Revisiting a favourite painting location

Backlit Cedar Ridge in Pastel on Canson

Although I take hundreds of photos 

there are certain subjects 

which keep drawing me back.

Here is a re-visit to that group of old cedars 

(near the marsh) at Presqu'ile Provincial Park.

Inspired by Van Gogh

As the temperature hovers near freezing in southern Ontario,

 I'm organizing 

(in the coziness of the studio)

that huge stock of photos 

I've accumulated over the last few months.

This springtime snap reminded me of a Van Gogh oil....

It is the pattern of filtered light and dark shadows

 that drew me to the composition.

I thought I could make the dark trunk balance with the bright whites of the trilliums 

scattered in the shadows at the base of the tree.

Trilliums are most abundant  in the rich composted soil 

at the base of mature deciduous trees.
 

Pastel Study - Ferns and Rocks

In this example I revisit a study from 2012. 

In the original pencil crayon

 I explored the textural differences of rocks, grasses and ferns.

In the pastel I eliminated the grasses 

in order to concentrate on the contrast 

between feathery  ferns and angular rocks.

In the process I discovered 

(much to my surprise!)

that I could get transparency 

with a lighter touch 

and layering pastel colour.

Old Cedar Trees - Pastel

This group of old cedar trees were full of character 

and a good subject for studying colour 

in the landscape 

as well as light and shade.

I exaggerated the light areas

 in order to create interest across the picture plane

and used the pink, turquoise green contrast as a colour scheme.

I perhaps made the trees too evenly spaced - 

the arrangement of trees is more interesting in the photo.

Maybe next time!

Landscape Pastel - Changing Fall Colour

Another view of that same foggy morning. 

In this experiment 

I added some bright pinks

 to the original colour scheme.

I simplified the composition 

in order to play off the wildflowers 

against the dark green trees

 while keeping the atmosphere

somewhat illusive.

Landscape Pastel - Exploring Colour

This experiment began with a trip to the art supply store.

I had been using a rather basic set of student colours and felt it was time upgrade!

Starting with a limited selection of Nupastel and Rembrandt colours, 
I chose some muted tones,

white, cream and flesh (light oxide red), 
warm and cool grays,soft blue, violet,
 an expanded range of greens (from turquoise to bluish green) 
and one pure green.

This selection was based on this scene I photographed one foggy morning.

A quick pastel sketch proved successful in establishing an interesting colour scheme.

The final picture was a joy to work on 

as good quality pastels are much easier to handle and allow layering of colour.

My photography skills are rather basic 

so some of the subtlety of colour is lost.

But it was a successful experiment 

in becoming more sensitive to the

"color in the landscape".

Pastels - Spontaneity

I've worked with many types of media from glass and porcelain to watercolour.
In each atmosphere is created through light and transparency.

Although pastels don't have the same transparency
 of those media,
 the juxtaposition of one pure colour 
next to another creates energy and vibrancy.

At the same time, layering of colours and textures and/or
 blending one colour brings subtlety into play.

But first and foremost pastels offer immediate results....
it's pure joy as a colorist 
to lay down one colour next to another 
and let them play off each other.

This inherent spontaneity allows the artist  to easily 
experiment with a variety of ideas....
which is fun .......
and that's what I hope 
my explorations are all  about!

In this example of the Presquile shoreline 

I was again studying the patterns found in nature.