Pastel Explorations
As many of you know from previous blogs, along with the work I do that reflects my response to what I see visually in the world, I yearn to create what emerges from within and also what is a response to the process of the work itself. I have been doing daily pastel paintings while here in La Manzanilla, Mexico, many of which you have seen in my blogs over the past couple of weeks. Alongside those small pieces, I’ve also been exploring, in pastel, this new-to-me way of creating.
It’s all a big risk. There is fear involved for sure but as the book I read in the nineties said I “Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway.” It’s an exhilarating feeling, and an exciting yet almost unnerving process.
So here’s the first pastel I did while here in Mexico. It began with a simple image I ‘saw’ as I awoke one morning. All the exploratory pieces I have done so far have sprung from this one image.
Music playing (in this case, Broken Social Scene), I proceeded with what would turn out to be, “Emergent”.
It takes risks to achieve. It’s often scary. It requires something you didn’t know before or a skill you didn’t have before. But in the end, it’s worth it.
All work and no play…..
Although I feel the need to keep working, I also know that once in awhile, you need to take some time off. About a 40-minute walk up an arroyo is a small fresh-water swimming hole. And so one morning a couple of friends and I made our way there. And we were the only three at this beautiful spot the whole time. We swam, chatted, ate snacks, absorbed the beauty and tranquility of the place and felt away from the rest of the world. A very different experience to beach life!
I hope you will feel inclined to comment as I’d love to hear from you. If you have any problems at all, please let me know.
Only a few more days before I head home and I’ll enjoy each and every one!!
Muchos gracias,
~ Gail
PS. Here’s the book I was referring to.
8 thoughts on “And now for something completely different – a pastel”
I love this post because you reveal your hesitancy yet throw yourself into it– the resulting painting is full of energy and intriguing. Thanks for sharing the creative process!
Denise Rainis
deniserainis.com
Hey great to hear from you Denise and thanks for your comments. I really appreciate receiving them. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Bravo for gutsy-ness! “Emergent” is wonderful…. great color and vibrancy literally ’emerging” from the pastels. You have absorbed the colors of Mexico!
And the mountain stream adventures sounds like it must have been lots of fun. Was the water coooold?
See you on SSI.
Cheers, Gwen
Thanks Gwen!
The mountain stream was, shall we say, cool. A whole heap of fun.
See you back on SSI.
Great Blog enjoyed all aspects of it Education plenty Original pastel Very diferent worthy of study only one disappointment no swiming beauties
Hah hah Sandy. Guess we needed another photographer!
Glad you enjoyed the blog
How exciting! The colours are wonderful and it is so interesting the different interpretations you can read into the image. Hope you have many more “wake up sightings”!
I love that you can read different interpretations into the image! Can’t wait to talk to you about them.