ADVENTURES IN PASTEL
Welcome to our Adventure Series!
This online group activity offers our members a series of pastel painting challenges each year.
On the 3rd Wednesday of a designated month you receive a new Adventure, via Email, that challenges you to use your pastels in a unique and creative way.
You have a week to submit your Adventure painting, via Email, and then we put together an online gallery of the Adventure paintings.
Comments on how you experienced the Adventure, or insights you gain, are welcomed and included as captions in the gallery.
Adventures provide a unique chance to see how fellow APS members explore visual ideas, experiment with new techniques, and relish the joys of pastel painting.
This program is a perennial favorite of our members!
ADVENTURE J-3 ~ THREE OF A KIND
Using a group of objects as a focal point can create compelling and dynamic results. Our artists were challenged to paint “three-of-a-kind”, their choice of subject, in this composition oriented Adventure Challenge.
DIANE DE GRASSE ~ Three Of A Kind. 12 x 9", ColorFix Cream paper, soft pastels - "Getting back to pastels after months, from recent surgery, I turned to an old favorite subject which gained me many sales when I lived in Maine. Rows of beer in the fridge for Oktoberfest. I sold nearly a dozen pastel paintings of all sizes, probably for "man caves". These 3 commercial brands were mixed in with dozens of our humble home brews. It was so good to handle pastels again. Thanks for getting me going!" - Black Mountain, NC
PAT QUIGLEY ~ Breakfast Social, 12 x 9", UART 320 and soft pastels - "Sketching these guys from photographs made me wish I was able to draw them from life - birds are so mobile, especially when feeding. The toothier UART 320 really does grab and hold a lot of layers." - Norristown, PA
TERRILYNN DUBREUIL ~ Flanders Field, 12 x 9", UArt, soft pastels, alcohol - "I paint few flowers, but tried this as an exercise in simplicity and texture." - Windham, ME
MERYL MEYER ~ Three Ornamental Teapots, 9 x 12", UArt 400 paper, pastel pencils and assorted soft and hard pastels, Prismacolor 05 fine tip pen - "Took on more than I initially wanted with this still life. All that detail... I stayed with it and overcame many challenges. These miniature teapots I had collected many years ago. I loved the ornamental and creative designs, and different shapes. I set up the still life so they were at different heights and added a sheer drop cloth. Creating the transparency of the sheer cloth was also very challenging." - Weaverville, NC
JANE HUDSON ~ How Do I Get To Three Pines? - "I LOVE Louise Penny's novels - most set in this wonderful place called Three Pines. A mystical adventure." - Fort Mill, SC
MARGARET LYN-SOROKEN ~ 11 x 8.5, pastels on grey pastel paper - "Photo I took of my 3 cats as they observed a lizard. I thought it was funny and fit the 3 challenge... still working on it." - Black Mountain, NC
NANCY CLAUSEN ~ From My Garden - "These are rhubarb leaves from my garden. I am not quite satisfied with what I’ve done, so it might need a redo. The painting is done on Canson Velvet with a variety of different pastels. It was fun to do the leaves, I’m not sure about the background." - Swannanoa, NC
WILL EVANS ~ The Guardians, 6 x 8", Uart 400 - "Late fall, leaves down, standing strong!" - Fairview, NC
ALEC HALL ~ Did You Bring Carrots, 8 x 16", Uart 500 grit paper, Rembrandt and Great American pastels, Carb-Othello pencils - "I found these three burros near a friend's farm in Ontario, Canada. They would only approach if they knew that you had a treat like carrots or apples." - Hendersonville, NC
MARYANN GRIB ~ Exploring Koi, 6 x 8", soft pastels on gesso primed multi media paper - "I've been experimenting with this theme of Koi fish, so thought I would make it three in a triangular pattern using this color combination that I kind of love. I am still playing around with it and I'll probably create a few different versions before I actually get one I would consider finished. But I do love the idea of creating a series to discover various ways to portray a subject." - Gallatin, NC
JANE BEST ~ Three Maples, 8 x 6”, soft pastel - "Had fun painting these trees. Experimented by underpainting with watercolors on watercolor paper which I then coated with clear gesso before completing with soft pastels. Thanks for this enjoyable adventure!" - Morganton, NC
CLAIRE BENTON ~ Onions In Three Steps, 9.4 x 12.6", Canson Mi-Tientes Velvet Blue - "Used pan pastels, pencils, and a couple of softer pastels. What to do with the rectangle that is left... empty?" - Riverview, FL
LYNN NEWMAN ~ Cage Free Chickens, 12 x 12”, pastel on Arches Black - "I loved this challenge! It was a fun opportunity to combine the gestural qualities of drawing with the immediacy and vibrancy of soft pastels." - Clayton, NC
DEBORAH CHASE ~ Spouting Off, 12 x 12” Canson Mi Teintes paper and a variety of pastels - Rutherfordton, NC
KRYSTINA MADEJ ~ Venice Three, 7 x 5", beige Uart 400, Blue Earth, Ludwig and Rembrandt soft and hard pastels - "This was done for one of Alain Picard's workshops where he encouraged a minimum number of looser strokes. I got caught up in some of the detail in the boats but for the most part I felt I got away from my habit of focusing too closely and still managed to distinguish the three boats one from the other. Another practice-to-get-better pastel." - Atlanta, GA and Vancouver, Canada
KAREN KNAUB ~ 9 x 11", Pastelmat with various soft pastels - "We just came back from Iceland so I thought I would paint 3 icebergs seen in Glacier Lagoon." - Lake Lure, NC
KATHERINE HUTCHINSON ~ Rose, 10 x 8", Hahnemûhle Velour green, various pastels - "I am trying to like this velour medium but I'm definitely not there yet. It seems impossible to have any crisp lines. I'm glad this was just an experiment as I am disappointed with my result. Nonetheless thank you for keeping me playing with pastels." - Rutherfordton, NC
LINDA MEDDERS-JACKSON ~ Starting A Painting - "WIP. Starting this painting of 3 deer. Mixed pastels... Pan, Nupastels and stick. In the real ugly stage at this point." - Cross, NC
JANICE JACKSON ~ Aspens, 5 x7", Uart, various soft pastels - "I've painted this scene several times, and this time tried to paint loose." - Hendersonville, NC
JANET CLEMENT ~ 3's A Crowd! - "The local Agriberry Farmer's market described their ad as "Sunrise European Pears - $8.00". - Richmond, VA
CHRISTINA CARROLL ~ 3 And A Quarter - " I was able to catch 3 of my guests talking and I cropped the picture and put myself in as the quarter. Was interesting and enjoyable to paint. Thank you." - New Bern, NC
PAT FENDA ~ Green Trio, 9 x 12", pastel pencil - "Love looking out on my patio to see these beauties!" - Tampa, FL
JAN COBB ~ Colorful Zinnias, 11 x 7", Maimoufin pastel paper - Black Mountain, NC
CAROL ROLLICK ~ 12.75 x 19.75” - "I started this another time, but the challenge for three of a kind was the impetus needed to work on it and finish it. I still don’t know if it’s finished but I like it a whole but I like it much better and will totally finish it in the next day or so. I took the photo." - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
To become an APS Member and participate in our Adventure Challenges CLICK HERE.
To access our archives and see past Adventure Challenges CLICK HERE.
