It’s “Favourite Pastel” Friday! This week we hear from Advisory Board member Felicity House. I’ve been a huge fan of Felicity’s work for years and so was very curious to find out what her choice would be in answer to the question.
The question?
What pastel stick (colour and brand) can you not do without?
Felicity’s answer?
“At first, I opted for Unison Colour A37, a wonderful neutral dark. But when I started looking through examples of my work, I realised that Unison Colour A15, a brilliant vermilion red, was up there as one of the ultimate colours I can’t do without.
Unison Colour pastels have a great texture and this particular red is so well used that, in my box, I only have broken bits left.”
I can see I enjoyed picking out the red box in this interior.
In a pretty neutral image, a small amount of this very bright red can change a painting. It captures the eye and enlivens the whole composition.
I’ve probably heightened the red of the yacht sails in this piece.
I can see I wouldn’t be able to tackle my favourite subjects without this red! I’m really surprised to see it appear so much in my work. I think it must be the brightest red Unison Colour make.
I do enjoy describing red peppers, red chillies, and red tomatoes.
I like to paint red items anyway…like these attractive awnings in the Fish Market in Venice. Even the sharp filleting knives in the rack have red handles.
I realise I use the A15 red often as a finishing touch, for instance for collars etc. It’s a flash of red in a costume pose.”
Ahhhhh, these pieces make me want to jump into my studio and pick up my pastels, particularly A15 which I also love! I hope you’re inspired too. Do let us know by leaving a comment on the blog.
By the way, you may also enjoy the guest post that Felicity House wrote for HowToPastel.
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More red! This time from New Zealand
Another artist who appears to like red quite a bit is Michael Freeman! I’m always in awe of Michael’s work as he strives to “create images that have greater depth and feeling than can be achieved with a photograph.”
Michael Freeman, a faculty member for the 2nd Annual Pastel Live Online event, is an international award-winning artist from New Zealand who has had a fascination with realism since childhood. Starting initially with acrylics, he soon discovered that pastel suited his photo-realistic style and love of detail.
Michael’s subjects range from his current series of still life paintings featuring iconic New Zealand toys and objects, through landscapes featuring old weathered sheds, barns, railway carriages, windows and doors, old locks, and farm animals (mainly cows), all inspired by photographic trips along New Zealand’s roads.
Michael is in the Master Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS/MC), is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA), and a Master Pastelist of Pastel Artists of New Zealand (MPANZ), and has a Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA).
And that’s it for this time!
Gail
