The Beginning

"Pitchers", pastel on Strathmore paper

"Still Life with Onions", pastel on Strathmore paper

I've drawn and painted since I was a child. The desire to create has always been there. Now I've been able to make art a greater part of my life. Two years ago I studied with Ella Delyanis, pastelist and painter. These still lifes were drawn from her setups using Nupastel and Rembrandt pastels on Strathmore charcoal paper. Since this beginning I've added Sennelier and Unison pastels and Wallis sanded paper and Canson Mi-teintes pastel paper to my stock. The smooth side of Mi-teintes paper is my surface of choice, but I am careful not to fill the paper's tooth too quickly. I begin with the harder pastels and finish with the soft buttery sticks.