fresh off my dusty easel, pastels by christine dimauro

Monday, June 16, 2014

Plein air at my marina, Pastel, 6 1/2" x 10", Painted on Arches HP with Art Spectrum Colorfix primer

I painted this one plein air a couple of weeks ago. I tweaked it a bit in the studio, adjusting the value of the trees and adding color to the grasses. This is the third time painting this scene, and I am finding it to be a good exercise. As with the pears, painting a landscape multiple times really allows you to study the scene, enabling you to capture its essence.

I have by no means figured out this plein air stuff, but I do think I have improved a bit. I'll keep at it.......

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Packham's Triump pear #14, Pastel, 6" x 6"

Back with another pear, these aren't going away any time soon... I think I will continue with them, sporadically..... They are a great exercise, keeps me thinking.

This time I wanted to do a green pear. Green is always a challenge, anything I do here with green can be applied to the landscape.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Quiet Reflections, Pastel.....................SOLD!

Yup! Another one sold at the Islip Library! Happy, Happy, Happy................

Late Afternoon 2, Pastel.............SOLD!

I sold this one today from my show at the Islip Library. I am one happy camper.....

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Bartlett Pear #6, Pastel, 6" x 6"......................SOLD!

I sold this painting to a wonderful person, I am so very pleased it is going to someone that I know will enjoy it. These paintings of mine are a piece of me, so knowing that they are appreciated is truly a gift. This pear seems to be a favorite of many in my series of pears, and now it's on its way to a new home.

Gentle Push, Pastel, 11" x 15".................... SOLD!

This painting has sold to a lovely woman. I am pleased it is going to a good home, this one is a favorite of mine.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Plein air at the Maritime Museum, May 7th, 8" x 6 1/2" Pastel painted on Wallis Pro

This is a place I like to go to with a local sketch group called the Patchogue Sketch Club. I join them in the summer months to go plein air painting. The local Maritime Marina is a great place to sketch or do plein air. It is close by and beautiful and I love being by the water.

I painted this using just Ludwig pastels, and I stuck to more muted tones. It was a gray evening, not much light to speak of, but the soft colors were beautiful. Nothing dramatic, but that soft light is dreamy and beautiful.

This blog features mostly pastels, however I do enjoy working with gouache, watercolors, inktense blocks and pencils, charcoal and graphite pencils. My easel is always dusty, but that doesn't stop me from experimenting and trying new things. Keeping a sketchbook has become my new second passion, and these other mediums allow me to sketch in color; pastels are not the best medium for sketchbooks, so I had to find something else.

As long as I am creating art I'm happy. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy creating it.

Recommended reading

I love books, especially art books. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Changing Seasons in Pastel or The Pastelist's Year, by Elizabeth Mowry (Her work is magical, her paintings just sing. I also love the way she writes, I own every book she's written.)

Landscape Meditations, by Elizabeth Mowry (You know why....)

The Poetic Landscape by, Elizabeth Mowry (If she had more books, I'd own them.)

Painting the Landscape in Pastel, by Albert Handel (It's Albert Handell, need I say more?)

Intuitive Light, by Albert Handell (Another Albert Handell, need I say more?)

Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting, by John F. Carlson (The workhorse of landscape books, not an easy read but full of useful information, always a go-to book when a question arises.)

Landscape Painting, Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice, by Mitchell Albala (some excellent information on landscape composition for any media.)

Pastel Pointers, by Richard McKinley (An all around great book for pastel landscapes.)

Powerful Watercolor Landscapes, by Catherine Gill (this one has excellent information on composition, great for all media not just watercolor.)

The Painterly Approach, by Bob Rohm (It's just that, a painterly approach, and can be easily applied to pastels.)

Your Artist's Brain, by Carl Purcell (This book is great for a beginner, it gives you basics not always touched upon even in advanced books. For advanced painters these reminders are great, we all get moments of brain fog. Much of what is in this book I learned the hard way, I wish I had known about it at the very beginning of my art journey.)