FIRSTPLACE
KathyFallaHoward
BorninCanadabut whisked away to
Arizonaatanearly age by her fam-
ily,KathyFallaHoward (kathyfalla
howard.com)finds great beauty in
theAmericanSouthwest. “I’m driven
bythestark,resilient beauty of
thedesert,fullofthorns, sand and
wind,”shesays.
Recently,whiletraveling in
southernUtahtogather reference
material,Howardstayed in a resort
thatofferedspectacular views. “The
viewfromeverywindow looked like
a MaynardDixonpainting,” she says.
Uponseeingherwork, the gallery
managerinvitedHoward to return as
anartist-in-residence for two weeks,
inwhichshestarted and completed
NavajoSandstone.
Thepaintingisbased on an image
shemadeinthefield on her iPad Pro.
Then,usingtheapp Procreate with
anApplePencil,she painted over the
photowithcolor.“I’ve been using
thismethodrecently to record fast-
changingsubjects such as sunsets,
andthenI makecolor notes right on
topofthephoto,which is great for
occasionswhenthere isn’t time for
a sketch.”
Oncebackinher new studio
builtbyherhusband, Howard made
herownpastelboard by mounting
UARTpapertoanacid-free backing
board.Next,shetoned the paper
witha washmade from Golden’s
High Flow Acrylic
transparent yellow
iron oxide. “I love
the look of lettingBYMICHAELCHESLEY JOHNSONLandscape
& Interior
CATEGORY WINNERS
Navajo Sandstone
(16x12) by Kathy
Falla Howard52 Pastel Journal APRIL 2020