I'd like to be those flowers...

"Open to Everything", pastel, 11x14"

"I smell the flowers blooming, opening for spring
I’d like to be those flowers, open to everything"


I was surprised to learn that I won an award at the Vermont Pastel Society's juried show this past week.  The Judge was Doug Dawson, an important and revered contemporary pastel artist. I was just happy to get in! This painting, "Open to Everything" won the Pastel Society of Cape Cod Award and I am very honored.
Mr. Dawson said that he liked "the simple direct strokes and the way the artist exploited the surface quality of the board." Did he know that this was a disaster painting that I washed off and re-surfaced with clear gesso and repainted? Sometimes I think these master pastelists are wizards!

He was right, I was responding to the rougher quality of the surface and because I had already failed at my first attempt, I allowed myself to paint more directly. Almost defiantly!

This painting has won other awards and is a testament to the fact that, as artists, we should step away from ourselves and our desire to control; and, like the flower opening for the first time, be open to everything. 

Be open when you play with your pastels...
Judy 
www.judyalbrightart.com
 
I invite you to listen to the song and enjoy the work of Doug Dawson.

 

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