The Spark
Lighting Eff ects
By Michael Norman
The view of the Exe Estuary seen in my painting, Autumn
Sunset, Exmouth (top; 23x31), is located only about a
30-minute walk from my home in Exmouth. I always fi nd
the view much more interesting at low tide. I used the sunset
photo (above), which was taken elsewhere, to provide infor-
mation for the sky. The painting won the Sponsor’s Prize in
The Pastel Society UK’s annual exhibition a few years ago.W
hile on holiday on the Isle of Wight, I went for
an evening walk along the coastal path and
saw a stunning sunset. I had a camera with
me and, naturally, took some photos. I knew that one of
the photos would be the perfect information to help me
compose an evening picture of another location—the
Exe Estuary, a site near my home in Exmouth, in Devon,
that I love to paint. As far as the detail of the distant
hills, I painted them from memory. I also know—from
all the time I’ve spent at the location—what sort of color
eff ects such a sky would create at that time of evening. PJMichael Norman (michaeljnorman.co.uk) lives in Southwest England,
a landscape that continually inspires his painting. Though Norman
painted for many years in oil and watercolor, once he discovered
pastel, he started painting nearly exclusively in this medium.72 Pastel Journal AUGUST 2019