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Pastel Painter's Workshop May 2007  Brenda's studio home in Dixmont, Maine was the location for weekend workshop. |
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On May 5 and 6, 2007 I was joined by 5 artists for a weekend of pastel painting.
The artists ranged in experience from beginner to intermediate. Though they had previously worked in various mediums including graphite, oils, watercolor and mixed media, pastels were relatively new to the group. They shared their backgrounds, knowledge, skills, and work. We spent our days discovering and experimenting with pastels, discussing and sharing our art, and painting a variety of subjects. |
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 We had a full house of 6 very enthusiastic artists pursuing their passion. While the music played, we set up and painted various still lifes, florals, and landscapes. We experimented with natural and artificial light. And when the weekend was over we were enriched by having challenged ourselves, broadened our experience, and painted together. Enjoy our process and the artwork we created. |
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| The artists were gracious enough to bring their own work to share with the group. We were treated to handmade books, calligraphy, watercolors, oils, graphite, collage and acrylics. Such a variety of mediums and talents. |
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Among other things, Nan is a calligrapher and creates remarkable one-of-a-kind books. |
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Jane primarily worked in oils. This is her second workshop with me and she now adds pastel to her repertoire. Jane's work was accepted and will be exhibited at the Bangor Public Library in November 2007. Way to go, Jane! |
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| Day One involved choosing pleasing compositions and learning how to handle a new medium using various still life subjects. Tonya chose earth tones to create these graphically pleasing pears. |
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Each participant set up a still life and painted individually. Jane lent her uninhibited use of bold color to these apples. |
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| Pears, apples, eggs, and various textured cloths were chosen to begin our introduction to soft pastels. Judy created a soft look by blending. |
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| Day One Crew with Their Still Lifes From left Nancy, Liliane, Judy, Tonya, and Jane |
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The weekend was a feast for the body, mind, and soul. |
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| We explored color... |
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| painted to various styles of mood music... |
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 Courtesy of Liliane |
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| and filled our senses. |
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Day Two involved arranging flowers in various containers to paint with pastels. Liliane chose a dark background to set off the white flower...a striking composition! |
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| Participants were asked to bring a photograph they had taken to interpret in pastels. Nan chose an interesting abstract piece with jeweled glass and a geometirc design. I used parts of her painting to create the colorful background for this page. Thanks, Nan. |
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| Day Two Work A wide variety of styles... |
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| ...and techniques. |
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| The Culmination We accomplished so much in our weekend together. What a great feeling of accomplishment and comaraderie. We all left each other inspired, so this was not the end...but only the beginning. |
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Feedback from participants along with some of their workshop art. |
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| "Thank you for another wonderful workshop. It was inspiring to be amongst our small group of artists, and again, I learned a lot." |
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"I had such fun. I think I learned a lot and will keep on using the pastels." |
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"Group size was perfect and I enjoyed everyone." |
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"Wonderful instruction." |
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| "Observing Brenda's technique and use of color and values is very helpful. I liked sharing and learning about other's art endeavors." |
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"I enjoyed working inside." |
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| "Thank you so much for the lovely weekend. I learned a lot - hope to do it again. " |
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"I really enjoyed your demonstrations. They were very helpful." |
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| "The make up of the class was great!" |
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"I feel I understand the process of pastel painting enough to take off and explore on my own." |
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 Thanks to the generous sharing, willingness to try, and open attitudes of these artists, we had a rich workshop experience. I look forward to many more.  Photos by Brenda Ferguson and Lucas Ferguson |
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