Shopping for Pastels

My  painting "In the Studio" won the Ludwig Pastels Award at the Northwest Pastel Society 24th International Open Exhibition! This award came with a fabulous gift certificate for Terry Ludwig Pastels. I just can't wait to go shopping! I haven't decided whether to spend it all at once or parse it out over time. I'm for sure getting a set of the greys, some more darks a set of the warm greens as well. I'll still have some to spend after that, so I may wait until I'm there in April to teach a workshop and pick from open stock. Very fun!!


I also received a box of 100 Sennelier Pastels from the Pastel Society of America for Variation #6. They are so lovely in the box. I just hate to break it up to put them on my palette.These pastels are so soft, it is difficult to remove the wrappers and integrate them into my working set. Eventually this will happen, but for now I think I will relish the beauty of the full and pristine set! The colors are luscious.

Here's what juror/judge of the NWPS show Duane Wakeham said about my piece;

"Another example of solid accurate drawing presented in a painterly technique with wonderful soft turning edges. Deep rich intense colors that reappear in soft muted variations throughout the painting, including along the narrow band of the table top that runs the full width of the painting. And who can help but take delight in the way in which color is used and form is suggested in the depiction of the single paint tube. A wonderful statement about still life painting - objects that we associate the the category combined with the materials seen in front of shapes that might well be paintings."

I was sent his written comments along with my gift certificate. It was lovely to read his remarks. I was especially pleased about his mentioning the drawing.  I wish I could have attended the reception for the show! I heard it was great, but so was the workshop at my studio. You can't be everywhere, I guess.