Candyland

On Day 2 of McKinley's workshop, we worked with a pastel underpainting. Blocking in sections lightly with the general values and colors, we then used water and a bristle brush to wet the pastel and push it into the sanded paper.

On this day, I used Wallis mounted on a board from Dakota Arts, a combination I probably would not choose again. The technique is done vertically. Strategic drips and spattering are encouraged and remain.

This painting bears evidence to the technique with lots of runs left showing. Some spots just have a smear of pastel over areas of runs, leaving a mottled effect on the Wallis.

The name of the painting is from a comment of Richard's, him pointing to a section and saying it looks like candy. The painting conveniently hangs through November 14 in the Goodwin House on Fillmore in Alexandria as part of a Springfield Art Guild show entitled, "Local Color." My description for the piece hangs with it:

Near Hillsboro, toward the end of the day, toward the end of summer, colors splash, a study in contrasts. Deep shadows mingle with the sun's slanting glow and vivid near ground leaps forward in comparison to the mountain's distant softness.

Candyland
soft pastel on mounted Wallis
9x12