The Pastel Journal Summer 2025

Once aspiring artists have learned the fundamentals of their craft and developed a certain level of proficiency, the next goal inevitably turns to the work of expression. Questions move from matters of technique to more conceptual and creative concerns. In the case of a landscape artist, for example, the rising challenge becomes how to elevate a painting from the mere description of a scene to something that expresses a unique and personal response to it. That’s the question I took to five celebrated pastel artists— Albert Handell, Lyn Asselta, W. Truman Hosner, Tom Christopher and Anna Wainright. In the article, “The Lyrical Landscape” (page 20), they offer advice on how to seek and use inspiration, and how to consider and utilize the effects of light, color and edges—choices that impact…

Ellen Eagle, a Master Pastelist in the Pastel Society of America— and the organization’s 2024 Hall of Fame Honoree—was recently recognized as a Legacy Artist by The Butler Institute of American Art, in Youngstown, Ohio. Her painting Sophia Standing was selected for the museum’s permanent collection at the Flora B. Giffuni Gallery of American Pastels. The prestigious honor solidifies the artist’s lasting impact on the pastel medium and American art. Eagle holds a B.F.A. with distinction in drawing from the California College of Arts and Crafts. She continued her studies at the National Academy School of Fine Arts and the Art Students League of New York, with Harvey Dinnerstein, and took workshops with Daniel E. Greene. The artist has been exhibiting her work since 1993, and is represented by Forum…

Using pastels in ways that complement your artistic vision makes it more likely that your paintings will turn out the way you imagined. Pastels are incredibly versatile because there are so many ways to use them. While we all have our favorite techniques, sometimes trying a new approach can help you achieve the results you want. Keep in mind, however, that the way you paint and the reason behind it are deeply connected. Focusing only on technique without understanding your purpose can lead to artwork that feels soulless. Yet, trying to create deep, meaningful art without the necessary skills can make it hard to achieve your vision. It’s like giving a powerful speech—no matter how great the ideas are, the message won’t come across if the speaker mumbles, mispronounces words…

One of the most cosmopolitan of American artists, William Merritt Chase (1849–1916) was born in rural southern Indiana. Chase knocked around a bit in his youth, joining the Navy and working for his father’s business, but his passion was for art. He showed enough aptitude for painting that a group of businessmen fronted him the funds to study in Europe. By the mid-1870s, he was a star pupil at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich and, upon a triumphant return to the States, Chase settled in New York City. His lavishly appointed studio on West Tenth Street became a cultural mecca— an appropriate atelier for a flamboyant artist and charismatic teacher. In 1891, Chase was lured to Shinnecock Hills, Long Island, by residents who wished to establish a seasonal art…

Unlike the medium of watercolor, where the white of the paper is important to achieving luminosity, a pastel painting can shine brightly when created on colored paper or board, or a surface that has been primed with a color. A pastel artist who opts to paint on a white surface or block in subject matter with local color builds the piece through the application of multiple paint layers. Painting directly on a colored ground, on the other hand, involves the technique of negative painting. How color is placed next to another color becomes a primary consideration, because the goal is to let some of the background color peek through. There are several factors to take into account when choosing a color for your painting surface. If you aren’t sure where…

My abstract paintings are often inspired by music, nature or the simplest distillation of life’s endless road trip. The artworks I create feature glowing cities, working farms, gleaming water and vibrant blooms that become visual records of all that enthralls me. One of my favorite methods for achieving the texture, luminosity and depth I’m after in my paintings is to work with a combination of pastel and encaustic wax media. Encaustic is a wax-based paint composed of beeswax, damar resin and pigment that’s kept molten on a heated palette. It’s applied to an absorbent surface and then reheated to fuse the paint. The word “encaustic” comes from the Greek word enkaiein, meaning “to burn in,” referring to the process of fusing the paint. I like to call encaustic “The Great…