the creative process
Pastel painting is done with buttery, soft pastel sticks of pure pigment, rather than a brush. Applying pastels directly to the surface of the painting helps me convey the intensity of my experiences. Multiple layers of color take advantage of the pastel medium's ability to refract light, building rich dark and light areas without using flat black, white or brown. Instead, I play contrasting colors against each other to create vibrant energy in my expressive colorscapes.
Inspired by New England scenery or my travels in Europe and Latin America, I often take photographs to soak up a sense of the place. These reference photos help me remember what was exciting about the scene when I am back in the studio, painting with energetic strokes of vivid, expressionistic color.