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| Misty Mountains, pastel on Wallis paper, 9.5"h x 17.5"w |
I haven't been very inspired of late, so I thought a break from watercolors might be helpful. This piece of white Wallis sanded paper had been stored in my studio for a couple of years--I'd used it as a demo on how to use turpenoid as a solvent with pastels to tone the paper, an alternative to an under-painting. The image was a photo I'd taken a few years back at an overlook on Skyline Drive on a spring evening just as the mist was rolling over the mountains.
For starters, the proportions of the paper--almost twice as wide as high--were challenging. Modifying the composition of my photo to fit this proportion meant stretching the foreground over a much larger area than in the photo, and having to extend the line of trees that marks the break towards the backdrop of receding mountain ridges. The colors also had to be adjusted, as my photo was much darker, the foreground in particular. I wanted this piece to give the impression of a place full of mystery with the promise of spring.
I've labored over this piece for several of weeks, putting down pigments, then brushing some off, trying to make the painting "read" as believable. Some days I'd rub off everything I'd put down, unsatisfied with the colors, or the position of the darks, paring the painting back to an amorphous start, trying to find a way to make it work visually.
I don't know if the finished painting actually works, but it is what it is. I may submit it to Art at the Mill's spring show, or perhaps save it for the Blandy Sketch Group show (likely to be virtual only), but it was good practice for me. It's inspired me to start working in pastels more.
By the way, most of the paintings shown on this blog are for sale, in case anyone is interested in buying this painting or another. You can find most of them on my website: https://elenamaza.com or if you don't see what you are interested in, you can Email me to inquire.
