just behind a small business market with motorbikes and chickens. Perfect lighting hitting the area on a November morning.

The juried exhibit will be on display June 12 – October 17, 2023, at the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center in Frisco, Texas.

I inherited some pastels. Legend has it, they were made by Reveau Mott Bassett, a Texas artist (1897-1981). Reaugh created color pastel sticks around 1937 without oil and sold sets for $5 each, using the same crinoline iron as Frank Reaugh to press ruffles in colors to match the colors ladies wore.

Reveau was a Dallas artist known for painting migrating birds and landscape. His style was influenced by training under Frank Reaugh (1860-1945). Frank Reaugh is known as “the dean of Texas artists.” Frank would take students to sketch for two weeks to two months in summers to train artists across west Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Students were required to paint three paintings per day. Artists, camping equipment and supplies were loaded into a bus called the Cicada. Reaugh would join many of these trips.

Reveau trained at the Art Student League in NY and National Academy of Design. During the late 1960-1970s, Reveau taught at the Garden and Arts group in Irving.
The pastels still work! They are skinny sticks if you split apart from the others from the same mold. The sticks are fairly tough; don’t break easily. They are soft on the paper. The color has a lighter strength. I find that newer pastels can overpower them but work fine for being almost 100 years old.

Here are some lessons learned chairing a national pastel art exhibition and personal experience in shipping artwork. What things do you need to consider when shipping artwork? First, determine if you will send it framed or unframed. How will it be boxed and shipped? Who is providing the shipping service? And finally, pay for tracking the package and make sure you have enough insurance coverage for damages or lost artwork.

Unframed Artwork.
This is an easier way to send artwork. Pastel artwork (or other artwork for that matter), can be placed in an art archival bag or covered with glassine, sandwiched between two pieces of foam core board. Then place this sandwich into a box to ship. The US Post Office has free priority boxes in various sizes. Then pay for the shipping as the box rate will include tracking. You can also make your own cardboard shipping box. Instead of a box, some artists put the sandwiched artwork straight into a plastic sleeve to ship. However, I like my artwork to be double protected. You can find different sizes of archival bags and glassine at art stores and through online searches. This step is important for delicate artwork like pastel, charcoal, etc.

Another way to send non-framed artwork is by rolling it into a tube. This is ideal if you are shipping a long distance to a buyer or the gallery will frame the artwork for you. Perhaps obvious, but this method is not intended for thick applications of paint or artwork mounted to a board. And Yes! Pastel artwork can be sent this way. You will want to lightly spray with fixative before placing the artwork in glassine (bag or sheet). Butcher’s paper, wax side down facing the artwork, also works. Tape “pull” tabs on the back of artwork so you can easily remove the artwork from the roll and tube. Roll the artwork slowly. You want to make sure you don’t crinkle the paper. Don’t roll it too tight. You can layer multiple pieces of artwork into the roll. If you decide you want to double protect the artwork, place the roll into another box. You can find shipping tubes online and locally at shipping stores. I found shipping tubes fit nicely into triangle boxes called Dual-Use Priority Mail (medium or large) tubes made by the US Post Office (boxes are free by the way!). Shipping costs are typically lower in total than sending a large non-bendable flat box.
You don’t have to use the US Post Office. You can use another shipping service that meets your needs. Just make sure you pay for tracking services and insure the artwork.

Framed Artwork.
Most show chairs will tell you to ship artwork with acrylic instead of glass. The safest bet shipping artwork in a frame is to pack in an Airfloat System Strong Box or Uline Deluxe Artwork Shippers with 2-3 inches of padding on all sides. Follow instructions provided. These boxes are a good investment, and reusable for those shipping artwork to galleries. Check with your art society to see if your membership qualifies for a discount with the store. You will want to use one of the big shipping companies like FedEX or UPS for shipping services. The show’s prospectus will probably state this as well. Take photos of what you are sending, get a tracking number and insure the artwork.

