“Bright colours or dark ones, sparkling clarity or misty atmosphere, landscape, still life, portrait – I haven’t met a subject, style or mood yet that can’t be portrayed beautifully in pastel“. ~ Dave Beckett
The Fall Show at the Gates Fine Art Center in Rosenberg was judged by Mark Stewart, renowned watercolor artist. Stewart presented first place award in the Professional Division to Carolyn Hancock for her skyscape appropriately titled A Technicolor Day. The rim lit horse in Late Afternoon on A Bar Ranch by Melissa Gates won second place. The curly sun-drenched hair dominating the figurative painting I Wonder by Carolyn Hancock received third place.
The Semi-Professional Division was dominated by Sharon Haney. Her vibrant Denver Lilies won first place, with the dark and menacing Rumpled Rooster taking second place. Red Beauties, a vibrant floral by Joan Eure, won Honorable Mention.
About Pastel.
A particle of pastel pigment seen under a microscope looks like a diamond with many facets; therefore, pastel paintings reflect light like a prism. Pastel does not refer to pale colors, as the word is commonly used in cosmetic and fashion terminology. The name “pastel” comes from the French word “pastiche,” because the pure, powdered pigment is ground into a paste with a binder and then rolled into sticks.
