By Beth Williams
Barbara Churchley, Autumn Wetlands, pastel, 11 x 14.
The luminous color and velvety texture of pastel has been embraced by artists throughout the ages. Tracing its origins to Northern Italy in the 16th century, the dry medium comprised of powdered pigment and binder has been a favorite for luminaries such as the Renaissance’s Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci for sketchings; French Rococo Maurice Quentin de La Tour for oil-like self-portraits and portraits of the French court; French Impressionist Edgar Degas for gestural ballerinas; and American Impressionist Mary Cassatt for tender mother-and-child unions.
Today’s artists are experiencing their own renaissance with the easily blendable medium to produce vibrant works on textured surfaces. The trio of award-winning contemporary pastelists featured in this portfolio—Carol L. Bendell, Jane Castelan Buccola, and Barbara Churchley—elevate the art of “dry painting” in their colorfully layered portraits, abstracts, non-objectives, and landscapes.
Click on the links below to learn more about each artist.
CAROL L. BENDELL
Carol L. Bendell, Southwestern Grandmother, pastel, 12 x 9.
JANE CASTELAN BUCCOLA
Jane Castelan Buccola, Off on a Tangent, pastel, 15 x 20.
BARBARA CHURCHLEY
Barbara Churchley, Sageland, pastel, 11 x 14.