Trés excited!

Let's face it ... I'm a crappy blogger.
I have the best intentions but look at this... almost four months since my last post!
My apologies, dear readers! (If you're still following!)

I'm just back from moving my mom into an independent living apartment in California, which she luuuuuuuuvs. So glad that worked out so well! Next up; clearing out her house of 31 years as it is currently in escrow and will close on Feb. 28.

But between now and then I'm about to embark on a paint-athon. The deadline for submissions to the Austin Pastel Society annual juried exhibition is Jan. 31 and EEK! I daresay that's right around the corner. I have a couple of paintings I could enter but I really wanted to have some new and improved, fresh work. So I'm crankin' it. Here is one I did after Christmas I'm considering entering, of my daughter cooking.

Annnnnd, I may also consider entering this one if I can clean up those messy taxis. Which I had to make up because there were no taxis in my New York reference photo, oddly enough. Which I never should have made up. I call it "Green Pants at 44th & 6th." I loved finding this green pants guy in my street scene photos when I came home from NYC and uploaded them!

But on to positively exciting news! I've registered for Margaret Dyer's 2 week pastel workshop in France this June! Along with my two other great pastel buddies, Katherine and Jane! We are over-the-moon excited! Trés excited!

Margaret Dyer during her demo at IAPS Convention, June 2013

I've been a huge admirer of Margaret's work for some time now but when I attended her figure painting demo last year at the IAPS convention I was swept away by her unique process. She whipped out that little beauty in the photo above in less than 2 hours. I can't wait to spend 2 weeks in the studio with her, absolutely steeping in instruction and inspiration! I believe this is her 4th year teaching at La Bonne Etoile, a wonderful artist's retreat in Fontaine-Fourches, not too far from Paris.

And this year they are arranging to take us to Provence to paint the last 4 days of the workshop! Lavender and sunflower fields! Fantastique! Breathtaking landscapes! Merveilleux!

I've got about 5 months to learn more French than that! But I'd better say au revoir for now and rush to the easel. Happy painting and happy 2014, everyone!

Bee-coming

I had a bit of a bumblebee jag awhile back. Their sheer, wispy wings and fuzzy-wuzzy bodies lend themselves so nicely to pastels.

I like the way their knees are bent and their little legs just dangle when they're flying. I also love their fluffy white bottoms like bunny cottontails. These are the Bombus Lorcorum bumblebees, the white-tailed ones.

I am especially in love with the fact that bumblebees apparently defy gravity because their bodies are supposedly too heavy to fly, given the rather slow beat of their wings per second. Or some aerodynamic theory like that. But they are determined to fly and so .... they do. Love that.

I even have a special tiny pale blue Sennelier stub of a pastel that is reserved just for doing wispy wings. Only one brief stroke allowed. I think there might bee just a few more wings left in it.

And after painting a few bumblebees, I've discovered that my favorite ones are the most loose and barely suggested. This is the one I like the best... the most scribbly one!

BEE.

Beginning

Seems I often have trouble beginning.

Beginning to exercise.
Beginning to write.
Beginning the yard work.

Take this art blog, for example. I've been meaning to launch it for the longest time.
I intended to begin at the very beginning, with my first experience with pastels over two years ago. The plan was to document my (hopeful!) progress and development as a pastelist. Because there are a lot of wonderful and inspiring professional artists' blogs out there, but not many amateur ones. And I was thinking that it might be fun as well as helpful to other aspiring artists to watch the progress of a fledgling one.

But two years later I suppose I've graduated from fledgling to ... well, a birdie who's left the nest but still has a lot to learn. My ultimate goal is to soar but in the meantime there is plenty of growing to do and progress to watch. So that's the plan.

And so I begin here ... today. 

Launched!

For starters, here is a sampling of some pastel paintings I've done in the past year. As you can see, I'm all over the place ... I especially love still life, portraits, a bit of landscape, and my latest interest ... figures.

My husband, Mike

My daughter in NYC

The Widower

Mom and sister walking the dog at Sea Ranch

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope that you'll sign on as a follower and also click the "follow by email" button so that you'll receive notifications of new posts. I plan to have some fun with this ... talking about pastel supplies, tips and methods I learn as I go along, mistakes and successes, and happenings at conferences and workshops (I have 2 scheduled!) And if they let me, I'll give you a glimpse into the weekly pastel sessions I have with my little pastel group called The FRUPS (I'll explain later). It's hilarious, productive and uncensored.

But that's another story.

Creatively yours,
Michelle