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Pastel is an art medium in the form of a round or square stick. Pastels have no chalk component; instead, they consist of pure powdered pigment and a binder - generally gum arabic or gum trabacanth.  The pigments (colors) used in pastels are the same as those used to produce oil paints, acrylics and watercolor. However, as this medium has the highest pigment concentration of all painting media it results in very intense saturated colors. When properly protected behind glass, pastel is the most permanent of all media because it never cracks, darkens or yellows; on the contrary, a pastel painting will maintain its original brilliance and vibrancy. A pastel painting is created by applying the sticks to an abrasive ground, leaving color on the grain of the surface. A pastel support/ground needs to provide a “tooth” to which the pastel will adhere in order to hold the pigment in place. Pastel is a dry medium and is available in varying degrees of hardness and softness; it is quite distinct from oil pastel, which is an entirely different medium. I use both soft and hard pastel sticks. Soft pastels have a higher portion of pigment and less binder, resulting in brighter, purer and more vibrant colors. Hard pastels have a higher portion of binder and less pigment, producing a sharp drawing material that is useful for fine details, for drawing outlines and adding accents. My favorite brands include Sennelier, Schminke, Terry Ludwig, and NuPastel. One of the reasons pastel paintings are so beautiful is the quality of the pure color particles and how these catch and reflect light. Because the use of heavy layers of fixative destroy this refractive quality, I choose not to use fixative on my paintings. It can cause the color, texture and overall composition to become dull and darken, thereby diminishing its characteristic light-scattering property. It is therefore important to keep your pastel painting well protected, most effectively done by framing. which avoids accidental smudging and abrasions, as well as the settling of dust. My preferred abrasive supports/grounds are Sennelier La Carte, which is a high quality, acid-free, heavyweight paper with a surface of slightly abrasive vegetable fiber; and archival acid-free Uart Premium Sanded pastel paper. In addition, I have my own "secret recipe" for my frequently used acid-free archival handmade boards. Historically, 19th Century French painter Edgar Degas was a prolific user of pastel. Mary Cassatt first introduced pastel to USA and became its strongest proponent of her era. Other pastel painters included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec, and Vincent Van Gogh.

Giclée printing is a process that uses fade-resistant, archival inks and archival substrates to print on large format printers. Giclée printing is often used by artists to make reproductions of their original two-dimensional artwork, photographs or computer-generated art for resale while preserving the original. The term Giclée printing is based on the French word "le gicleur" meaning "nozzle", or more specifically "gicler" meaning "to squirt, spurt, or spray". To be truly considered a giclée, a print should: • Begin with a high quality digital file, either from professionally scanned film, digital capture or computer created art that has been color worked and profiled for the intended output. • Be printed using state-of-the-art inkjet printers which have been calibrated in a closed-loop color management system. • Be printed with archival pigmented inks, specifically formulated for the substrate. • Be printed on an archival watercolor paper or canvas • Be printed by a master printer, who has demonstrated thorough understanding of color theory and imaging software and who has the experience and artistic talent to interpret and replicate your artistic vision. When purchasing it will indicate whether you are purchasing an exclusive limited edition Giclee which will be hand signed and numbered by the artist. A numbered certificate of authenticity and the artists bio is included.

The following information answers questions about pricing, shipping, and how to handle unframed artwork. If you don’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact me.

All of my paintings are original pieces. I sign each painting in the bottom right or bottom left hand corner of the piece.

My prices are determined by the size and complexity of the painting and whether it is being sold framed or unframed. Acrylic paintings are on gallery- wrapped canvas and framing is not required. Unframed pastels are cellophane- wrapped with instructions for framing.

When making arrangements for your pastel painting to be framed, I highly recommend that you use reputable framers who have experience in framing original pastel artwork.

Currently, I only ship to addresses within the United States.