As you can see from my artwork, pastels can be vibrant and intense. The name 'pastel' comes not from the word for pale colors but from the French word for 'paste' because colors are first mixed into a paste composed of pigment and binder. Then they are formed into sticks and allowed to dry. The sticks are then applied directly to paper which has 'tooth' (rough texture) which will hold the layers of color.
Pastel is a medium undergoing a renaissance. Artists and collectors are discovering
the charm, range of colors and the expressiveness of this media. IThe pigment
used in pastels is the same as in oil paints but held together with a chalk-like
rather than an oil binder. The finest pastels have very little binder thus
allowing the artist to make strokes of almost pure color.
My artwork is done with the finest European and handmade pigments on archival
acid free paper . The sanded pastel surface allows for a greater adherence
of the pigments and gives a special depth. My pastel paintings are not sprayed
with 'fixative' for the following reasons: a) fixative darkens, and dulls
the colors, b) fixatives have almost no effect and do not stop smearing and
flaking c) some fixatives are not acid free and damage the paper.
Once matted and framed under glass, your pastel painting should very stable and last for many years.Unlike oils, pastels do not have varnish which darkens with age. Degas' pastels in the Louvre are still as fresh today as when they were done over 100 years ago. Like any fine art pastel paintings should be hung on a wall where they will not receive direct sunlight.
