I just finished judging the Portrait and Figure division of the Pastel 100 International Competition for the Pastel Journal Magazine. And what I saw was many, many images that were the “best of the best” in this medium. But I also saw a lot of artists that had the potential to win large awards, but were clearly being lied to.
Judging a show like this with artwork from all around the world is like opening presents on my birthday. One more lovely surprise after another. I was honoered to have been asked to serve as the juror this year and it was a lot of fun. I loved the entire process. There were paintings that struck me right away and that stuck with me for days after first seeing them. I revisited the paintings over and over again over the course of a few weeks and I can say that two things stood out to me.
First, pastel is a powerful medium which has the chance to be evocative and beautiful in many different styles. Secondly, artists are being lied to. By their photo references.
I am big on light. Viewers often comment on how my work showcases light above all else in my images. So it makes sense that I am attuned to how others handle light as well. I teach workshops about light and try to share with artists how the physics of light can make or break a painting. Literally. Anyone out there familiar with my “scolding” in workshops to make sure to not “break” that LAW of Light?
So many beautifully painted images. So many artists painting realism and light-filled paintings and yet not understanding that very light, and how copying a photo that is lying to them is hurting their work.
Trust me. I know. I used to have that problem too. For decades I didn’t understand why. It took me a few more decades to impliment my understanding. In the beginning, if my painting looked just like my photo I was happy. But my painting was not.
In workshops I often go over the “Lies That photos Tell” and I have written about them before too. Just today in my mentorship class I did a bunch of exercises showing how color and light are related….and how the camera lies about those relationships. A photo taken of a set up or of a person is not the same as seeing them without a camera in between. We have to know how to adjust for those differences.
And I want to get ahold of those artists. Tell them how amazing they are and show them what they didn’t catch. I am sure some would find it offensive if I did, but I am sure others would soak up the knowledge like I did so many years ago and run with it. It improved my work and it also improved my chances of getting into these shows.
I won my first Honorable Mention in the Animal Category in the second edition of the Pastel Journal about 25 years ago. I have been in the Pastel 100 myself so many times now that I have literally lost count. I always wanted to be on the front cover. Who wouldn’t? The closest I got was in 2016 when they ran an 8-page feature on my portraits. That is the image above. Power anyone? So I guess it is only fitting that I ended the run of the magazine as its juror for the Portrait Category. If you have not heard, the Pastel Journal is no longer being published after this Fall. It is being folded into the Artist Magazine- so no more magazine solely dedicated to our beloved, dusty medium.
Hurts my heart a little bit.
But getting back to the “Lies” from those pesky photo references, here is an older blog post I made years ago covering most of them.
And if that is not enough, this Saturday I will be doing a live demonstration in Greenville, SC on Light- its Rules and the Law. I wish you could all join me and “Larry the Light Beam” on Saturday, October 17th 10:00-12:00 at the Greenville Artist Guild Gallery on Main Street. Sign up here.
https://www.artistsguildgalleryofgreenville.com/
Larry and I will see you then.