Tool -- new and cool

I'm pretty sure that I've seen it before, but at Dawn Emerson's workshop earlier this month, I saw this tool again. Not only saw it, but saw it being used. 

If you are working on tuning up your color harmonies in your paintings, like I am, allow me to recommend this tool to you. The "Analogous Color Wheel" lets you dial up the main colors in your painting, and shows you which colors complement and are discords. Is you painting mostly blue (as I have dialed in above)? Then orange is the complement and yellow green and red violet can offer some discord pops. Where to get this nifty tool? I bought mine through Dakota Art Pastels here.

And that brings me to a question Casey Klahn threw at me during his recent workshop in town: what would happen if you just turned the color wheel and painted this piece again, but one click to the right or left? I am working on that one.

Do you have a new favorite art tool? Do tell!

A Pastel Party ... for ME!

Soon after I lost all of my pastels when I fell into the water in Bremerton, Kitty Wallis told me that she wanted to have a pastel making party to replace them. Many of the pastels I lost were pastels I had made by hand in Kitty's workshops. Nothing that could be replaced at a store, even a great store like Dakota Art Pastels in Mount Vernon, WA.

Today was the day for the pastel making party. Kitty hosted the event at her studio. Five of us worked for many hours to mix, roll, shape, and create the pastels you see above. I got to specify which colors I missed most, and that directed our efforts. I have really missed my purples and greens, the aquas, pinks, oranges. Heck, I missed every pastel stick I made myself. Who am I kidding?

I did not take home all of the pastels you see, but I took a lion's share. When the pastels were done, Kitty and the others waited in another room while I picked out the pastels I wanted to take home.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! My deepest thanks to Kitty for giving back to me the irreplaceable pastels I lost in the water. Thanks, too, to Kimberly, Suzanne, and Slambo for making such beautiful pastels and for giving your day to the party. I am humbled by and grateful for your generosity.

Now I have to wait for these colorful sticks to dry all the way through (they will no longer feel cool to the touch) and I can start to use them.

Woo hoo! A pastel party ... for me! What a great day.

Mount Vision Pastels

I splurged. A nice big brown box of pastels from Dakota Art Pastels arrived with the entire set of Mount Vision pastels inside. Just like Christmas it was, opening each box and looking at the colors.

Now I just have to carve out to the time to use them. And I will!

New Pastels

Dakota Art Pastels
the best pastel store in the country!

I wanted to buy the whole collection of Great American Pastels!

Dakota Art Pastels

Date: July 6, 2009 Destination: Mt Vernon, Washington
Target: Dakota Art Pastels Mother Ship Store
My mission: To acquire grayed pastels to fill out my pastel collection

Report: I am happy to report that I have added gray pastel sets by Pastel Girault, Terry Ludwig, and Great American. Rich in pastels but a little poorer in pocketbook.

Did you know that someone at Great American has a wonderful sense of humor? Their colors include tints of Earl Gray, Dorian Gray, and Churchmouse Blue Gray! Cracks me up!

New mission: to use them all!!