Blog Archives
Q: Do you plan your work in advance or is it improvisation?
Barbara’s studio
A: My process is somewhere in between those two. I work from my own set-up or on-site photographs and make a preliminary sketch in charcoal before I start a pastel painting. Thousands of decisions about composition, color, etc. occur as I go along.
Although it starts out somewhat planned, I have no idea what a pastel painting will look like when it’s finished. Each piece takes about three months, not counting foreign travel, research, and a gestation period of several months to determine what the next pastel painting will even be.
Comments are welcome!
Q: What’s on the easel today?
Preliminary charcoal sketch in progress.
A: I am starting a new preliminary sketch for my next pastel painting. This will be number nine in the “Bolivianos” series!
In 2018 I made six new pastel paintings, which is more than usual. The last time I created six in one year was 1996!
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Q: Do you work with a particular audience in mind?
“Shamanic,” 26″ x 20,” finished
A: In general I would answer no, I have no ‘specific’ audience in mind. But I DO consider the audience in this sense. As I put finishing touches on a pastel painting, I pay attention to how all of my decisions up to that point lead the viewer’s eyes around. I fine tune – brightening some areas, heightening the contrast with what’s next to it, blurring, fading, and pushing back others – all to keep the viewer’s gaze moving around the painting. Once I am satisfied that it’s as visually exciting as I can make it, I consider the pastel painting finished, ready to be photographed, and driven to Virginia for framing.
Comments are welcome!
Q: What’s on the easel today?
Work in progress
A: This 58 x 38” pastel painting needs some finishing touches before it’s done. It has a new title, “Prophecy.”
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Q: What’s on the easel today?
Work in progress
A: I continue slowly working on a small, 26” x 20,” untitled pastel painting.
Comments are welcome!
What’s on the easel today?
Work in progress
A: This is my fourth day working on a small (26”x 20”) pastel painting. All of these colors are going to change over the next few months.
Comments are welcome!
Q: What’s on the easel today?
Work in progress
A: I continue slowly working on a 58” x 38” pastel painting. For now I’ve added a small figure on the right. I’m not sure yet whether I’ll keep it.
Comments are welcome!
Q: How do you feel about donating your work to auctions?
Studio with work in progress
A: Generally, it depends on who is doing the asking. If it’s an organization that has been supportive of my work, I am pleased to help with fundraising. If the organization and I have never connnected before, their out-of-the-blue request sometimes feels disrespectful. Artists invest decades, vast amounts of money, and plenty of blood, sweat, and tears to become the skilled creators that we are. And a New York artist’s overhead is considerable. I know of no artists who create their hard-fought work only to give it away.
Under certain conditions, however, I will participate. Here is my response to a recent donation request.
Dear…
Thank you for contacting me. Certainly your organization sounds worthwhile.
However, you may be unaware that artists may deduct ONLY the cost of materials when we give our work to auctions. I suggest that you ask one of your supporters to buy a pastel painting and donate it next year (there is a one-year waiting period for collectors to take this tax deduction). Then we have a win-win-win! I get paid, the collector/donor gets to enjoy owning my beautiful work for a year AND take a tax deduction for the full amount that he/she paid for it. Plus, your organization gets to sell my painting at next year’s auction.
Don’t you agree this is a better approach for everyone involved?
Sincerely…
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Q: How much of your work is autobiographical?
“The Champ,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 26″ x 20″
A: I suppose all of it is, in the sense that often I can look at a particular pastel painting and remember what was happening in my life when I made it. As I get older, however, it’s becoming more difficult to remember the circumstances surrounding my earliest work. Certainly, the cultures of an ever-expanding number of countries – Bolivia last year – are influencing my imagery for the better.
Comments are welcome!
Q: What’s on the easel today?
Preliminary sketch
A: I’m working on a preliminary charcoal drawing for my next large pastel painting. It will be number seven in the “Bolivianos” series.
Comments are welcome!
