If you enjoy working with colors, there is a chance that you will love working with pastels. They are easy to use, and you don’t have to worry about drying times, odors, or toxicity, as you might with other mediums.

Pastel recently experienced a renewed surge in popularity as a painting medium. There are several manufacturers now that make high quality materials.

For more than a century, the velvety strokes of pastel have enchanted artists, from airy strokes and bold swift marks to soft hues and vibrant shapes.

The versatility of pastel makes this medium suitable for a wide range of subjects such as portraits, rich landscapes, colorful floral scenes, and wonderful still life. (Pictured on this page are three James Frederick still life pastel paintings.)

With pastel there are no colors to mix or thinners to use. And because it is a dry medium it makes painting out doors a pure joy.

Pastel allows for a variety of blending and layering techniques that are near impossible with other mediums. They are a fascinating and versatile medium that is a pure pleasure to work with.

Pastel colors can be rich and full of energy and soft and subdued. It is attractive to many artists because of its adaptability–it can be used as both a painting and drawing medium. This becomes especially beneficial to the beginning artist that has mastered graphite and colored pencils.

If you haven’t attempted the use of pastel I encourage you to give it a try. I have gotten very excited about them. That is the reason for this blog. It is a new commitment, art challenge, and direction.