We had such fun at our pastel society meeting today. It was a relaxed and fun day for all of us, a pure "play day" and yet we all learned something very useful.
We had a nice turnout of 19 at the meeting in Ponte Vedra, a pretty good showing considering that a number of our really core stalwart members were not with us as they were participating in the Romanza festival in St. Augustine, painting plein air there instead of being with us.
But those of us who attended were greeted with a very interesting table set up by co-President Lyn Asselta at the front of the room.
Our topic today was how to make your own pastels from the leftover dust the little bitty odds and ends of pastels that you manage to collect over time.
Lyn showed us how easy it is to make pastels by taking the dust - as you already have it, or from grinding up odds and ends into a powder - and carefully mixing it with drops of distilled water, being careful not to get too gooey, but just enough for it to hold a shape.
After her demo everyone went back to their own tables to practice making their own homemade pastels.
Some had more chips, chunks, and dust that others and were willing to share.
Dust collected over the months and years tended to be mostly gray, but the chips and chunks could be any color of course.
Folks said that often when you buy a certain set of pastels there may be colors in that set that rarely, if ever, get used.
Lyn's lesson gave us "permission" to be fearless about grinding up those colors we find less than appealing.
By mixing in dust from other colors it's possible to create something new and unique. I was amazed at some of the gorgeous colors people were able to create.
After rolling or shaping the new pastels it's time to lay them on newsprint or paper towels to dry for a couple days, and then have fun using your new colors, and no more wastage.
We have a big month coming up in June with our next juried member show, and the mini-workshop with Karen Margulis. Keep tuned in here for more details.
Our next member meeting is coming up, and we will be talking about a topic many of our members have asked about: How to make your own pastels from the dust little leftover bits of pastels you have. Many of us collect our dust. Waste not, want not. Come to our May meeting and learn what you can do with those odds and ends.
Please bring the following supplies:
- a variety of old pastel bits and pieces or pastel dust that you've collected
- a mortar and pestle (doesn't have to be fancy. Thrift stores are great places to look for these)
- a few paper plates and a plastic tray or tupperware-type container with lid
- a few old pieces of newspaper
- a dust mask
- vinyl gloves
The First Coast Pastel Society’s 2016 Member Show and Sale will be on exhibit June 3 to July 15, 2016
at The Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach, 50 Executive Drive, Ponte
Vedra Beach, FL. The CCPVB is conveniently located off A1A with ample
free parking.
The opening reception and award presentation will be held on Friday evening June 3 from 6 to 8 pm. This year’s exhibit is juried by nationally known pastel artist Karen Margulis.
Karen
is represented by several galleries in the Southeast as well as several
online galleries. She is a Member of Excellence in the Southeastern
Pastel Society and a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America.
Karen will be teaching a mini-workshop called "It Begins with the Sky: Painting Sky and Clouds" on Saturday, June 4th from 11 am to 3 pm at the Sawgrass Hilton Garden Inn, 45 PGA Tour Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Please visit the First Coast Pastel Society site to get details or to register and pay for the workshop. Participants will receive a supply list after they’ve registered.
We're sorry about those whose schedules it disrupted, but the week's wait was worth it for the Dutton Island plein air. Those of us who were able to spend some time there in the morning all agree that the weather was glorious - the sort of weather you pray for when you plan a plein air day. Sunny, cool but not too hot, with a breeze fairly gentle but enough to keep away any possible bugs.
I had to leave a little early so don't know if anyone showed up late after I left, but I'm aware of seven of us from the FCPS who showed up for a wonderful morning, and spent quite a while checking out all the wonderful places Dutton Island had to offer before settling on a painting spot.
Even your faithful blogger got included in one of the photos from the morning. True I'm usually behind the camera but I have made a few appearances here. :-)
I think Maggie here deserves an honorary FCPS membership card after all her plein air outings with our group.
People found different places to set up. In fact I never even discovered where some set up as I couldn't find them when I made some photo rounds. They must have been well hidden.
However the beautiful salt marshes were the main draw at this location, and all the paintings I came across featured them in some way - all differently of course, one of the things I love about seeing what folks do on our plein air outings.
I didn't catch up with everyone, but here are some of the offerings from the morning with the usual disclaimer that they are all in various states of completion.
