Boy howdy, did it ever feel great to be back at Mo Ranch in Hunt, Texas in July 2021! I love everything about teaching Pastel Painting at A.R.T. at Mo Conference. The people are so kind, the location is gorgeous (500 acres in the Texas hill country) and I get to do something I love....share my love of the pastel medium.

This year I had six students in my class and all were new to the medium of dry pastel with the exception of one who was a "repeat" from the conference in 2019. Now some have art experience in other mediums, but most are there to learn about pastels and just have fun creating a piece of art. And they sure did that! Each student created three or four paintings...in basically 4 days. 

In this class I introduce my students to a variety of pastels and papers, practice mark making techniques, and then we do the first painting as a "paint along" with me. After that, they work on their own paintings with personal guidance from me at their easels. They have the freedom to choose any subject matter and can work from one of my reference photos or one of their own. 

At the end of the week, the students from all of the various art classes going on at A.R.T. at MO, display their work in a grand finale art show. To protect the delicacy of pastel paintings without fixative we put each one in a clear bag. Larger paintings were covered with wax paper until the actual show where someone could keep curious fingers from touching them. I was so proud of the beautiful display of paintings by my students. Many conference attendees stopped by the table and complimented their artwork. 

If this all sounds fun to you, mark your calendar and "Save the Date": July 10-15, 2022!