Pastel Journal as digital download
The August issue of the Pastel Journal is available from the Pastel Journal website as download version for 6,99 Dollar.
Arranging my palette
© Astrid Volquardsen
I returned from my trip to the Baltic sea and my sketchbook and head are full of new paintings and ideas. But before I can go back to the easel and start painting I need to rearrange my complete pastel set. The old arrangement didn’t work any longer and I have started to do it properly (which is a lot of work, believe me). My new setup is based again on value, but this time I keep close to the color wheel and I don’t keep the different brands apart. This way I will be able to find much more easily the colors needed.
Steam boat festival – Schaarhörn
Dampf Rundum – Steamboat Schaarhörn, Sketchbook, 2011
At the beginning of July, the small town Flensborg (at the Danish border) was hosting a couple of old beautiful steam boats. While waiting to go on one of them for a round tour on the fjord, I had some time to do a nice sketch. Sketching opens to me a new world and makes me somehow more engaged in my surroundings. I love these sektching times, because it slowes me down in this speedy world.
Work in the port
Harbor Work, Pastel, 30×30 cm, 2011
© Astrid Volquardsen
In order to reach their final destination the big ships depend on the help of taoboats. It’s always an interesting play of values and shapes.
Plein Air insights
Never ever let the tape fall into dry seaweed.
Keep everything in order or how to overcome caos
Richard is a very organized person. We kind of joked about it, how orderly his pastel assortment is set up. Mine would stay exactly like this for 10 minutes after the painting process had begun. I know where to find my sticks (kind of), but still Richard beats us all.
His tidiness doesn’t stop with his box. Even in his car trunk everything has its place and its order. If you looked in our car trunk it’s more like chaos, organized chaos, but still chaos. ( We knew where to find our stuff, but maybe it took us a bit longer.)
A couple of times I watched Richard coming to a spot and within minutes he had set up his equipment and was with the underpainting done, when the rest of us had barely even started. I guess, even though I will never be as organized as Richard, I have to think over how to organize my plein air stuff. Richard was always ready to start, when he needed to capture the light and didn’t lose any time with fussing around. Very impressive.
Have a look at Richards last Blog entry »being plein air prepared« in his Pastel Pointers Blog.
Feature in the Pastel Journal
»Home at Sea«, Pastel Journal 08/2011
(c) The Pastel Journal
I am very happy to let you know that my work is featured in the current issue of the Pastel Journal (August 2011). The interviews with the diverse pastel artists and their various techniques have always been a great inspiration to me over the years.
I was very surprised and happy when the Pastel Journal asked for an interview. Sarah Strikley and her team have done a terrific job and I am very proud to be part of this issue. Those who are interested to purchase the Pastel Journal please visit their website: www.pasteljournal.com