Are you wanting to improve your pastel practice? This workshop is ideal for those with some pastel experience but beginners are welcome too. We will be working from still life fruits and vegetables, attempting to express their differences by how we use our pastels. I will show you how to make your own pastel paper and how to use under-painting washes. We will cover the principles of good composition and layout and then we will dive into color selection. We will discuss the process of building up our pastels and techniques for achieving depth through colour placement. Our goal will be a realistic representation of the still life in front of us. This is a fun, lively learning experience so I invite students not to be too precious about the piece they produce in the class. The point is to learn some skills to be able to apply them to your own practice.
● Artworks will be ready to take home after the class
● Pastels do create dust so please come prepared with an apron and dust mask if necessary. Bring gloves if that is your preference.
● Each student should come with a good quality set of soft pastels. Student grade

Born in London, England I studied painting at St Martin’s School of Art where I received my Bachelor’s degree. I very soon after moved to Phoenix and quickly joined the downtown art scene. Inspired by this new and harsh desert landscape, my work celebrated my discovery of this amazing part of the world. Through mountain biking, hiking and backpacking a healthy respect for this environment evolved including sustainable living systems and building techniques. After owning a successful faux finishing business I took time to raise my children and be artist in residence in all of their schools. As my children grew I was able to develop a love for plein air painting. Working mainly in oils and pastels my
larger studio works grow out of this practice – scenes and subject matter that I have discovered on my journeys. I am constantly adding new media to my repertoire while revisiting old themes that have been a constant in my career -I am still enthralled with this desert environment and I hope to convey that passion.