Summer Is Coming

Pastel 9x9 on Sanded Paper

I began this painting with a sketch on my tablet using blocks of color and value.  My motivation was the passage from a small cove on the St. Johns River onto the open water.  On an early summer morning, this opening seems to lead to a different world.  I have worked with a limited palette with a few of my favorite "accent" colors thrown in for interest.

Early Azaleas

Early Azaleas

 Pastel on LuxArchival Sanded Paper.

The main idea that motivated me for this painting was the upright, somewhat unbalanced arrangement of these few large azaleas in this small ceramic vase. The brightness of the color was a bit overwhelming, but the values fall within a narrow range. I wanted to convey the light and brightness of spring with the these soft, temporary azalea blooms.

March Surf

March Surf

Pastel 6x6 on  LuxArchival sanded Paper

I am finding that by limiting my time to begin a painting, my finished work has vastly improved.  This painting of waves was begun and nearly completed in three 4-minute and one 3-minute segment.  I started with a drawing and a selection of pastels.  Between each time segment, I pause to review what I have done and plan my next step.  Once I have completed the timed portion, I evaluate the painting, and devote only the effort that is necessary to bring the painting to completion.  

One very important lesson I am learning while working under a time constraint is that I must let each stroke be determined by the previous stroke.  This limits confusion and leads to form, color, and value harmony.

Here is the original drawing - blue pastel pencil on sanded paper.  The idea was purely imaginary, and I worked strictly from memory without any reference photos.  My goal was to paint a big white foamy wave in a broken surf.

Initial line drawing - blue pastel pencil

Here is the result after 15 minutes of work.  Compare it to the finished work above.  At this point, I realized that there some design issues that needed to be corrected, especially with the secondary white wave at the top, the color of the water at the horizon, and the "regularity" of the wave in the foreground.

Painting after 15 minutes.

 

A Pair of Pears

Pastel 6x6 on sanded paper

I selected this composition because it presented the colors of the two pears with an interesting contrast created by the shadows and the two opposite ends of the pear - the stem and the blossom.  The color of the fresh pears was uniformly green and there was almost no variation in their shading, but the light from a window created the drama that makes them memorable.  I timed my painting of these pears to three 4-minute segments and one 3-minute segment with a break in between each section for evaluation and decision.  I then followed up with just a few strokes to adjust edges and background.  Keeping my time and stokes limited forces me to be more loose in my strokes and holds me back from getting bogged down in details.

Princess Bridgette

Pastel 6x6 on LuxArchival  Sanded Paper

This is another portrait of Bridgette.  She is always the princess and believes that anyone taking photos must be part of the rabble, but she endures it with this expression of annoyance.  My goal here was to capture her likeness and expression.
 

Pear 4

 Pastel 6x6 on Sanded paper

This bright pear is another result of a 15 minute exercise plus a few final touches.  I have been challenged by these short exercises which force me to master only the most important details and leave the everything else as suggestions.

Pear and Pitcher

 Pastel 6x6 on Sanded Paper

I was really interested in the contrast of shapes with this still life of a small milk pitcher with squared-off sides with a fresh, green pair.  I decided that I would soften all the edges except for the focal point - the end of the pear.