When I grew up my mom only used her china dishes for “good occasions.”
Christmas and Thanksgiving usually. I thought they were so beautiful and even as a young child I could appreciate the care she took with them. But recently I have decided that every day is a good occasion to enjoy something beautiful. Breakfast with my son? China-worthy. Late-night snack snuggled with a cat? China-worthy. Half- burnt toast? Yep.
I am using my china every day because life is too short to not have joy in the little things around me. And life is too short to wash it by hand either, so into the dishwasher it will go… I am betting that I will wear out before it does.
So it made me think about the artists that come into my workshops with precious sticks of pastels and then want to save them for the “good paper” or the very carefully planned “good painting”.
It’s all good people.
Pick up that stick and break it. Pick it up and put it to use. Creating IS the good stuff. It could make ya happy like putting oreos on a china, gold-trimmed plate for no apparent reason. And if the milk is in a plastic cup, who cares? When did we get so caught up in what is “right” or “wrong?” I have decided I am seeking my own approval.
(wow- turning 50 really does make you more sassy)
Last weekend I was in New York at the National Arts Gallery in Manhattan (wow) where I was asked to paint a demo from life (more on that later.) AND I got the chance to talk to the president of Sennelier Pastels. He is now making these giant pastel sticks available here in the United States. He was kind enough to sell me his demo sticks from his booth at the the end of the day. The “heft” of them is unbelievable. I was so excited to get one in my new favorite color- lemon yellow …
Now some artists that already saw this on Instagram sent me notes of sympathy…. “Oh no! the money that was wasted!!!” But ya know what? I enjoyed every second of smacking that large stick and shattering- yes, shattering it – so it left a mess all around my easel. (I have issues to work out……)
It was worth every penny. What a feeling! I think I have a new direction for some paintings and it took not caring about breaking that stick in order to break into something new. Will the work be “good?” Who cares. It was that much fun.
A Pastellist? Want to change your life? If you are serious about painting with pastels, buy a Roche pastel in the blackest-black that they have. Yes, it will be $20… Buy a few more colors when you can. Then use them. Enjoy the power. Enjoy the decadence. Make all the paintings “good.” Even the failures. Little joys sustain me. And using a Roche in a painting is a joy. And slamming a very, very, large, very breakable Sennelier onto a very, very, large surface (Billy Idol in the background) was a joy. Trust me on that one.
Ok- next week, more art and less philosophy. Promise.
Lemon Yellow. Also my favorite. Thank you.
🙂
and please reread the post- the rest was missing….
Why do you say black for a Roche pastel?
it is denser and “blacker” than any other brand I have used. Since I like to make sure my portraits only have the blackest-black right in the eyes, the Roche works wonders on giving a living, glowing richness to the eyes.
I love Sennelier soft pastels but the size of their regular sticks bothers me. They fall apart too easily. Sometimes just taking the paper off is enough to make a stick crumble. I wish I could get individual sticks in the thicker size that comes in their half stick sets.
I wish I could find these large Sennelier sticks. Dick Blick’s web site has black and white. Jerry’s Artarama has 11 (as of today) sticks of apple green. Will full sets be available?
well, if you don’t care for the regular sticks, these will crumble even more. The reason they are so crumbly? The strength of the pigments. They use very little binder when they make them. Truly, other brands are more diluted with “stuff” and hence are weaker in color, but are stronger in the stick. Enjoy the power of the Sennleniers and just use them with care.
I do use Sennelier pastels and I love them. And when they crumble I save all the little bits and use them. It just seems to me that the thicker ones in the half stick sets don’t crumble as easily and I wish I could buy them individually.
the reason why the half-sticks don’t crumble as easily is just that- they are different. The half-sticks have more binder, thus less power.
and please reread the post- the rest was missing….
http://www.fineartstore.com has a few more colors – about $14 per stick. Every once in awhile, they will put some on sale – that’s when I bought mine. I’ve even purchased a few Roche on sale – the mini-sets.
good to know!
You misspelled “savvy” as “sassy.” :_)
nope- I meant sassy!
and please reread the post- the rest was missing….
Wonderful thoughts! I’m a firm believer in using my ‘good’ China and fancy glassware everyday! Now you’ve convinced me to go splurge on those Roche sticks! Thank you! (And best wishes for your new ‘yellow’ life ahead!)
thanks! Let me know what you think of the Roche….
I enjoy or “joy” in reading your posts! You are a true and yellow inspiration!! SASS ON!! 😊🎨.
Will do!!!
LILY!!! HUGS!
back at ya!
Yes, we need to use the good stuff every chance we get. That goes for china, pastels, paper. We’ve earned it; and the best results come from quality materials.
amen!
I bought 3 Roche pastels a few years ago at the PSA convention. I have never used them, but guess what? Today’s the day! You talked me into it. Thx Christine!
Go for it- you will not regret it. Roches have the most power, so use them in or near your most precious focal areas. They are gritty, so will make a lovely deliberate mark and yet they are a “glider” so they will glide over other pastel brands…thinking of them that way will keep you using them in the most valuable way. Good luck!
I have always used bone china as my everyday china and it has lasted about 30 years so far. I do have a few other sets that I pull out for holidays, but I feel food tastes better when served on good china and paintings look better when those special pastels are used. My only wish is that I knew what the name/brand of my special vivid green was as it is almost gone and I would love to have the exact same pastel stick back in my hand!
Thanks for sharing. Gotta find a new lovely green!
Great post. Stay sassy!
only way I know how to be…..
You and your blog are inspirational! Thank you!
thank you so much!!
Would you please sign me up for your blog? I like what I see here very much! Thank you.
hi- just click on the link below and add your email…it comes out every Wednesday….