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.

Lisa Bachman

Pastel Tools & Me Sennies

Lisa Bachman, who doesn't use Cockney, posted today her review of Senneliers. Go have a look, and she gets into some good details on the darks.

The pastel world did suffer from a lack of darks for some time, I understand. But, I do know that when you buy a box set of pastels, even a 100 count landscape set, that you will likely still be missing dark darks. So, heed well Lisa's illumination of her favorite darks. And, I use the Cockney to, hopefully, bring down my reading level score.

Sennelier Extra-Soft Pastels “à l’écu”

Sennelier Extra-Soft Pastels “à l’écu”

The three French brands of pastels, that I know of, are all color-centric. I love that focus. The three are Henri Roche, Pastels Girault, and Sennelier. In this second of my series on pastel brands, we will inspect the renowned Sennelier.

Chemist Gustave Sennelier founded in 1887 what would become the premier artist's paint resource of France. His store front was strategically placed within spitting distance of Paris' great museum and academy, the Louvre and the École des Beaux Arts. Of course, the Maison Sennelier faces the Left Bank of the Seine River, and Gustave's paint lab became eventually "the" place for the Avante-Garde of Impressionism.

Fine colors were purveyed to the likes of Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, Monet, Bonnard, Soutine, Picasso, Modigliani, Kandinsky, Dali, van Gogh. If the walls of his storied Maison could only speak, how they would celebrate the conversations shared by these giants! The artists interacted with Sennelier in order to fulfill their needs for new colors.

Next posts: Details and critique.

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/

Bits & Pieces Repair

Since I have readers who have enjoyed learning how to make their own pastels, and reconstitute easel tailings, I want to direct you over to Richard McKinley's well written post on how to re-work your bits & pieces of pastel sticks.

The Pastel Colorist - Casey Klahn

Giselle Borzov's Art Now has published an interview with me. Pour a cup of Joe and take a break while you read a little bit about my background and how I arrived at my Colorist Art signature.

Similar Stories

Untitled: Red, Gray, Blue
8" x 5"
Original Pastel
July 1st, 2007
Casey Klahn

Similar stories always pique my interest. Julene Baker, PSA, began her artist's life at about the Kindergarten age, and is self-taught. She works exclusively in pastel. Those are parallels to my own story.

I found Baker's interesting interview at an online art monthly entitled Practical Painting.

While you're at PP, you may enjoy this link to pastel tips.