pastel, 26 x 20 in.) by Lyn Asselta
The coast of Maine deals in extremes — hard and soft edges, bold colors against neutrals, brilliant cobalt skies alternating with the iridescent grays of foggy days. “The coastline consists of rocky outcroppings of granite, which reflects bits of blue from the sky,” says Lyn Asselta. “In the warmer seasons, the colors of grass, leaves, and flowers all feel surprisingly intense against the neutrals of rock, sand, and the pine needles that carpet the woods.”
Her Go-To Pastel Stick
Unison Dark 17, a very dark blue, is Asselta’s constant companion. “It seems to be the underlying tone for many of the ‘in-between’ spaces in this landscape,” she says. She uses it for underpainting, deep ocean passages, the shadows between fir trees, and the dark cracks between rocks, where she applies it carefully without pushing too much pigment into the tooth of the paper too soon. Lighter colors can be worked on top, leaving the dark blue visible in the narrow passages between forms. “It’s dark enough that I can use lighter colors on top while keeping those thin dark passages intact,” she explains.
2025, pastel, 16 x 16 in.) by Lyn Asselta
Another Color She Can’t Live Without
Unison Light 6, a pale cool orange, earns its place through a specific quality of light found only on this coastline. “It captures the salty light near the ocean that seems to fall somewhere between cool and warm as it bounces off the reflective granite,” she says. It also appears in the evening sky in the moments just before the light fades to gray at dusk.
Her Surprising Color
A lichen that grows on rocks, roofs, and tree trunks throughout coastal Maine displays a brilliant, eye-catching orange — and Diane Townsend Terrages 059 Tuscan Red-Orange is the stick Asselta reaches for to capture it.
