A recap from Day 1 of the Pastel Live virtual art conference, taking place now through Friday, September 20, 2024, with attendees from 14 countries, 49 states!
Day 1 of Pastel Live started with a fresh welcome from Streamline Publisher, CEO, and artist Eric Rhoads, and co-hosts Kelly Kane (Editor-in-Chief of PleinAir® Magazine) and Kari Stober (Pastel Today Community Ambassador), followed by in-depth demonstrations from Carol Peebles, Suzanne Godbout, Alain Picard, Stan Sperlak, and more, including special presentations from Blick Art Materials, Sennelier Fabriano & Cretacolor, and Royal Talens.
One attendee shared, “Yesterday was amazing. This is my 4th Pastel Live. I’ve been working with pastels for 25 years, but it was the first time I had done the essentials day and I learned so much!!! I will always add this day from now on!”
As a special bonus, there’s even an art auction of faculty paintings. It ends Saturday night, so click here to see the available pastel paintings from today’s masters – don’t wait because they’re selling as we speak.
Highlights From Day 1 of Pastel Live 2024
Carol Peebles worked mostly with hard pastels and ended with soft pastels, which she says are the “icing on the cake” for a variety of color textures in her approach. She then used pencils, as you can see here, for the final details of the portrait she created.
“Can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this demo. Extraordinary teaching and beautiful portrait. Thank you, Carol. Will be watching this again!” ~ Helen H.
***
French-Canadian pastelist Suzanne Godbout explained how she uses the golden ratio for her still life composition, featuring a silver pot with intensely yellow lemons, which she balanced with touches of red and blue in the rest of the painting. She says, “Feelings and artistic choices are what guide me to decide when to stop refining, just enough to express my vision.”
***
Alain Picard shared a painterly approach to the figure with rich color and expressive mark making. While painting a ballerina, he demonstrated how there’s power in big shapes versus details, how dramatic light and shadow capture the essence of form, and how to vary the edges so you can direct the viewer’s eye.
“[Alain] makes magic happen.” ~ Michele G.
***
Stan Sperlak’s landscapes are known for their atmospheric depth and evocative use of color. His demo showed us how to translate the grandeur of the outdoors into compelling compositions on paper.
“So good to see Stan Sperlak at his event. He was one of my very first teachers and I still consider him one of my greatest mentors!” ~ Annie S.
***
“I never miss Pastel Live … Always incredible artists, support team and people. 🤗 💕” ~ Lucienne C.
At the end of the night, we continued the fun with a new paint-along scene and more storytelling and friendships in the making, hosted by celebrity guest Lisa Skelly.
Join us for the 5th Annual Pastel Live in 2025. Simply visit PastelLive.com now and register for instruction and live interactions with pastel artists from all over the world. We’ll see you there!
