Finished Painting "Prairie Skies"

PRAIRIE SKIES 9x12 Pastel Painting

Setup of Pan Pastels and
Colourfix Paper before the reception. 

Producing art is like a good mystery... always full of surprises without a sure path to the ending? Seems to me each painting is a new adventure! Such is the case with the process of this painting, "Prairie Skies".  It began this past March during the reception for my duo show, "Pure Pigment" with Vanda Edington. A different twist to this painting, was during the reception I gave everyone an opportunity to paint with my collection of Pan Pastels on one community sheet of sanded Art Spectrum Colourfix paper. (If you're not familiar with Pan Pastels, they are pastels that come in a little round container and you smooth them over the paper with a "sponge brush".)   Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking about using the painting for a blog post so I didn't take a photos to record what it looked like at the end of the reception or how the painting progressed once I was back in my studio.  At that point it was more a puzzle to be figured out, but all the while I kept thinking about how the painting began and where I wanted it to go. The sanded paper and the Pan Pastels are both forgiving, allowing lots of changes, if they need to be made.  Some of the original colors and strokes made at the reception are still in my painting. Others have been eliminated by using a kneaded rubber eraser or have been covered with sheer layers of new color.  Most all of my early stages on this painting were done with Pan Pastels, saving the last bursts of color for Terry Ludwig sticks.  The thing I will always remember about this painting is the fun day of visiting with old and new friends at the reception! If you were there I hope you had a great time also!  Have any of you bought and used Pan Pastels?