Three Tunisian Gardens. 2013

                            

Soft pastel on canvas panel, 5" x 7" each

Dyptich:" Gold and Ruby Floaters," 2014

"Gold Floater" / "Ruby Floater"

Soft pastel on board, 18" x 24" each

I've been exploring thickly layered color fields with heavy sgraffito and dense calligraphic embellishment. This is pure pastel--no impasto gels or under-painting. Here, I've used a combination of soft sticks and pencils on Ampersand Pastelbord, a sturdy hardboard with a toothy marble dust, clay and gesso ground. It's less gritty than the sanded papers I often work on, but capable of withstanding the torture I put a substrate through.

"Ruby Floater" (detail)

                 
Color, color, color! This is as pure as pigment gets. No wonder I'm in love with soft pastels. I made a few deep sienna and blue-crimson hand-rolled sticks for this piece, with a pinch of pumice to keep the bite fresh. With all the layers, a really soft stick like Schminke just won't hold up to the elbow grease and pencil treatment. I used mostly Carbothellos in the calligraphy, a little Caran D'ache. The lower layers were lightly fixed with Sennelier LaTour.

Behold: Murphy!

I rescued this split-leaf philodendron from a yard sale two years ago. It was in a 6" pot, withered and nearly dead. A little water, plant food, good light and my companion Murphy is taking over the studio.

Upcoming Show: May 10-18, 2014

Billie Hamilton and Kira Corser: May 10 - 18, 2014