Old Rose. Watercolour, crayon and pastels.

I have an expanding collection of pastels as I experiment with this brilliant medium. I’ve always been a bit wary of them but put to use alongside watercolours, in no particular sequence, and the possibilities are endless.

My latest acquisition is a set of Koh-I-Noor soft pastels which are luscious. I have them because one of my art buddies (we meet every Tuesday afternoon in Hungerford Library for tea and wisdom) was throwing them out.

This painting has been worked on top of an old watercolour which I hated and washed off. Some of the marks still remain which adds texture and another dimension to the image. I started the drawing process with a water soluble crayon while the paper was still wet to produced a soft, ethereal profile on which to start working. It’s all experimentation and a little accidental but sometimes you end up just where you thought you should be.