The following is part of a series featuring a leader in the pastel art community who has joined us on the faculty of Pastel Live, an annual virtual art conference. Learn about the next one at PastelLive.com now.

In a video with Eric Rhoads (see below), Richard Suckling shared that he thinks pastels are the perfect medium for those who like to draw and want to embrace color. “You get the best of both worlds – you get the painting element and very much the drawing. It’s the one medium where you can combine the two practices together successfully.” Agreed!

After studying illustration at the Cambridge School of Art, Richard went on to work in London as an Illustrator for a number of years. He then moved to the West of England and started painting in pastels. He moved further west to Cornwall where he now lives in the fishing village of Newlyn (famous for the Newlyn School of painters) and works pretty much exclusively in pastels. Richard teaches regular workshops and writes frequently on pastels for the UK‘s The Artist Magazine. He’s represented by Claremont Contemporary Art in Sevenoaks, Kent. You can find more of his work on Instagram.

Much of Richard’s work centers around his local environment. He portrays the land and sea with vigor and passion as you’ll see in some examples of his pastel art below.

Richard Suckling, "Sancreed Beacon," pastel art
Richard Suckling, “Sancreed Beacon,” pastel, 20 x 20 in

 

Richard Suckling, "Penzance Harbour Sunrise," pastel, 20 x 20 in.
Richard Suckling, “Penzance Harbour Sunrise,” pastel, 20 x 20 in.

The piece above was a practice run for the demo with Eric Rhoads. The piece below was a workshop demo.

Richard Suckling, "Summer Bed," pastel, 20 x 20 in.
Richard Suckling, “Summer Bed,” pastel, 20 x 20 in.

 

Richard Suckling, "Spanish Light," pastel, 20 x 20 in.
Richard Suckling, “Spanish Light,” pastel, 20 x 20 in.; studio work based on plein air sketches

Want to be wowed? Then take a look at Richard in action.

 

Screen Shot from YouTube video
Screen Shot from YouTube video

Are you inspired? Let us know in the comments! 

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The American West with Bethany Fields

Another previous Pastel Live faculty member, Bethany Fields, is also inspired by her local environment. This time we go to Texas. Two of Bethany’s favorite locations are the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon near Canyon, Texas, and the high plains of the Texas Panhandle. Her love of the outdoors shows through clearly in her pastel art!

Bethany Fields, "Desert Rhapsody," pastel, 12 x 9 in
Bethany Fields, “Desert Rhapsody,” pastel, 12 x 9 in

Want to see eight more of Bethany’s fabulous landscapes? Then have a read here!


2 COMMENTS

  1. I am a visual arts teacher in RI. I thoroughly enjoy watching pastel tutorials by various artists. There is always knowledge I can bring to my students. I am always learning.

    • How lovely to hear from you Gloria! And yes, there is always more to learn isn’t there?

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