Exploring Soft Pastels Workshop

Exploring Soft Pastels Workshop Instructor: Antonia Carriere Dates: Saturday and Sunday, November 2nd and 3rd Times: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (1 hour lunch break) Supplies: Students need to pick up a supply list from Crossroads Min: 8 students Max: 16 students Age Requirement: 14+ beginners and intermediates Cost: $90/member $135/non-member Whatever your level of experience or inexperience this class can be tailored to individual needs. We’ll talk about the basics of composition and how to solve the problems of paintings that just aren’t working. We’ll learn about the kinds of pastels, their uses and in what order they can be applied and all about paper, how color and coarseness of the grit affect the outcome. I’m primarily a landscaping painter so I’ll use that subject to teach. But, don’t let that stop you from painting what inspires you. I hope you’ll treat this experience as play – know that failed painting always teach us something. Soft Pastels offer a very unique artistic experience. Not only are the sticks made of the highest concentration of pure pigment of all the artistic media but they allow for a very immediate process since there is no drying time. For me the excitement is in the way colors are created directly on the painting surface by layering and mixing with varying kinds of strokes. It is a truly tactile process; no brushes, just the pastel stick and fingers. It lends itself beautifully to the very best parts of creating art, experimentation and playfulness. The class will cover ways to prep the painting surface, effective under painting, the order in which to use the different densities of pastels, how to achieve desired colors and textures and finding the best composition for a subject.