Gallery 2

MORE RECENT PICTURES AND A GLIMPSE OF THE PAINTING PROCESS

From June 2021 onwards, I have decided to put alternative media materials to bed for a while and concentrate on Pastels. I have refreshed my stock of Pan Pastels ( the ones that look like colour in a ladies powder compact ) and also refreshed my boxes of hard pastels and soft pastels. My stock of pastel surfaces is brimming with sheets of various types begging to be used, so I am launching into pastures relatively new. The favoured approach is to use the Pan Pastels as a foundation on the special Pastelmat surface. Then to establish the general shapes and colours more accurately with hard pastels, and finally apply fine detail with pastel pencils. I am reserving the soft pastels for use on the more abrasive surfaces and pictures to come in the future. Just to give a flavour of the process, I will post up below the first steps of a portrait of a red squirrel ( my own photo). I don’t usually tackle animals or fur, so this will be a challenge !

Peter Weatherill

Peter Weatherill 2021 Website made in Xara

The Pastelmat surface is grey ( the colour of the lower part of the main branch) and a general indication of the undercolours has been blocked in with a sponge applicator. The body colour of the animal is far too light but that doesn’t matter at this stage.

I have now completed the Pan Pastel stage of the picture so all the strong coloured foundation is in. The lighter areas are still showing the original surface of the grey Pastelmat

This stage shows the addition of the hard pastel stick colour, which brings the image up to more natural shades. Detail has been added to the branch using pastel pencils. It is now time to sit back and consider the contrasts and how the final steps will be taken.

Cooler greens have been added to the background and another look taken at the colour of the squirrel. Contrast has been increased in the lower right so that the picture reads better. The outlining fur of the animal has been lightened to bring him out better. There is no ‘correct’ way to approach a picture and no certain point when it is ‘finished’. The danger is always that further work will damage a satisfactory look. This is the point where I stopped !!!

This is another picture worked with hard pastels and pastel pencils on Pastelmat. Coastal sunset near St Just in Cornwall using a reference photo from Andrew Ray with permission

This little pastel is of a waterfall in the Brecon Beacons. Once again on Pastelmat ( Blue ) using first Pan pastels, then hard pastel sticks and finally pastel pencils.

Acrylic in canvas of a Red Arrow trainer jet over the Alps. Completed as a gift.

Polperro Devon. Pastel on Pastelboard from an Andrew Ray photo with permission

River Tees at Barnard Castle, County Durham. I spent 6 tears of my School life here from 1950 and know the area well. The soft river water coming down from the Upper Tees valley is often brown like this, but can be dangerous in winter flood. This is pastel on pastelboard

There are some more items on the next NEWS page that will be brought over to this gallery page in due course

In early April 2022, I joined a 4 day workshop in North Norfolk with brilliant artist Gareth Jones and a dozen other pastelists to explore seaside scenes. Four days and four pictures, some slightly more successful than others but all very satisfying and out of my normal range and style. I will show the four below at the stage I brought them home. There will be some further work to be done before they get near a frame.

These are all completed to the present stage with hard pastels, pastel pencils and are on Pastelmat. They are around 14 inches wide and varying heights

In late 2023, my wife and I took a cruise we had wanted to go on for years. Not very far … just around the UK - touching in on Northern Ireland and the Scottish Isles and Orkney ( too rough to land for Shetland). I did take a sketch book with me and indulged in some pen and wash illustrations of some of the places we did get to. Very satisfying !

St Peter Port Guernsey

Hugh Town Isles of Scilly

Stornoway Isle of Lewis

Cruising Loch Hourn Hebrides

Margarets Hope, Orkney and Loch Ness