As most of you have figured out by now, I’ve been avoiding color work; at a certain point though, you have to face your fears.

While on vacation in Maine, I noticed a proliferation of pastel paintings. I was inspired to buy a small set and give them a try. These things are amazing. Dry media, that blends like and looks like oil paint. They can even be erased with a plain old plastic eraser! It took a few tries to find a decent paper to use with these, though. I landed on something that resembles fine-grade sandpaper.

Anywho… This painting was really just to try out the pastels and see what they can do. I wasn’t too concerned with getting the proportions just right or about making a realistic image. Also note that the image above is a bit more red than the actual painting due to the fact that I shot the pic with my phone under the dining room lights.