Winterrest (II) – study, 5×5 inch, Pastel
© Astrid Volquardsen, 2012
Two weeks ago the ships were in from grip of the ice. Now that the Siberian cold front is gone the ships are set free. I was especially fascinated by the shadows on the ice and on the ships.
Next time I will tell you more about my visit to Caran d´Aches pastel pencil production in Geneva.
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Winterrest (I) – study, 5×5 inch, Pastel
© Astrid Volquardsen, 2012
Right in the heart of the new Harbour City old trationell ship can be found. In the summer time one can join the crew on their trips.
But for now you have to wait: It’s winterrest.
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Last weekend we went to the harbour of Hamburg to watch the ice drift. Because of the Sibirien cold front the ice growth on the river is increasing day by day. This part of the river is still under the influence of the tides of the North Sea and the icebraekers and the containerships keep the ice sheet still loose. I don’t know what came to my mind when I decided to start the plein air season this weekend in this biting cold. At 23°F (but it certainly felt like 14°F, because of the cold wind) I could get done two color studies. After about an hour my fingertips were complaining and longed for a warm place… If you are interested to do plein air studies in a cold place like this: keep it small, keep it simple.
© Marc Volquardsen, 2012
© Marc Volquardsen, 2012
Meanwhile my husband made a timelapse video in which he captured the beauty of my hometown harbour.
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© Marc Volquardsen, 2012
As I have got more and more interested in making pastels by myself I eventually ended up with having a closer look at pigments. First I thought I will write a short summery about it, but oh boy, I can’t recall what made me think that in the first place. It’s tough in German, but even tougher to translate this to English. So I keep it very basic, but I do advise you to do some further readings, because it is so interesting. The links and books suggestions from my side are all in German, but maybe some of my readers do have some recommendations. Please leave it in a comment.
The basis for all painting colors is the pigment. At first it’s only a powder and according to which binder (some kind of glue) you add it turns into oil, acrylics-, watercolor or pastel. Pigments are classified according to their chemical structure into organic and inorganic pigments, which can be natural or synthetic.
Organic:
Inorganic:
Depending on its particles size, the attributes vary from pigment to pigment. The difference between for example light fastness and consistency may vary a great deal. Forty piles of pigments laid out next to each other may look the same but they certainly aren‹t. Pip Seymour points out that synthetic organic pigments (e.g. Heliogreen) can be difficult to disperse into water and might need wetting agents, such as Disponil or Ox-gall. On the other hand there are some pigments who need more binder to hold the particles together, whereas there are some, which don’t need a binder at all e.g. (Mars Yellow, Raw Sienna)
© Marc Volquardsen, 2012
In the first stage after adding water Titanium White feels like chewing gum before it turns into a smooth paste.
© Marc Volquardsen, 2012
This violett doesn’t disperse water at all.
© Marc Volquardsen, 2012
Ultramarin blue easily disperses into water.
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Red Tug (II), 30×30cm, Pastel
© Astrid Volquardsen, 2011
sold
It is such a good feeling to use other color combinations as I have done so far in my older paintings. There is now again this special klick deep inside when color combinations begin to sing, which makes my heart sing as well.
I would like to thank all my readers for their faithfullness. Many thanks especially to those who do comment, which I deeply appriciate. I feel very sorry, if I don’t make it to answer immediately, or later, or not at all, but sometimes life is busy. Or, which is hard to imagine, I am out of words.
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Winterabend, 14×41 cm, Pastell
© Astrid Volquardsen, 2012
The river Elbe has a very magic moment in early winter evenings, when the pancake ice ( it’s really called this way) covers the water surface. The cargo ship and tug boat appear in the mist and the color combination of ornage and purple just sings.
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I am fascinated by the light conditions of the countryside, particularly in Northern Germany. I grew up in Hamburg so I am used to the rugged countryside and sometimes bleak weather and light conditions. The light in northern country landscapes is very special and it is indescribably beautiful. It touches my soul and opens up my heart when I visit the coast and feel the elemental force of the sea.
With pastel painting l have found the ideal medium to artistically and creatively transform these special conditions of illumination. I love to spread pigment on paper without anything else in between.
Pastel paintings come alive when you put different layers of colour on the canvas. This is a great artistic stimulus for me. Which combination of colour pigments can be used to achieve precisely the effect of light and shade that I want? During the artistic process, layers of colour are continually built up and removed until the light situation has been captured and the picture can unfold its unique illuminating power.
Pastel Journal 08/2011 als PDF-Download:
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