Canada Geese

18 x 24

The water was choppy and a little wind-disturbed, but the light was bright as the birds glided quietly past me. Their sunlit white feathers were oddly reflected in the water, in the dip here and on the crest there.

I used a few of my new Crumble Colors: in the midtones on the feathers and in the lights on the birds. In places it seemed like I got a streak of unwelcome yellow, but overall I liked the results and look forward to using them in less subtle ways with my next painting.

Crumble Colors!

My test sheet for the new Crumble Colors I made with Kitty last week. I love how the colors are mixed but still separate. Wow! I'm excited!! Now, to paint!

Pastel making with Kitty -- Day Two "Crumble Colors"

my first "Crumble Color"

pastels from Day 1 broken to color bits

color bits are gently mixed and wetted to form new sticks

Day Two of making "Crumble Colors" with Kitty Wallis.

It was a labor-intensive day! The colors from yesterday were used to create new sticks that had bits of color side by side. Not mud, which would have happen if we had stirred the wet pastel together.

Based on our preferences and curiosities, we mixed the special pastel sticks you see in the third photo. They will dry and be ready for use soon.

What I hope will happen is that I will be able to use one of these new Crumble Color pastel sticks to show the "brushwork" or directionality of my stroke as well as the value that is right for the area. As I mixed various color combinations for these sticks, my thoughts went to the new paintings that their use will allow.

This one is the color of a nostril. That one is the color of mist. Here's one that is the color of the shadow under a cloud.

Once they are dry, we can test them. With the stroke should come irregular lines of color. Broken color. I can hardly wait!!

Pastel making with Kitty -- Day One

Three and a half inches of snow fell at Kitty's while we were busy making pastels!

A day of pastel making, but this was just part one of a two day project.

we made four batches of white to bring the colors down in value

Yesterday was a great day! It was day one in a two day adventure at Kitty's studio making very special pastels. First we started with pure colors and their values. Hansa Primrose. Azo Yellow. Quinacridone Magenta. Napthol Red. Ultramarine Blue. Pthalo Blue. We mixed and rolled and formed these beautiful pure colors.

While we worked, we didn't really notice that the temperatures were dropping outside. It started to snow around 4:00 and what was at first just a few flakes, quickly became a good snowstorm right at rush hour! People abandoned their cars in the middle of roads. It took four hours to travel ten miles! I was snug at Kitty's house. Three and a half inches fell in Southwest Portland.

I don't drive in the snow. Really. Hey, I'm still a bit of a Valley Girl, I guess. My dear husband picked me up at Kitty's place later that evening.