Horror Stories?
What happens if you ship and the glass breaks? Depends on the show chair and gallery. Some exhibits will disqualify you and prevent you from showing. Ugh! Broken glass can cause scratches or damages to the artwork. We had one box rerouted because it was damaged on the way to the shipper. The glass busted somewhere during the trip! Good thing the artist paid for shipping insurance and took pictures. She was able to get the glass fixed to hang it in the show.

One shipper ran plastic shipping tape across the glass and frame to hold the artwork in place. When the tape was removed, some of the gold paint from the frame also came off. We had to talk to the artist and gallery manager to see what to do next. Don’t tape the frame, ok?

One last thing. I heard from artists that they shipped pastel paintings to juried exhibitions to find out that their painting turned to dust during shipment. Obviously, the gallery could not show the painting as only a ghost version of it remained on the paper. Would this have been prevented by underpainting or using a fixative? Refer to my blogs on underpainting and fixatives. Thanks!

A big debate for soft pastel artists, do you use fixative? Let’s explore this subject.

What? Fixative is used to help bind the pastel to the paper. This fixative is sprayed over the pastel on the paper. Remember to use fixatives sparingly and with proper ventilation – think about going outside and spraying when there is no wind. Do not overspray. Soft pastel can run off the paper if it gets wet. Fixatives can dull your picture down by changing colors or dissolving layers when applied. Improper sprays can create unfortunate dots or blobs on the artwork.

When? Fixative can be applied after you put down a drawing to not lose the original design through applications of pastel. This may be a good idea if you have a really detailed drawing. Some artists spray after underpainting. I may use a fixative in areas that need more details and either the tooth of the paper is too full, or 2) if the types of pastel won’t stick to each other, or to the paper anymore (aka between layers). I also lightly spray anything that I ship without a frame. It’s a gamble either way. Pastel particles will shed and smudge with or without fixative.

Type? There are all kinds of price ranges for pastel fixatives. I prefer Sennelier for pastel artwork and have also used less expensive working fixatives by another brand. Expect the colors to slightly change. You may need to reapply some part of the pastel to the painting. Remember to let the painting dry before touching up. And please do not use hairspray as a fixative. You spent good money on soft pastel sticks and sanded papers. Spend money on a proper soft pastel fixative. If you glaze pastel artwork with acrylic, that’s a different story not addressed here.

Secrets. I came across secrets from well-known artists that claim you can do “this” instead of using a fixatives. Let’s review.
1) Use a rolling pin to crush the pastel into the paper. Ok, this really pushes pastel into the grid of the paper. Do not go over with a roller pin more than a couple times or you will lose detail strokes and blur the painting. Think of the time lost having to redo your painting. However, this may be something to consider at the beginning of a painting.
2) Put the painting in the sun “to bake” for 30 minutes. I don’t know if this really works. The theory is it is really hot outside, it bakes into the paper. My experiment almost melted because even though it was hot, it was also humid. I pulled the painting inside just as the whites were getting gooey and it took two days to completely dry. I was also afraid of nature (wind and insects) disturbing the painting. Maybe consider this option if you are in a hot, dry, bug-free climate.

You can frame your masterpiece with or without fixative. Soft pastel will shed onto the mat or glass either way. Consider how your gallery views loose pastel on glass or mat frames. In the end, the viewing public may never know if your soft pastel painting was sprayed with a pastel fixative when applied correctly. Using fixative is a personal choice to make.

What is an underpainting? In terms of soft pastel artwork, this is when the artist applies a wet application. Once the paper is dry, you apply pastel to complete the painting. Not every pastel artist or pastel painting will have this. The first time I saw this application, I was surprised at how deep and velvety the darks became.

How to underpaint. First, make sure your paper will handle a wet application, or you may destroy or damage the paper. Then you want to put a thin layer of pastel on the paper and apply a liquid with a damp paint brush or sponge. You can also apply the liquid with a squirt bottle; be careful on how much pastel and liquid you use. Expect some pastel to come off during this application. You may need to dip the brush into the liquid multiple times. You can use different brushes over the pastel like a painting to create interesting strokes.

I like to use rubbing alcohol as the liquid for underpainting as it does not yellow the colors as much as tap water, and it dries faster, in my experience. You can also use filtered water, mineral spirits etc.

