Pastels!

Although I don't mind if the summer goes on a little longer, I can't wait to do my pastels study in the fall! I'm fairly new to pastels, only first used them about a year ago, so I feel like there's still a lot to learn. Since then I've seen work from a lot of pastel artists that have made me want to get better. One artist's work - Marianna McDonald - I came across at a Lexington Gallery Hop, earlier this year, I think it was, and I just now found out she's actually from Lexington. I really like how a bunch of well-placed scribbles can turn into a beautiful landscape:






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Some people weren't able to be at my art show, so I might put up certain pieces on my blog from the art show, since they can't be seen very well in the pictures I posted of the gallery. And while I'm on the topic of pastels, I'll include this one which I did last fall/winter which I call Autumn Memories.



This is a self-portrait and has a lot of little things that have meaning to me. Some of the meanings I will leave ambiguous, but I would like to explain the symbols. The boots represent travel, which for me was going off to college. On the side is an ocarina for music which I felt was very significant to the time I am referencing. And the tin man is hiding in there behind me, because sometimes I don't have a heart, I am more insensitive than I should be, and that leads to my own demise. The bird I say is there for emotional support. He can fly (freedom) and is there to ensure me that soon I will be free from the emotional things holding me down. And he was right.


All of this is leading up to my newest pastel drawing that I finished today.





Meow.