A Photograph of the stream.

As motivated and excited as most of us are to paint, we all go through periods where the muse is hiding. The time is allotted, the pastels arranged, the surface prepared, and the inspiration is just absent. When this happens, a surefire way of recharging those batteries of inspiration is a road trip. As a landscape painter, and one that loves working en plein air, I find exploring new territory and allowing for serendipity, will lead to enthusiasm. This adventure into the unfamiliar always stimulates the senses, allowing new ideas to form. Departing from a preplanned agenda and letting ourselves explore, opens our creative eye to the possibilities lying in wait.

Recently, I found myself in a state of low motivation. A series of deadlines and major painting commitments had taken their toll on my energy and had left me uninspired. Fortunately, I had a couple of artist friends who came to the rescue. We gathered one morning and wandered into a remote area of Central Oregon’s high desert. One of the friends was familiar with the region, so we at least had an idea of what might lie ahead - always wise to know if there is gas and an occasional rest stop along the way. As we headed off, we began to visit and even vent a little about the state of the art world. This is our artistic therapy session and something I highly recommend. What is
said within the confines of the car stays in the car – so freeing. As we ventured into what was new territory for me, one of the artists made a comment that really resonated: “it's impossible to really see the potential of an area until you pull the car over and wander into the surrounding area.” With this in mind, we took the first pullout that allowed for the car to be off the road to put this theory into practice.

Once out, with cameras and sketchbooks in hand, the adventure began. Right in front of us was a beautiful stream, filled with brilliant blue reflections and the stunning contrast of the warm earth complementing it - wow - this was great! Before I could say “Sennelier,” one of the artists had headed off following the bank of the stream, it was as if we were all being drawn to follow it on its journey. Each bend held a new fascination. Cameras clicked and notes were taken as we continued on our mesmerizing journey. Hardly a word was uttered; we were transfixed by the visual scene unfolding before us. After a considerable amount of time, I realized we had wandered a great distance from the car, leaving the doors wide open in our enthusiasm. As I headed back to secure it, I found my energy restored; so many compositions, exciting color combinations, and textures had done the trick. I can hardly wait to see where this newfound inspiration leads.

This time of year it's hard to miss the green. It's everywhere. As spring rains lead to those summer flowers, green is a major part of the package. One of the most frequent questions I receive in a workshop is how do you handle green in your paintings? As an artist friend once said when asked about working with green: “I avoid it at all cost."

The thing is; with green, a little goes a long way. If you want to use greens well and keep them in harmony with the landscape, my tip is: “orange is the secret and violet the friend." Adding a touch of red to the mixture of yellow and blue (green) will complete the triad of color, helping to relate it to the other warm tones within the scene. Placing a little violet of the same value next to a mass of green counteracts the harshness of the green, making it appear a little more yellow, again pulling it toward a warmer appearance due to simultaneous contrast (see previous blog post for more on that). We often think we only see blue, green and variations of gray, forgetting that light is made up of all color. The pigments we choose to paint with merely represent what the eye sees. The leaves, for example, are not viridian or cadmium; those are pigments. We see non-absorbed light reflected off surfaces and associate colors. Pastel artists have an especially difficult time because so little blending is utilized in producing individual hues. We rely on hundreds of sticks while a wet painter might have as few as four tubes of paint. Most green pigments, in their raw form, are too blue (cool) and over saturated (bright) to work well unless combined with another pigment. Pastel manufacturers like Unison, Terry Ludwig, Girault, Sennelier, Mount Vision, and Great American have an assortment of greens that are a mixture of pigments. When purchasing individual sticks, don’t select them based on their pigment name. Look at them and ask yourself: Does this stick represent something I would mix if I were painting with wet paint?
 
My best advice is to acquire those blended green pastel sticks, the warmer the better. Add orange, (the secret) and violet (the friend) to those large green masses (as shown in the image of color swipes at right), even if it's in the underpainting, and embrace the beauty of those natural greens. Soon they will become golden yellow—another story.

Pictured above: See how green is handled in this detail of my painting, Layers of Light.

Since there was so much to discuss concerning the safe shipment of a  
pastel, I wanted to pick up where I left off in last week's post.

For added protection when packaging a framed pastel for shipment, place it in a strong clear plastic bag. This provides extra moisture protection and helps protect the frame from abrasion. If you're using a homemade box, add thick cardboard sheets to the front and back of the painting. Make these slightly larger than the frame for extra puncture protection.

Before sealing the box, make sure you have enclosed all required information. For an exhibition, this might include the entry form, fees, return information (return label and shipping forms), and any pther special instructions. Place these in a manila envelope and tape it to the plastic bag covering the painting. This makes it easy to find. If you have a box that you wish to be returned even if the painting sells, make sure to note this in the enclosed information.

