36 artistMay 2020 http://www.painters-online.co.ukPASTELS
T
he thrill of painting outdoors on
a warm summer’s day, a crisp
winter morning or, for some
die-hard painters, even in
inclement weather, has made plein-air
painting a popular if challenging pursuit
for professional and amateur artists.
So, it is not surprising to find that there
is now a plethora of supplies, gadgets
and accessories that promise to make
this pursuit easier. Many of these are
indeed thoughtfully designed and built
to survive the rigours of outdoor life and
international travel but involve a not
inconsiderable investment on the part
of the artist. I take my pastels, in one
form or another, wherever I go and, with
much trial and error, have developed a
personal approach that suits my needs.Choice of pastels
Pastels have advantages and
disadvantages for the travelling artistThe thrill of painting
outdoors Passionate pastellist Richard Suckling
offers his tips for choosing and using pastels
en plein air, both in the UK and abroad
when compared to other media. Their
simple dry stick form needs no medium
to activate it, enabling the artist to
work straight out of the box. There’s
no messing around with additives and
brushes and they provide a wonderful
direct contact with the painting surface
which, in my rather biased opinion,
cannot be matched for excitement and
spontaneity. However, the flip side of
the simplicity of pastels is quite simply
colour. A watercolourist or oil painter
can take ten tubes of colour and create
an infinite palette from this relatively
small selection. For pastel painters, the
extent of the palette is down to what
can be packed into the hiking bag or
carry-on suitcase. As much as it would
be amazing to take a full collection of
soft pastels out on location, it would
be totally impractical and woefully
restrictive.
So, as a pastel painter, I need to beable to take enough sticks to create a
useable palette of colours in various
locations. To allow a bigger colour
range, in a smaller and lighter form,
I tend to use Sennelier’s half sticks
which, being half the length but a
little thicker in width makes them a
perfect size for outdoor use. The set
of 80 half sticks comes in a robustly
constructed cardboard box with each
stick protected by a separate foam
slot. Without the foam inserts, I could
increase the number of sticks to maybe
120 but feel the extra protection
afforded by the foam works extremely
well when travelling abroad, especially
in the overhead locker of a plane.
There are some definite advantages to
travelling with boxes supplied by the
manufacturer as they state clearly what
is in them!
There are some great wooden boxes
designed for plein-air work that holdRichard Suckling
studied at Cambridge School of Art and
worked in London as a freelance illustrator
for a number of years. Now a full-time
artist, he teaches and demonstrates
with soft pastels. He is represented by
Church House Designs in Congresbury
and Claremont Contemporary Art in
Sevenoaks. For more information see
http://www.richardsuckling.comp Les Enzebres, Spain, pastel, 9¼ 3 12½in (24 3 32cm)