You can also skip the initial pastel layer and underpaint with acrylic, watercolor, or oil paint instead. You may need to water the paints down, so you don’t fill the tooth of the paper. Pastel needs something to stick to (aka the tooth) after the underpainting dries.

Colors choices. You can underpaint darker colors, complementary colors or make other choices. This is really up to you. The Artist Network’s Pastel Journal, Winter 2023 issue has a great article on several ways to underpaint.

Contests. For artists entering contests, consider the requirements for the pastel artwork category. Some shows will allow an underpainting, as long as the final top artwork is for example 80-90% soft pastel. Other shows will require 100% dry, soft pastel. Read the prospectus carefully when entering shows to determine if you have a pastel painting or mixed media.

Tips. The underpainting does not need to be everywhere. It is ok to leave some of the paper color showing through. And sometimes you may lose pieces of the paintbrush on the sanded paper. Not to worry, most of the brush pieces will come off when the paper dries. 😊

Artists that want their work to last, use archival grade paper. This is a paper that won’t fade, is acid-free, and lignin-free. There are so many to choose from, a common question that I am asked, is what paper do you use for pastels?

Paper that works well with my technique range in 320-500 grade or grit. I switch around with papers because sometimes the painting requires more details or based on the look I am going for. I prefer to purchase the paper than make my own. The color of the papers will impact of the pastel you apply. You may need to play around a bit to see what works. Keep in mind that at some point, the pastel may not stick to the paper because there is no tooth left in the paper to hold it.

Sanded pastel papers can feel like sandpaper. When you touch sandpaper, the higher the grit, the smoother the surface. If you like to apply lots of layers of pastel, or maybe you like to apply thick layers of pastel (aka heavy handed) then you should start with a lower grit. Higher grades are typically for delicate work. If the grade or grit is not listed, look for the heaviness or thickness of the paper as LBS (pounds) or GSM (grams per square meter). The higher the GSM, the thicker the paper and more layers of pastel it will hold.

Here are some pastel papers in my bin.

UART Premium Sanded Paper. My current preference is 500, 400, and 320 grade. I also purchased 600 and 800 to test out in the future. This paper will take water application without damaging the tooth. It does tend to roll. Make sure you lay flat to store or tape down when painting / drawing. Beware that you will cut your fingers if you try to blend the pastel with fingers. Remember, the lower the grit, the rougher the paper. Experienced pastel artists will tell you that this is most like the Kitty Wallis paper from years ago. This is archival quality, PH neutral/acid free.

Pastel Premier. Another one of my go-to favorites is the 145 lb / 310 gsm. The grit is described as medium, and the paper comes in a few color choices although I like the Italian Clay and white versions. This paper will take some water but be careful to let it dry before applying another layer. This is acid-free and 100% cotton.

Colourfix Paper by Art Spectrum. I have the 230 lb / 340 gsm with a white boarder around many different colors of paper to choose from. It has a higher GSM and will hold layers. This is acid free, lightfast, and permanent.

Richeson Premium Pastel Surface. I have some 140 lb paper on gator foam. It takes water application. This paper will hold a few layers. The paper is available in many colors and has a thin white border around. This is archival / acid-free.

Ampersand Pastelbord. I have the museum series panel in a sand color. This is a clay and gesso coated hardboard with a granular marble dust finish. They do not state the grade which feels fairly smooth, and it will hold multiple layers. This takes water application. If you have a heavy hand with pastels, this may not be the ideal choice for you. There are four or so colors to choose from. This is acid-free, archival and pH neutral.

Canson Mi Teintes. I like using this for quick sketches. This is 98lb / 160 gsm. Many artists use this because it is easy to find at art stores and hobby stores. This paper tolerates light erasing and a little spritz of water if you are careful not to soak it. Otherwise, the water will warp the paper. This has two sides: one rougher honeycomb grain and the other is smooth. There are 50 colors to choose from. This is acid free and has a high cotton content (advertising doesn’t state the amount).
There are many other chooses of paper out there. Some artists use charcoal paper or drawing paper.

Have fun experimenting and find the papers that work for you.