When labeling the box, print legibly and be sure to include phone numbers. Mark the top/front, in hopes that the carrier will transport the painting face up or in a vertical position. Be sure to note that the contents are fragile and should be handled with care (See photo above of a package with shipping labels and paperwork).

If you plan to frequently ship works, set up an account with FedEx or UPS. This makes return billing less of a hassle. Expenses will be charged to your account, allowing the shipping agent to simply affix the label to the return package and arrange for pick-up. Personally, I find FedEx to be a pleasure. I spend the extra amount for air service, providing prompt efficient service with less time for a package to be bounced from truck to truck.

Insurance can be an issue. Some carriers will not insure works under glass, while others restrict the value to the creating artist to no more than $500 per box. Educate yourself in advance as to the liabilities of your carrier. If you plan on shipping works frequently, it might be advisable to acquire separate supplemental insurance to cover your paintings. In this modern age, it's easy to follow the journey of the painting as it makes its way to the final destination by using the tracking number from the shipping label. Having an account allows me to receive an email notification automatically when shipments have been delivered. I print this out and file it with the entry information.

Accidents will happen. That is why we have insurance. However, a little effort on our part to pack our painting well and organize our information goes a long way in helping to facilitate a painting’s safe arrival. Who knows, maybe it will sell and all you’ll have to deal with is the return of an empty box; it happens!

We're fortunate to be painting in a time when there are so many wonderful pastel surfaces commercially  available. In the Dark Ages of pastel—not so long ago actually—it was a necessity to know how to make your own, especially if you required a sanded surface. But even with the proliferation of available surfaces today, there are times when a homemade surface fills the bill.

To create a homemade, sanded pastel surface, you'll need the a substrate and the ground components (binder, grit and, optionally, a tone):

Substrate: This is the surface that the abrasive material will be adhered to. The major consideration here is the archival nature of the product. Heavy paper or hardboard surfaces are favorites. When choosing a paper, make sure it's strong enough to withstand your technique and the wet application of the sanded grit. If it's too thin, it will buckle and warp. This can often be remedied with a thin application of acrylic binder to the backside. Watercolor and printmaking papers of 100% cotton-rag content work well. If a rigid surface is your preference, wood-fiber hardboards or Gatorboard will be more to your liking. Both of these substrates should be sealed first with a coat of acrylic to protect the surface from acidic migration over time. A quick coat of acrylic gesso or painting medium will suffice. Apply the sanded grit and you've produced a rigid pastel sanded board that's easy for travel and easy to frame.

Binder: An acrylic polymer works well. Strong, yet flexible, it holds the grit and dries quickly. Acrylic gesso produces a white surface that's nice for most underpainting techniques, and acrylic painting medium can be used when a clear solution is preferred. These can be used full-strength, producing more textured results or thinned slightly with water to smooth. Many artists enjoy using creative brush strokes when applying the ground mixture, as they utilize the brushstroke texture in their finished work.

Grit: Traditionally, pumice or Rottenstone powder have been the grits of choice. Pumice comes in varying degress of coarseness: 2F, 3F and 4F are the most widely used. Experiment to see which works best for you. Pumice can be found in most hardware stores and many art supply stores, such as Dakota Art Pastels. Marble dust (calcium carbonate), also available at most art supply stores, can be used when a softer grit surface is desired.

Tone: Toning the surface is achieved by the addition of any acrylic color. Remember that acrylic dries slightly darker than it appears when wet. Mix colors together until a desired result is achieved.

Finding just the right proportion of the above ingredients in your ground mixture is an individual choice. I recommend starting with 1 cup of binder and adding 3 tablespoons of grit. Weaken this with as little water as necessary; too much water and the binder may be broken, compromising the adhesion. Test this result, and then adjust the proportions to suit your needs.

The mixture may be applied in a variety of fashions. A smaller paintbrush will produce more brush tracks and texture, while a larger brush will provide a more even application. Bristles brushes tend to create a slightly uneven appearance while nylon brushes produce more uniformity.

My favorite homemade surface is on Gatorbaord using a ground made up of acrylic gesso and pumice, toned with either a warm brown or a warm green acrylic (see photo of materials and finished boards). If I need a black surface, I use acrylic medium and black acrylic paint with the pumice. I prefer to brush it on using a soft bristle brush, alternating the application direction between layers. This produces a soft woven appearance similar to portrait grade linen.

Feel free to experiment. Try new surfaces, binders, grits, and tones. The bonus to a homemade surface is it allows us to accommodate our individual style, and we don’t have to worry about them being out of stock or discontinued!

If you'd like to read more of my thoughts about choosing supports and my favorite recipes for ground mixtures, see the special report "From the Ground Up" in the August 2006 issue of The Pastel Journal.