Artist Statement

I am a mountain painter who works with soft pastels, pan pastels and pastel pencils to recreate my beloved mountains. I learned how to use pastels seven years ago and fell in love with them, after trying different techniques.  

The rich colours and consistency of hand-made pastels, paired with the quality of pastel papers and boards, make the colours in my paintings so vibrant. 

During the pandemic, I learned more about papers and pastel materials and invested my time in creating more sophisticated and bigger pieces of art. I love filling pastel paper with vast amounts of colour, layer upon layer, to bring depth to my paintings. I can do so by using a very toothy paper, similar to a sandpaper, that allows me to apply lots of layers to the painting. I start by sketching by drawing with charcoal. I sometimes use charcoal as a dark grey when painting with soft pastels.

I use pan pastels, a compact form of pigment on a small recipient, to apply on the skies. My skies tend to have four different tones of blues to create the final colour. I apply the pan pastel with a sponge, similar to a makeup sponge.

Lately I have been venturing in other media, such as acrylics, watercolours and oils.