The Importance of Surface, Pt. 1

March Beach, 24 x 18, pastel on board


I recently completed three paintings in the same size, each done on a different surface. The surfaces were chosen, partly because I had them in the size I wanted, but more importantly because of their properties and the needs of the individual pictures.

I am a strong believer that in pastel, the surface is as important and probably more important than the pastels that are used. Because we apply the color with our hands, it is very tactile and the feel of the surface and how it takes the pastel is very important to our ability to accomplish the kind of painting we want to do. For that reason, I use a number of different surfaces and always keep the picture in mind when I select the paper or board.

This painting is pure landscape--no buildings or important structures. Thus, there is little need for hard line. Only the three boardwalks are man-made. I did the painting on gatorfoam with a Art Spectrum liquid primer painted on, which produces strokes that give a vibrancy to the picture. You can't see this in the reproduction, but it makes a real difference when doing a painting like this. This surface frees me up and allows me to be loose, which is a real plus in landscape work. But it's a little harder to get fine detail.

The picture is the beach at Hollywoods in Mattapoisett, MA. I was there in March and my friend Paula Cobb took me there for a late afternoon photo shoot. Thanks Paula!