Our 8 February meeting at Mudgeeraba (Gold Coast, Qld) featured Master Pastellist Tricia Taylor as she demonstrated techniques for achieving texture in pastel while painting a coastal scene at sunrise. She  began by showing the  characteristics of four different pastel surfaces (Pastelgrain, Canson Velvet, UArt, Colourfix) and their reactions when pastels and water were applied, highlighting the importance of paper choice when considering your subject and the ‘look’ you’re hoping to achieve. She settled on UArt500 paper for this demo and Unison pastels.

Beginning with a charcoal drawing, Tricia laid down an underpainting in Payne’s Grey watercolour to set the tonal areas. She then applied pastel in colour layers, to the sky, the sea and then the rocks, building depth and texture with various strokes and always considering the light’s angle and temperature. At one point, Tricia shared her insights on colour theory, emphasising the significance of magenta, yellow, and cyan as true primary colours that, when mixed, create more intense colours on the colour wheel.

Her final painting was the culmination of a masterclass in capturing a sunrise over sea and rocks, showcasing loose and expressive early morning highlights of purple, gold, and pink. A big thank you to Tricia for an engaging and informative demonstration filled with valuable takeaways for pastel artists of all levels.

Find out more about Tricia’s art, her painting retreats, workshops and products at her website: www.taylorart.com.au

Unison Pastels, a handmade pastel company from the UK, have endorsed Tricia’s artwork by creating the Tricia Taylor pastel sets. Seascape, Rock and Earth, Sunset, Autumn and other colour selections are available to purchase directly through Tricia. Email her at artist@taylorart.com.au