“Astudentofmineoncesaidthatmyapproachinvolved
fourSs—Simplify,Squint,StandbackandStop.Andit’s
true.It’simportanttosimplify.Whenyousquint,you’re
abletoseethevalues.WhenI’mworking,I don’tknow
quitewhat’shappeningtotheimageasI’mputtingdown
theshapes,valuesandcolors.ThenI standbackandrealize: ‘Oh, it’s starting to look like something.’ And then
stopping is important. When I’ve said what I’ve needed
to say, then I stop. In fact, one of the great things about
doing a demo is that I have limited time to work so I don’t
have the option of fussing and overworking.”
Once she has completed a pastel painting such as Finish
Line, Ordman doesn’t use fixative. “I don’t think my work
needs it,” she says. “The pastel is so thick that it would take
a considerable amount of spray to fix it. I frame in glass
using spacers to hold the paper away from the glass. I don’t
have much in the way of problems with dust.”The Immediacy of Pastel
Having originally trained as an illustrator, Ordman came
to pastel by chance. “When I first started working as an
illustrator, my style was very different,” she says. “ThenTIPS FOR BEGINNERS
- Learn from artists whose work you appreciate but try
to stay true to your own voice. - Take chances; don’t just play it safe.
- Use quality materials. Even as a beginner, if you’re in
a workshop, work with the best papers and best pastels
you can. If you don’t, you handicap yourself.
—Aline Ordman
34 Pastel Journal APRIL 2020