Playing with Pastels: "Choose the light...

Playing with Pastels: "Choose the light...: "When our thoughts, at times, wander into darkness... remember we are human and have been imbued with free will to choose the lig...

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I've looked at life...

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"Both Sides Now" pastel, 5x7" Day 19 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days! It is really important for me to find times in the day to paint. I am amazed at how good it is for me to be thinking of painting all the time. It is a way of looking at my daily life with thoughts of positive productivity that I hadn't been doing before this challenge.  I am thinking... ok, what shall I paint next? Judy
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Bird Inspiration!

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I have been wanting to paint birds for a while and today I was talking to an artist friend and she has been doing just that! Yesterday another friend of mine sent me some pictures of birds that she and her husband took, so the two inspirations came together and I started on a painting from this photo. Thanks Linda and Liz! I chose a simple palette of mostly Nupastels and a few other brands. I did a rough drawing using charcoal and some light pastel pencils. I love to work on this grey Ampersand sanded board! Then I just starting to block in colors thinking of values rather than local color.  I wanted the painting to be more colorful than the photo. I was going for an iridescent quality. I really enjoyed working on this and it seemed to almost paint itself! I think I am finished (might tweak it a bit)... "Feeding the Goldfinches", pastel on board, 11x14"  For sale... Unframed painting $250, plus tax and shipping.
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Comfort Zone Revisited

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"My Happy Place", pastel 12x12" "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" Neale Donald Walsch I have had a few days of not being in a happy place, painting wise. Nothing was going right. I thought I had forgotten all I knew about painting. What was going on?  I had started a painting that was giving me so many problems because the board I was painting on was very rough and didn't accept the pastel in a way I was used to at all. What a struggle. I finally went back to it today and wrestled my way through it. Still not happy! I started a new painting on a board that I love and am familiar with. Wow! What a difference. Here is the progression... This is my charcoal sketch which carefully included the values I will be wanting to remember as I paint. First rough in that follows the map I have laid out. I was happier already. The latest version may have some tweaks added, but I think I have found my happy place again! Hope you
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