Untitled Pastel

This little work began as a photograph taken along the North Shore of the St Lawrence Seaway.  When I took the photo several years ago I thought the grey of the rock against the red sand made a striking color contrast, and that the tire tracks made an interesting statement about human intrusions into the natural world.  The photo drew me, so I drew it first as a pastel sketch on newsprint, then as a pastel drawing on Sennelier la carte paper. 

The Cardinal and His Lady

The Cardinal and His Lady began as an 18 x 24 inch pastel sketch on newsprint.  The original plan was to have the female bird on the upper branch and the male on the lower.  After some consideration I decided the brightness of his plumage would better serve the composition if I put the male on the upper branch and his 'lady' on the lower branch.  The finished work is a 16 x 20 inch pastel on Sennelier la carte sanded pastel paper.  I used Mungyo Gallery semi hard pastels in combination with various soft pastels and Conte a Paris pastel pencils.  The finished work is in the private collection of Manon Baillargeon of Quebec.