Fellow pastelists, to view and sit with your creative expressions for this show was a joy and an honour! Such variety in every way …so the joy and the challenge! I was grateful to be part of the team with Ingrid and Fred!
Initially, I did a quick run through noting paintings that impacted me, consciously attempting to lay aside personal bias. Tougher than one would think.
Painting by painting, I then, evaluated through twice slowly. Was there a sense of flow through the painting directing my eye? Was there composition, value structure, and color harmony throughout the painting? Had dynamic shapes, interesting edges been designed with purpose? Were drawing, perspective, and particularly the light and shadow handled well? Did the painting have a sense of presence? Did it captivate and draw the eye around the entire surface? What enhanced? What detracted?
On the last pass through I considered how each painting worked as a whole. Some had exquisite areas but were missing elements. Some paintings were louder, dramatic pieces. Some were like a quiet, gentle song but drew as strongly. Some had a wow factor - that rather illusive combination of presence and design, a developed finish, or sometimes the last little touch of pastel that makes the whole piece suddenly sing.
Congratulations to each artist! If this was your first submission and it was successful, huge congratulations! If your submission wasn’t accepted - keep painting, learning, and try again!
