Indholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2021 i The Pastel Journal

One minute Malcolm Taylor is deep in conversation; the next, his attention momentarily wanders. He’d just received an email from the gallery hosting the U.K. Pastel Society’s annual exhibition, saying that he’d sold yet another painting. He’s quick to say that this high level of exhibition sales is pure serendipity, that it’s never happened before. But he’s obviously chuffed—and rightly so because he doesn’t paint to gain the recognition of his peers or even just to sell. He has plenty of works stacked in a corner or painted over—like anybody else, he claims. He just paints what he likes. “Very often,” says Taylor, “people don’t like what I do, and they say, ‘Why don’t you paint like you used to?’ referring to his more representational work. “That’s a common question,…

A rainy urban scene is one of my favorite subjects to paint. I knew I wanted to create a moody quality in Getting Drenched (top), and I liked how the hustling figures contributed to the sense of the rainy weather. I also used blurred lights and reflections to further the appearance of wetness. To begin a painting, I don’t start with a sketch but rather with blocks of vibrant color. It’s all about big shapes and composition in the initial stage. Then, I start layering with more accurate color, working my way toward more finish in the areas of focus. Lastly, I add details and make any necessary adjustments. I used several photos to compose this painting. I saw potential in the initial photo (right), but it was dark and…

The Pastel Society of America’s (PSA) 49th Annual Exhibition showcases a stunning selection of the world’s most accomplished pastel artists from its consummate membership. The juried exhibit “Enduring Brilliance!” acknowledges the professional excellence of participating artists and helps promote the finest examples of pastel to the general public, the professional art world, art students and art collectors. This year’s jurors, Richard McKinley, Colette Odya Smith and Otto Stürcke—all PSA Master Pastelists, reviewed more than 1,300 images submitted by PSA member artists from all over the world. Awards Juror Emily A. Beeny, Curator of European Paintings at Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, selected the works to be granted more than $40,000 in cash and material awards. The 2021 Hall of Fame Honoree, the highest honor that the PSA bestows upon…

Parisian cafés in the late 19th-century were famously popular as a hub for painters, writers and other creatives—a place to sit for hours discussing art, life and the news of the day. Café culture remains an ingrained aspect of Parisian identity, but of course the position of the café (or tavern or coffee shop) as central to social life isn’t limited to the City of Lights. These establishments thrive all over the world as places to meet with friends for fun and refreshment, to mark special occasions—or simply to watch and observe the pulse of the city. The culture of these gathering places is comfortable and relaxed, and therein lies the attraction. For artists, these centers of community life can provide a valuable source of creative material and inspiration. The…

SOME ARTISTS STRIVE TO ACHIEVE EVERYTHING IN their paintings, combining perfectly rendered form with rich, vibrant color and intriguing imagery to make finished work that’s expressive, mysterious and eloquent. So it is with Vilas Tonape, a North Carolina-based artist whose subjects often include densely colored combinations of silks, satins and other fabrics with curious additions like musical instruments and antique casts of body parts, along with traditional props like fruit, bottles, jars and pots. His portraits generally feature strong directional lighting to create dramatic tonal contrasts along with an extraordinary range of color. Sometimes he combines the two, surrounding a sitter with a grouping of props to create provocative and mysterious associations. The results in all cases are resplendent and authoritative, almost as though the artist has said the last…

Bell Bottom Blues is one of Malcolm’s favorite paintings. It came about thanks to a sumptuous box of Schmincke pastels he’d won at the U.K.’s Pastel Society’s annual exhibition. “Such vibrant colors!” he says. “I determined that whatever I was going to paint with them had to be rich and colorful.” As a surface, Taylor used medium-density fiberboard (MDF) primed with acrylic primer. He then scattered pumice powder onto the wet acrylic and rubbed it in. “What a mess it makes on the hands!” he says. “I’ve used this surface preparation for years—now I wear disposable gloves. The prepared MDF is much more robust than pastel paper, but it certainly devours soft pastels. Still, I seldom paint on pastel paper anymore.” He goes on to describe his process: “The order…

Plein air observation is invaluable for seeing correct values. Cameras and cell phones distort value relationships because digital devices cannot see all the nuances in color and value that the human eye can. In addition, most of us use our devices in a point-and-shoot mode, not taking the time to bracket shots or adjust focus. In point-and-shoot mode, digital devices attempt to optimize the scene, but that often means that some areas fill in with overly dark values while bright areas blow out. Do this experiment to see how your device distorts an image. Go outside on a sunny day and shoot a scene with sky and land elements. Now hold up the image on your screen and compare it to the actual scene in front of you. Take a…

Dubbed “The Nature Coast” because of its abundant marine life and the many bird populations (including “snowbirds”) that migrate here, the Tampa Bay-Clearwater area of Florida is a plein air painter’s paradise. I used to travel here to paint at least once a year before I finally made it my permanent home in 2019. New York State of Mind Being from New York, I was used to landscapes dotted with mountains and farms, and I used a palette similar to that of the Hudson River School artists. It leaned toward the darker umbers and ochres, with ultramarine blue for my skies and alizarin crimson earth reflections in my sunsets. The Hudson Highlands boast dark weighty mountains that cast a warm earth reflection on the lower parts of clouds. You can…

When asked to describe themselves and their work, many artists are ready with a statement about their style or subject matter interests. Michael McGurk simply says he’s someone who’s still learning. “I’m still on the journey to get better at it,” he says. Judging by his artwork, it’s clear that McGurk has already learned quite a lot—no matter what he says. He paints a variety of subjects—still lifes of rusty artifacts, deserted street scenes, old gas stations—in a realistic style. The items and scenes he chooses are time-weathered and interesting—like they have a story to tell if only someone would ask. McGurk’s humbleness gets at the heart of how he defines an artist. “You’ve got to have the interest, the passion,” he says, “but talent is secondary to hard work.…

One of the highlights of Tonape’s teaching career occurred in 2018 when he received a call from an unusual prospective student, former President George W. Bush. After he left office, Bush took up painting, choosing portraiture as his main subject and concentrating on making paintings of veterans. He sought advice from various artists, and one of the people he worked with, Jim Woodson, suggested he consult Tonape. “Bush had been painting people from photographs, but he wanted to start working from life,” says the artist. “Jim had told him how I was an ex-student of his and showed him some of my YouTube videos. Bush liked them and told him to invite me. So one day I get a call. I just couldn’t believe it. The funny thing was that…

These images show how the value of the sky trickles down to all the values in your painting. Painting A is a plein air study I did of a house on Monhegan Island on a late June morning. Since the island is 12 miles out in the ocean, there’s some light diffusion, due to all the moisture in the air. The moisture molecules scatter the light, making the sky hazy and less blue. My goal for this study was to capture the feel of the brilliant light of a summer morning. In Painting B, I referenced the image my camera captured, making the sky darker and more contrasted; however, I didn’t change the values of the buildings or foreground. Compare the values around the cottage in both paintings. In B,…