back to work with Pastel Porter

Back to "work" after no painting for many weeks. Here I am painting our pond using the Pastel Porter I received as an award last year. I have to say I love it! Mine is sparsely populated with a variety of pastel brands - this is the Jumbo Jr. model with 360 pastel slots. It can attach to a tripod but here it is sitting atop my Soltek easel.

forgotten path was really forgotten

Forgotten Path, oil, 14 x 10 inches

Today I found this oil painting in my studio. That makes it sound like my studio is chaotic...it really isn't. I carefully put things away and then can't find them or forget about them. I honestly don't know when I painted this one. It must have been earlier this year. Anyway, I found it and it is definitely dry and ready to move to a new home, hopefully not mine. Purchase

pastel packaging for shipment

Summer's End II, protective packaging

Three days to go on the auction for Summer's End II. I am packaging it for shipping by USPS Medium Flat Rate Box.

Supplies:
Your pastel painting
Crystal Clear bag
double sided adhesive tape
removable "Scotch" tape
Archival (or not) foam core 3/8"
craft knife
Artist's tape

1. Measure your painting and cut two pieces of 3/8"  thick foam core 1" larger on all sides. Set one piece of foam aside - this will your cover. For the base piece of foam core, apply a small piece of dbl sided tape where each of the corners of your painting will be. Carefully center your painting and gently press each corner to attach it to the base foam. (Use a slip-sheet between your fingers and the pastel surface when pressing.)

2. Cut four  3/4" wide foam core strips (one for each side of the painting). I cut the side pieces slightly shorter than the length of the side to leave a "gutter" for any pastel dust or expansion. Now  cut additional 3/4" inch wide strips to stack the strips so they are a minimum of 1/4" higher than the painting surface all the way around. In this case I needed only two 3/8" thick pieces on each side because the painting is Wallis Belgium Mist on 4-ply board.

3. With dbl sided tape, attach 4 of the strips snug against the painting edges.

4. With dbl sided tape, attach another foam core strip on top of the existing strip on each of the two sides of the painting.

5. With dbl sided tape, attach another foam core strip on top of the existing foam core strips at the top and bottom of the painting carefully overlapping the edge of the painting by 1/16". This will hold the painting in place if your small adhesive tabs in each corner fail.

6. To apply the Crystal Clear Bag: Apply small tabs of dbl sided tape to top and bottom foam core strips to attach a Crystal Clear bag stretched taunt over the painting. The bad does not touch the painting surface. Apply removable "Scotch" tape courtesy tabs to each side to hold the taunt bag in place.

7. To ship, cover with the other piece of foam core, tape with courtesy tabs on each side, wrap in bubble wrap, then into a box containing additional cushioning (foam, packing peanuts, etc.). Voila! Pastel is packaged for safe shipment.

wild meadow

Wild Meadow, pastel, 10 x 8 inches

Another Studio clean-up sale painting.  sold

To read yesterday's thoughts about retirement and hobbies, and a link to a wonderful clay artist, click here.

Click here to see one of my favorite things. 

summer's end II

Summer's End II, pastel, 11 x 8.5 inches •

This painting is a result of my Studio clean-up. I love the colors but I didn't make the best choice of a frame for it. Today, my intent was to re-frame it but once I got it out of the frame I began playing with textures on the right side of the painting. I used "spattering" as described in my book, "Art Answers: Pastels" and suddenly I had a new, smaller (after I cut it in half and saved the right side), more intimate painting. As summer ends, a rain storm approaches threatening dry golden grasses and late blooming blue flowers. 

I've been posting miscellaneous studio items on eBay so I thought I'd try this one there too. "Summer's End II"  is pastel on Wallis Belgium Mist archival sanded paper. Ready to frame in a frame of your choice.  

two trees for someone

Two Trees, pastel, 6.5 x 4.5 inches 

As you can tell by recent posts, I am being ruthless about getting rid of stuff in my studio in preparation for moving. I have sold books, vintage pens, a camera lens, a new set of watercolors, PanPastels, a big stack of Canson Mi-Teintes paper, colored pencils, etc. Some items have been sold on eBay and that has been fun. I will have a sale here at my Studio in Renton September 10th for larger items like frames.

I came across this little demo on Ersta 500. Actually, there were four paintings of the same two trees on different kinds of paper. The one on Ersta was my favorite so I ripped the other three.

Studio Moving Sale - Free Art or Free Books

I have two original colored pencil drawings from our Colored Pencil Solution Book and I have two new paperback copies of the book. I am going to sell each drawing with a free book OR, it is a book purchase and the drawing is free. Whichever way you want to look at it, I don't mind. I just know I want them to go to a good home because I don't want to move them to my new studio. The drawings are matted and ready to frame. Above is "Basket" and below is my example of fabric in "Shirt Sleeve." Such original titles, I know! Added Note: both drawings are sold.