At the Gold Coast meeting, we were treated to an inspiring demonstration by renowned artist Tricia Reust who shared her unique approach to combining collage and pastel in landscape painting. Her method offers a layered, textural way to build depth and movement within a landscape, using collage as the foundation.

Collage Base with a Geometric Design
Tricia began by explaining her approach to creating a dependable collage base. She opted for a geometric design, which provides a structured foundation for the artwork. She mentioned briefly the principles of landscape composition, particularly the use of S- and Z-shaped lines to guide the viewer’s eye through the painting, a technique she also discusses in her book.

Her choice of collage elements reflected the theme of her landscape. For this demonstration, she used materials such as lace, bandage, music paper, coloured paper and a piece from Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss." Tissue paper was applied beneath the water area to create texture for future detail. By using a black-and-white photo reference, Tricia maintained control over the colour choices, rather than being influenced by the photo's original palette.

These elements were adhered to Art Spectrum Colourfix paper with Atelier Binder Medium, an archival and non-yellowing adhesive ideal for collaging. After drying, the entire collage was sealed with a layer of AS Colourfix clear pastel primer, creating a textured surface that participants were invited to feel firsthand.

Integrating Collage and Pastel
Next, Tricia laid down her first layer of soft pastels on top of the collage. She stressed the importance of unifying the collage with the background, and to achieve this, she blended the pastel into the paper using water and a brush. This technique helps the pastel settle into the grooves of the textured collage, creating a cohesive underpainting.

A crucial tip from Tricia was that the entire pastel layer needs to be wet before applying additional layers. If the pastel isn’t fully set, subsequent layers can disturb it, causing it to flake off. Painting with water cannot be done with cheap chalky pastels, waxy Rembrandts or ArtSpectrum soft chunky pastels.The underpainting consisted of complementary colors to the final layer, such as red under the water area, which would eventually be overlaid with blue-green, and browny-purple for the grasses, which would later be softened with yellow ochre.

Tricia pointed out that the first layers should be roughly placed, allowing the painting to "find its way" during the final stages. She also embraced the natural dribbles and unexpected effects that occurred when blending the pastel with water, as they add a sense of spontaneity to the work.

Top Layer and Texture Techniques
Once the underpainting was complete, Tricia applied soft pastel from top to bottom, mainly using complementary colors to bring out the textures. She used Payne’s Grey for the trees and reflections on the water, demonstrating the different effects of glazing and dry brushing. Glazing involves gently dragging the pastel over another color to create a translucent effect, while dry brushing is done by running the pastel over textured surfaces to highlight their peaks.

She also wiped pastel off certain areas of the collage to reveal more of the underlying design, emphasizing that the artwork's final direction can evolve through these interactions.

Final Thoughts and Copyright Considerations
Throughout the demonstration, Tricia offered helpful tips, such as using water to dominate parts of the collage and how to manipulate soft pastel effectively over different materials. She also addressed copyright concerns, noting that after 50 years, printed images of artworks can be used freely in collage without concerns about royalties.

The demo wrapped up with a look at some of Tricia’s other works that showcased her collage and pastel technique, providing further inspiration to attendees. Overall, it was an insightful demonstration that encouraged the creative use of mixed media in pastel landscapes. Tricia’s process of building texture, color, and depth through collage gave participants a fresh perspective on landscape painting.