Impressionism

Lake Impressions 9x9 pastel available $25.00

"People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it's simply necessary to love."   ~  Claude Monet

This quote from Claude Monet is how I've always felt.  I never understood why in some of my art classes they go over and over about why an artist put this or that into their painting and what the underlying message of the painting is really about.  I've thought why isn't it possible that the artist just wanted to paint that scene without an agenda to it all? 

Today I wanted to try my hand at the impressionistic style of painting.  I only allowed myself to use my softest pastels and they are big and chunky (Terry Ludwig) so I could not do any fine details.  It was a very good lesson on handling the pastels and I loved how smoothly the pastels covered the paper.  I used Canson Mi-Tientes pastel paper.  I've heard some of my classmates say that you can't get more than a couple of layers of pastels on this particular brand of pastel paper and I wanted to test that theory out.  I have to say, I applied at minimum, 5 layers in the background trees.  It was probably more, but I wasn't really counting.  Next time I'll remember to count the layers. 

Our Plein Air group met in Oxford, Md. this week to paint tulips and daffodils.  I had to work and didn't get to meet up with them, but I am going to complete the challenge today.  I have 1 (yes one) tulip that grows in my yard every spring.  Don't know how it got here because I've never planted it, but it is going on a piece of pastel paper today.  Check back tomorrow to see how it turns out.