Interview with Astrid

Astrid Volquardsen at the shore of Föhr, Germany.

On Monday I will post my exclusive interview with German marine artist, Astrid Volquardsen.

Germany!

It gives me great pleasure to post about German pastel art. With the world's softest (and one of my favorite) pastel brand, Schmincke, manufactured there, and as the historic bed of the pastel medium, Germany is an important art hub. German painter Johann Alexander Thiele (1685-1752) is credited with the essential invention of modern pastels.

Expressionism is a key art movement originating from Germany.

Wall Panel, 1914
o/c
Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian artist whose growth and style was solidified during his long residencies in Germany. He was the first abstractionist.

Astrid Volquardsen is a contemporary pastelist in Germany. Link.


German information center, US German Embassy.
Some of my favorite pastellists either originate from or frequent German soil:
Wolf Kahn, born in Stuttgart.
Gesa Helms, frequents Germany and posts landscapes from there.
Casey Klahn, second generation German-American.

Petra Voegtle
Not a pastel artist, but very prolific and an indispensable gateway for English language blogging from Germany.

French Post

NASA vieimage

Just in time for my visits around Europe, and later the world at large, is the update of the website at Art du Pastel en France. Now, their web sight offers a pathway to view a number of important French pastelists.

Also, see the Society of Pastelists in France. Société des Pastellistes de France. Founded in 1885, the society boasts the past memberships of Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, Berthe Morisot, and Mary Cassatt. If only the walls could talk!

We're concerned with the current artists, now. The link page is here: Liens.

Recommended pastellistes:

Camille Leblond
Le Coloriste!
Gwenneth Barth
Classic Realism
Thierry Citron
Plein Air Landscapes (exquisite technique)

The nation of France boasts archaeological evidence of the earliest known art, and is the home of one of the greatest art cultures on the planet. The 19th. and early 20th. centuries burned brightly for French commitment to fine art, and the continued place of art in her culture is strong.

Many pastel products hail from France, including pastels and paper from Sennelier, and pastels from Pastels Girault, and, widely considered the world's finest pastels, Henri Roche.

International Pastel Visits

My research skills are so crunchy. Chalk that up to the fact that I went to college before the PC era. I say this to illustrate how difficult it is to locate and identify international pastelists.

Here are the pathways I have beaten so far. Blogger search. Google searches, including the queries "Norway Pastels", both in English and separately in Norwegian (etc.). Art aggregator sites that are Euro-centric. Reviews of blog rolls. Foreign Pastel Societies.

Recently, I looked in on Wet Canvas, and viola! There are some users there, complete with little flags for nationality. I suppose I joined WC a couple of years ago, when it was a lot smaller. They sure have grown in that time!


Now, it pleases me to bring you Merethe Torbergsen of Norway. Visit Merethe's Creative Corner for some yummy still lifes and portraiture.


And, to backtrack a little, I wish to point out Emma-Jane Rosenberg. Do take the trouble to explore this English artist's landscapes, which show an advanced level of draftsmanship, and a deft use of color. I really like them. Not to be pigeon-holed, this fine artist is adept at portraiture and the still life, too.

Pastel International Visit

Croatia

Our visit around Europe, and the world, will take us now to Croatia. Consider Gligor Szadovski, whose abstract pastel drawings are intricate, organic and fascinating.

Again, if you are familiar with any pastel artist in Europe, I am very interested in seeing someone's work from the Scandinavian or the Baltic nations.

Romania

When I worked for REI in Seattle, I had the privilege of meeting many larger than life personalities. Not the least of which was a certain famous vampire.

There I was, minding the store, when I was approached (from my blind side) by a peculiar fellow of average height, and chiseled, handsome features. His black hair was shoulder length, but it was his voice that sent a shiver down my spine.

He said, "Can you help me?" I wasn't sure on that, but I did think privately how really, really well Bella Lugosi had nailed that accent. Uncanny. There before me stood the full-on personage of Count Dracula, or a darn good look-alike.

Turns out he wanted rock climbing gear, and the next thing you know we were trading lies like any other pair of climbers who first meet. He was from Transylvania he said, and I asked him about the rock in the Carpathian Mountains. Granite, he said it was, and very clean at that. "Cool," I thought, "but I remember seeing that one movie of you scaling the castle wall upside down - that was creepy - and you didn't need any rock climbing gear then..."

All of this is just introduction to the next pastelist blogger I want to bring to you: Adriana Capraru. She doesn't have anything to do with Dracula, as far as I know, but her nation of Romania is well known for him. I have watched her blog grow over the past year and it is a delight to read. Be aware, it is in French.


http://pastel-online.blogspot.com/

Across Europe

http://www.pastelart.net/

Marek Swiatecki of Poland.

Sweden Pastel Visit

Who would Santa see doing pastels if he took a turn over Sweden?

Gabriella Jonsson , of Stockholm, that's who.

Her Blog:
Daily Artwork Gallery

U.K. Pastels

The kids and Lorie and I watched The Santa Clause 3 last night. How do they keep making better sequels like that? Answer: Martin Short, Ann-Margret and Alan Arkin.

The kids think that Santa starts his Christmas Eve trip at Scotland, then moves on to Northern Ireland, etc., across to Norway and around Europe. You get the picture.

Here's my Christmas post visiting international pastel bloggers in England & the U.K.

Vivien Blackburn
Katherine Tyrrell
Lisa Bachman, who was featured in the last post.

International Series - Gesa Helms

Scotland

Here at Pastel, I wish to begin a series of international links to Pastelists from countries other than my own. Call it a one-over-the-world interest in the greater world of our medium of pigment. We begin with Gesa Helms, of Glasgow, Scotland.

Gesa Helms, of Paint and Pastel, is a wonderfully experimental artist whose blog contains both glimpses into her own colorful work and insights into the art base of Scotland. She is based in Glasgow. Her blog blurb is:

"ideas, experiments and thoughts on painting: pastels, oils and more"

See her post about the late, great Joan Eardley for a taste of Scottish art appreciation. Eardley's work is a hoot.

As far as Scotland is concerned, you have to love a nation whose land is in constant marine weather, and whose men wear the kilt anyway. That's tough.

Other things I love about Scotland:
Whisky
Ice Climbing
Mel Gibson's Movie
Did I mention Whisky?

Things I find mildly amusing about Scotland:
My birth town of Aberdeen, Washington got its name from Aberdeen, Scotland
Bagpipes
Tartan
Scottish Common Sense Realism

Things I want to know more about Scotland:
Scottish Colourists

Links:
http://gesah.blogspot.com/
http://www.ghelms.com/