Indholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2020 i The Pastel Journal

Dealing with failure and the fear of failure are two of the undeniable realities for anyone involved in the creative field. It can be a real struggle to rally after a disappointment or to maintain momentum during those inevitable times when creativity stalls. A common response to fear is to play it safe. On page 7, artist Anne Strutz addresses this challenge, offering some important tips, because settling into our comfort zone is the surest way to halt progress and stymie growth. Artist Laura Pollak illustrates the point (on page 16) in the story of her artistic detour from a representational painting style to an embrace of an abstract approach. This shift in focus may have felt risky, but it has led to a flourishing period of art-making for the…

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent years joyfully creating landscape or still life paintings without considering the exploration of the abstract (and non-objective) genre. Abstracts weren’t ever on my radar. And then I was invited to take an abstract painting workshop with Jen Evenhus, an award-winning abstract pastel artist. I have to admit that I thought to myself, “Why am I doing this? I don’t really even respond to abstract works.” But thanks to Evenhus’ thoughtful teaching style, bold mark-making and brilliant color choices, I gained a better understanding of—and appreciation for—the genre. A tiny switch had turned on for me. I took a second abstract workshop, this time with artist Debora Stewart—another brilliant prizewinning pastelist of the genre—and it served to hurtle me headfirst into the world of…

WHEN THE MOST COMMON REFRAIN from each juror on a panel of five is “I wish I could have chosen more!” you know the competition is tough. But, as Figure & Portrait Category Juror Cuong Nguyen put it, “The challenge of judging is that, ultimately, you must draw a line.” So, how did these five artist-jurors approach that task and what lessons can be gleaned from their choices that might provide some helpful take-away for entrants who are eager to make it into the top 100? Read on for specific advice from Nguyen and our other acclaimed artist-jurors: W. Truman Hosner (Landscape & Interior), Yael Maimon (Animal & Wildlife), Colette Odya Smith (Abstract & Non-Objective) and Kathy Hildebrandt (Still Life & Floral). How to Catch a Juror’s Eye Our Pastel…

“YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW YOUR PATH IN A PAINTING; the painting will tell you where it needs to go,” says Bre Barnett Crowell, winner of the Pastel Journal Award of Excellence for her abstract work, Nandina Graffiti. “This one told me to keep making lines and to keep making gestures.” In much of her work, Crowell often doesn’t know what a painting is about until she finishes it. As she’s making marks and gestures, she says her subconscious mind is also at work. “I get so swept up in the process of an abstract work; sometimes I don’t recognize what’s influencing me and what’s coming out until I sit back and look,” she says. “It might relate to something in my life or something I’ve seen that morning.” When the…

JERZY MOSCICKI, WINNER OF THE RICHESON PASTEL BRONZE AWARD, says his painterly life is lived within a “theater of lights.” Indeed, he sees Lumière Intérieure— which translates to “inner light”—as a painting more about the light itself than the objects it features. The setting is Moscicki’s farmhouse in the French countryside, where he has lived since 2016. “When I saw the light fall upon the old carpet in the foyer,” the artist says, “I immediately understood that this light would be my subject. The rest of the painting was just hard work and patience to realize the emotion I felt in that moment.” Landscape & Interior Category Juror W. Truman Hosner says of Lumière Intérieure, “I thought that the artist expressed, in a most exceptional manner, the mood and nostalgia…

Adolph von Menzel (1815–1905) was the best German artist of his era, which is to say, the entire second half of the 19th century. Menzel’s initial popularity was based on paintings of historical subjects, and he later excelled as a genre painter. As good a painter as he was, he’s most highly regarded today as a draftsman. It seems he drew almost everything he saw with journalistic fervor. “While being perfectly healthy,” wrote art critic Edmond Duranty, “he has the neurosis of truthfulness.” Menzel drew using both hands—though he preferred the left—and sewed extra pockets into his coat to carry sketchbooks. His skill for realistic rendering is all the more impressive given his lack of traditional schooling. He briefly drew from plaster casts at the Berlin Academy of Art and…

