The art buyer often needs to make some decisions when commissioning a portrait. One of the first is the Medium. I discussed this in an earlier blog, but I thought it'd be nice to show the wider view of a pastel I did a few years ago. It shows the strokes in the pastel.
Pastels are a subtle, but glorious medium. Choosing pastel sticks for a little child's portrait is a marvel. You see the buttery skin tones in the pastel boxes, but it's also deceptive as there is always so much more going on that the artist is thinking about to capture the face. I was able to study over a few summers with Constance Flavell Pratt and learned so much about the medium.
Pastels are framed with glass to protect them. I think it's the fragile nature of them that captures our hearts. However, do not let the fragile aspect put you off from choosing this medium if you love it. Mary Cassatt's pastels need no introduction and they are from the late 1800's. Pastels from about 1770 by Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin hang at the Louvre, as well as those by Maurice-Quentin de La Tour. I was able to see works by those artists over the summer and they were exquisite. Just remember to hang your pastel out of the direct sunlight to avoid fading of the subtle tones and also try to keep it in a low-humidity environment (never in a basement for storage.)
www.soniahale.com
Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.
