Products

HANDMADE PASTELS

Pastel artists face a different challenge than oil painters. We can't simply mix colors. Our color is created by layering and optical blending, where your eye combines the colors. We need to have a rich palette or we are seriously handicapped in our efforts. This need was the catalyst for me learning to make pastels twenty years ago. It's been a long learning curve but my pastels now are the best I have yet to attain. I continue to try and improve them. I know you will like my pastels and I invite you to join the many artists who are using them every day.

WHAT IS A GOOD PASTEL?

Pastels are made of the same dry pigments used to make oil paints and other mediums. Making pastels is not rocket science. Dry pigments are beautiful! The more of these wondrous pigments in pastels, the brighter and richer the pastel color. Dry pigments are expensive so there is plenty of incentive for manufacturers to add lots of additives to pastels. My pastels are as close to pure pigment as I can make them. Small amounts of inert pigments are added just to improve working qualities. It's easy to tell how much pigment is in a pastel. Just lay down a big buttery stroke and you'll know mine are loaded with pigment.

A good pastel feels solid in your hand and can make a variety of marks for you. These marks are our "brush strokes" so are critical in developing your own unique style. A good pastel is soft, but does not crush to pieces when you add a bit of pressure. I prefer a larger thicker pastel. Pressure is another critical element in pastel painting. The more pressure you apply, the more pastel is deposited on your surface. Pastel artists become extremely adept at varying the pressure they use. A good pastel is responsive like the gas pedal on a sports car! Would you rather drive a Ferrari or a Dodge Dart? As a former Dart owner I assure you, you'll want the Ferrari!

THE PATH TO BETTER COLOR

I love the great Robert Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken." It was my dad's favorite poem as well. He encouraged me to be myself and not worry about joining the crowd and doing what they did. I remain a bit eccentric to this day but have learned to accept and even embrace it. My pastel colors reflect my artistic temperament. I am a poor scientist so I avoid exact formulas, charts and the quest for uniformity of result that is the basis for science. I know that viridian pigment added to cadmium yellow lemon makes a screaming green that shouts of the coming spring. A shot of cadmium orange bends the color to that of emerging willow leaves. You aren't likely to find these colors in the manufacturers sets. Some unexpected results occur from my mixtures but sometimes one such color can make a painting stand out on a gallery wall. The purity of color is the strength of pastel. I invite you to step out of the safe boring world of muddy tints and into the exciting world of unexpected pastel color!

NEW LIMITED EDITION SET AVAILABLE

Try my Bright and Beautiful new palette of 60 colors! I have just a small handful of these sets made and ready to go. You'll find many very unusual colors in this set including the best red I have ever been able to make a dazzling range of neutral and bright greens! There won't be any landscape subject you can't handle with this selection of exciting color! Very limited and totally guaranteed!!

START WITH A FULL SET

I have been making and selling small quantities of pastels for years. Recently I was asked to create a few 60 color sets for a proposed business venture. The venture never panned out so I offered the sets for sale myself. They have been very well received so I have created five new sets with similar but slightly differing colors. Rather than put you to sleep with verbiage, I have included a picture of the rich colors in these five sets. The sets are $180 plus ten dollars for shipping and handling. I include a couple bonus sticks with each order. My pastels are big and soft and full of beautiful pigment. I know you will enjoy them!

TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED - CUSTOM ASSORTMENTS

Artists often ask me to choose colors for them that will help them in the sort of painting they do. Sometimes they send me digital images of paintings via email or describe the colors they really need. This method has worked very well. I am confident I can pick the colors you need.

PAYMENT INFORMATION

All pastels are $3.00 each, plus shipping. Send check, cash, or money order when you receive your pastels in good condition. You can also pay online using the button below. After I package your order, I'll email you with a final total which will include shipping. You can enter this amount when you pay online. Online payments are processed securely via PayPal. My pastels are totally guaranteed. I want you to be very satisfied. Ten sticks is the minimum order due to the cost of priority mail shipping. I always include a bonus color or two with each order.