Michael Chesley Johnson - Surfaces

"Ebb Tide" 9x12, pastel

Lately, I've been experimenting with grounds for oil painting, but this week I diverged and began to play with pastel grounds. I decided to salvage some of the hardboard panels that I had prepped for oil painting with three coats of Blick Master Gesso - it's a surface that, as I've said elsewhere, is too slick for my way of oil painting - by adding added two coats of Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels. I ended up with a surface with a medium amount of grit to it.

It doesn't hold the pastel as well as Wallis paper, and because it doesn't have as fine a tooth, it is best suited for broad applications of pastel rather than detail work. Also, it "grabs" softer pastel better than hard pastel. For this one, I used mostly Mount Vision pastels. I really like the simple, large shapes and implied detail.

Michael

www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com

http://mchesleyjohnson.blogspot.com

Vince Fazio - Edge of the World

The title of this one evokes the feeling of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the series that I have been exploring in my paintings of this amazing place. This particular spot will be familiar to any of those that have hiked down the Kaibab Trail.

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Betsey Nelson- Working for Design

Betsey Nelson- Working for design 16x12

Sometimes painting isn't about creating a painting. Sometimes it is just experimenting with color, line, value, temperature or a combination of all to bring to the fore front work on design. For me my painting needs to re-evaluated to strengthen my work. This is one of those 'works". A nod to simplicity.

Michael Chesley Johnson - Afternoon Delight

"Cobscook Bay Afternoon" 5x7, pastel

Now and then, when you find the stress of painting too much, you need to go visit a friend. Take your painting gear, so you can paint while you chat. There's nothing like it! While the verbal half of the mind is engaged, the artistic half can have a field day. I went out to visit my friends who were camping at Cobscook Bay, where I set up in the shade with a cool breeze and a folding chair to sit in. I chose pastel rather than oil because there's just a lot less fuss with pastel. All that, plus a glass of wine - what a perfect afternoon!

Michael Chesley Johnson
www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com - http://mchesleyjohnson.blogspot.com