Brecons Beacons, pastel by Jenny Keal
I will be demonstrating pastel painting techniques at
on Saturday 10th September 2011 between 1.00 p.m. & 4.00 p.m.
Above is the painting I did as a demonstration at the station in July.
Come along and enjoy the best coffee and cakes in Powys.
Light and Atmosphere on the Black Mountains
Yesterday David and I went for a walk on the hills above our home and it occurred to me that this view of the Black Mountains illustrates perfectly aerial perspective, or recession.
Notice how the distant mountains are blue, the middle distance hill is blue/green, the bright green fields are cool green with touches of blue/green shadow and the foreground bracken is warm yellow/green.
In reality all these greens are similar in colour temperature but the atmosphere between gives this effect and it is the key to creating the illusion of a three dimensional space on a two dimensional painting surface.
This autumn David and I are demonstrating this and many other aspects of painting the landscape in two Seminars. David will be demonstrating in watercolour in Great Bookham, Surrey. Details are on the website. Also you can see detail of our painting courses for 2012 in Yorkshire, Mid Wales, Somerset and Pembrokeshire. You can also download a copy of our annual newsletter and order form.
We are also taking part in a joint exhibition at Aberglasney Gardens this month. Entry to the preview and the gardens is free from 6.30 to 9.00 p.m. on 9th September.
Treleddid Fawr, Pembrokeshire
If you travel down to St David’s and explore the countryside below Carn Llidi you will find this lovely old farm called Treleddyd Fawr. However you cannot see it the way I have painted it. I have used a lot of artistic licence with this one.
I like to paint buildings so that they are part of the landscape rather than dominating it and this view of the building is mostly obscured from this distance. To see the view like this I would have had to cut down a mass of overgrown hedgerows, several small trees and demolish a stone wall. I would also have had to hover about 100 feet up in the air to get the crag in this position.
I sketched the building from several angles from close quarters and the roof and chimneys from a 100 yards back (this being all I could see from that distance). I then drew a lot of thumbnail sketches to work out the positions, angles and perspective until I was happy with the composition.
Making the landscape suit your ideas is what makes painting so exciting, so don’t be reluctant to change things to how you would like them to be.
This painting is from my new book Painting with Pastels, signed copies are available from the website with a DVD of the same name is also available. Save £5 on the book/dvd offer
Scwy Isaf Clyn Gwyn, Pastel by Jenny Keal
If you have tried painting water in watercolour you will know how difficult it is to work negatively around the white paper to create the highlights or how tricky it is to lay the wet in wet reflections at just the right time.
Painting water in pastel is much simpler because you can lay the light over the dark. This means you can create far more intricate and subtle effects in the falling water and reflections can be created by softening the pastel in a vertical direction with your fingers.
This painting is of Scwd Isaf Clyn Gwyn, just south of the Brecon Beacons in ‘waterfall country’ around Ystradfelte. It is a spectular series of falls in a Tolkeinesque gorge. The painting was built up in stages, keeping the background fall soft and misty to convey a sense of distance. The warmer colours, stronger tones and sharper detail in the foreground emphasise this effect.
You can see this painting, along with many others at The Wyeside Art Centre in Builth Wells. as David and I have an exhibition on there for the rest of the summer. Contact them for opening times
Please use the comments box if you have any specific questions about how the painting was created.
Barafundle Bay, pastel by Jenny Keal
Blogging seems to be the new way to communicate and it offers many possibilities. I will be using this blog to offer hints and tips on painting and announcing news of events that David and myself are organising. Maybe the odd profound thought might creep in as well.
Visual Art tries to communicate without words and I hope the image above says something to you. This is Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire. I sketched this scene on a stormy February day and painted it in pastel later in my studio. I can still feel the salt on my skin when I look at it. I hope it says something to you.
Pastel is a superb medium for conveying atmosphere, and this allows you to put more emotion into your paintings. This painting is from my new book ‘Painting with Pastels’
Communication has changed so much in my lifetime and this new way of reaching people, including complete strangers, still seems like science fiction to me. However, it doesn’t really matter if you use two tin cans with string between them or zeros and ones clicking down a telephone line, the important thing is the interaction. Please leave your comments – I want to hear them.