A Couple Things Before I Hit the Road!

 Just a couple thoughts before I head out on my humungous road trip:

Numero Uno; a couple tips on organizing your pastels (for my workshop peeps);

1.Try to have all the wrappers removed from your pastels. That way you can best take advantage of what each stick has to offer.

2. Next try to have them arranged roughly by hue, value and intensity. I have a section of neutrals. See the attached photo of my  travel box. When going about this task, remove all the duplicates or very, very near duplicates to make room for more. I also snap my sticks in half to make more room. Snapping works better than cutting.

3. Clean them up. Hard to make good choices when you can't see what color the sticks are! I use a tupperware container filled with cornmeal to clean the really dirty ones. Also a dusting with a feather duster can work, (use a mask and do this outdoors).


Numero dos: I've decided to offer two workshops in the fall.

#1 "Just Nuts and Bolts" a one day materials workshop dealing with the "how to's" of toning paper, making your own ground, organizing your box etc., etc.

#2 "Embracing Your Slippery Stream" a two day exploration of intuitive pastel painting.
 
Dates TBD, but will be in November/December at my West Linn Studio. I'll make these back to back so you can come to one or both. If you're interested let me know and I'll put you on a list!