Moving in a new direction is often uncomfortable, laborious and intimidating. Instead of letting the move feel weighty, embark on your abstract painting practice with a sense of playfulness and curiosity—and cut yourself a break. Experimentation is key to moving forward. Take a few risks and don’t expect to produce your best work immediately. There are no failures, just more information. As I explored this new-to-me genre, I asked myself the question, “What if?” and let it drive me in new directions. This question still serves me well every time I begin a new painting.…

Landscape & Interior Juror W. Truman Hosner (wtruman hosner.com) is a member of the California Art Club, a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America (PSA) and the Pastel Society of Eastern Canada, a Master Circle member of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), a Distinguished Pastelist with the Pastel Society of the West Coast (PSWC) and a Signature Member of Degas Pastel Society. The artist is devoted to open air painting, where he paints both the landscape and the figure. His work, which has been featured in national and international museum exhibitions, is part of collections in North America, Europe and Asia. Hosner earned his BFA at Wayne State University, in Michigan, and taught at the College for Creative Studies, in Detroit. Before becoming a fine artist,…

FIRST PLACE Kathy Falla Howard Born in Canada but whisked away to Arizona at an early age by her family, Kathy Falla Howard (kathyfallahoward.com ) finds great beauty in the American Southwest. “I’m driven by the stark, resilient beauty of the desert, full of thorns, sand and wind,” she says. Recently, while traveling in southern Utah to gather reference material, Howard stayed in a resort that offered spectacular views. “The view from every window looked like a Maynard Dixon painting,” she says. Upon seeing her work, the gallery manager invited Howard to return as an artist-in-residence for two weeks, in which she started and completed Navajo Sandstone. The painting is based on an image she made in the field on her iPad Pro. Then, using the app Procreate with an…

NAME IT Staying in your safe zone when making art is a sure way to stifle creativity. Free your fears by writing down what it is that you’re afraid of. Here are a few examples: • When taking a workshop, I’m afraid to let go of the techniques with which I’m familiar and embrace the new technique being presented, because I may fail and look like I don’t know what I’m doing. • My time is limited. I’m afraid of wasting it by trying out something new and then not getting a successful result. WHAT IF? “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”—THOMAS EDISON During the painting process, do you ever find yourself thinking, “What if?”…

Step 1: I love drama in an abstract painting, and to get a glow, contrast is required. I almost always begin a painting on UART 320 paper that I’ve tinted and mounted on a board. I prefer the richness of a truly black background that I’ve colored myself using Nupastels in deep Prussian blue, dark sepia and alizarin (1a). Note the difference between the tinted paper, under the paintbrush, and the pre-tinted paper. I lightly apply pastel (1b) and then wash it down with isopropyl alcohol. If I haven’t achieved the desired depth of value, I add a second application, being careful not to apply the pastel too heavily, because it can easily fill the tooth of the paper. Step 2: While waiting for the panel to dry, I focus…

“BEFORE I START A PAINTING, the abstract elements and representational images always appear in my mind, repeatedly,” says California artist Jian Wu, as he reflects upon creating pastels such as his captivating Richeson Pastel Silver Award-winning Dancing Light. “I’m planning the composition in my mind and thinking about point, line and surface as well as structure, color and lighting.” Portrait & Figure Category Juror Cuong Nguyen says, “This exceptional piece won me over with its vibrant colors and powerful lighting. The artist has successfully delivered the emotion of the sitter without showing her face. I especially love the way Wu painted the lighting, which truly dances around the model with soft but powerful strokes. It’s clearly a winning piece.” A Delicate Balance “I think great paintings have … qualities that…

FIRST PLACE Jia Wei Although Jia Wei, of Beijing, China, enjoys participating in the historic tradition of painting self-portraits, he considers each of his works to be self-reflective in its own way. “I think the self-portrait is a worthy genre,” he says. “Master artists, such as Van Gogh and Rembrandt, have painted self-portraits, but in my opinion, no matter what you draw, you draw yourself.” Most of Wei’s works are self-portraits, portraits or figures. “I like to draw people and paint from life,” he says. “Many of my works are about people and the scenes around me.” Figure & Portrait Category Juror Cuong Nguyen picked up on the historical references in Wei’s winning piece, Self-portrait. “I think the artist has successfully combined classical art with a modern sensibility in his…