Our May meeting will be all about learning to make your own pastels, so stay tuned to this space for more details shortly.
What: Plein Air Paint-out When: Saturday, April 9, 9 AM to 1 PM Where:Dutton Island Preserve
We never postponed a plein air before but when on Thursday evening of March 31 the weather forecast was calling for 90% chance of thunderstorms for the entire Saturday morning on Dutton Island we decided it might not be safe to go there. We've painted outdoor when it's been in the 30's, and when it's been in the 90's. We've painted in drizzle, high winds, clouds and overcast. But thunderstorms are nothing to mess around with so we decided to postpone.
As it turned out the weather was not bad at Dutton that day - though certainly bad elsewhere! At my home we had heavy rain and violent thunder and lightning until past lunch time. How 'ere it was, we decided to postpone a week. We're sorry for all the people this inconvenienced. We're trying to think of what the proper solution will be going forward and have some ideas we are considering.
However considering that this is the first plein air date we decided to change in nearly 4 1/2 years shows how lucky we have been over all. Hope some of you can make it this Saturday as Dutton is truly a beautiful place.
What: Plein Air Paint-out When: Saturday, April 2, 9 AM to 1 PM Where:Dutton Island Preserve
Our next plein air get-together is taking place a week from today, at the lovely Dutton Island Preserve in Atlantic Beach, up near Mayport. This is a wonderful park with incredible views of the salt marshes/ As the park website says:
"located at the end of Dutton Island Drive, west of Mayport Road.Dutton Island is a passive park that consists of 9,000 feet of nature trails,a fishing and viewing pier, a canoe/kayak launch, picnic areas, pavilions, camping areas (reservations required), and parking. "
As you can see from the map above the preserve is located off of Mayport Road, down Dutton Island Drive. As you come down the drive you will see a sign pointing to Dutton Island on the right, but this just leads to a small parking lot which is not where we are going! Continue down the road it it will run into the preserve where you will go over a causeway over the marshes, and after that you will come to another parking area. This is where we will meet.
This map of the park shows the parking area as P, and this is the same location as the red star in the previous map. After we have met we may like to move beyond this area. There are dirt roads you can drive that lead you past the picnic area and up to the fishing pier, or down to the kayak and canoe launch. The views are lovely all around. We like to meet for a picnic lunch and a "show and tell" around the noon time frame or a bit earlier, so please feel free to bring a picnic lunch and join us at the picnic pavilion.
Plenty of choices for plein air painting.
If you are a fan of water, as I am, you will not be disappointed.
I look forward to seeing many of you there. Let's all hope for wonderful April weather.
Well that's what happens when you are looking at your handwritten notes, and you forget to flip over the piece of paper and see what's written on the other side. :-)
Color by Betty Edwards: A Course in Mastering the Art of Mixing Colors
- Betty Edwards
"This much-awaited new guide distills the enormous existing knowledge about color theory into a practical method of working with color to produce harmonious combinations."
Harley Brown's Eternal Truths for Every Artist
- Harley Brown
"The essence of what he has learned from about his thousands of students and the way they learn is contained in these pages. Recognized as one of the most accomplished artists in his field."
Pastel: Basics: Learn fundamental techniques for using this fun and colorful medium (How to Draw & Paint)
- Alain Picard
"With its comprehensive introduction, tips, techniques, and easy-to-follow instruction, Pastel Basics seeks to create a fun and approachable means of introducing this adaptable medium to beginning artists, illustrating that pastels are accessible to any artist who wants to work with them."
Capturing Light & Color With Pastel
- Doug Dawson
"This fascinating exploration of color, shape, value and line shows artists how to use the concepts of good painting to create beautiful pastels."
Landscape Painting in Pastel: Techniques and Tips from a Lifetime of Painting
- Elizabeth Mowry
"master pastel artist and teacher Elizabeth Mowry offers both beginners and seasoned artists alike a fresh approach to creating light-filled landscape paintings."
[NOTE: It appears this book was just published this week so may not be the one recommended at the meeting, but I don't recall who recommended it. My notes just say "Landscape" by Elizabeth Mowery, and she has several books - all of which seem to have "landscape" in the title, LOL. If you are the one who recommended her please let me know which book and I will make sure to correct if need be.]
