CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT
Southern Alps, NZ (18x24)
by Tony Allain
High Above (27½x18½)
by Denise LaRue Mahlke
Bright Ending (10x20)
by Barbara JaenickeTHIRDPLACE
To nyA l l a i n
BritishartistTonyAllain(tonyallain
fineart.com)livedandpaintedin
NewZealandfora decade.During
thattime,hehadanencounter
withtheSouthernAlpsalongthe
MackenzieBasin,anareathatforms
thespineoftheSouthIsland.
Whileconsideringthescenefor
SouthernAlps,NZ, hefoundhecould
addinterestbyshiftingthevantage
pointandseparatingthethreetrees
ontheleft.“Ialsowasintriguedby
thecounterchangeofvaluesthat
emphasizedthedryochrecolorsof
theforegroundvegetation,”hesays.
What’smore,thesnowonthemoun-
tainsaddeddepth,andthesunlight
hittingthesmalltreescontributed
much-neededbrightcolortobalance
theoverallcomposition.
“Withoutquestion,thisisan
absolutelyexceptionaldesignand
composition,”Hosnersays.“The
artisteditsthescenewitha surgi-
calintellect,showingusnotwhat
hesaw,butwhathethoughtand
feltaboutwhathehadseen.We’re
drawnintohisworldwithunmistak-
ablemajesty.”Starting with a full sheet of black
UART paper dry-mounted to board,
Allain established the dark values of
foliage and mountains, applying pastel
loosely and thinly. Next, he concen-
trated on the background mountain,
bringing it and the surrounding sky
almost to completion. He quickly
established the mid-tones and shadow
color of the foothills, ensuring he
accurately portrayed the shadows cast
by the rough terrain. Using the heel
of his hand, he blended in some of the
darkest foreground passages, softening
edges. Finally, he added warmer color
to the foreground trees and grasses,
and applied a pale lemon yellow to
the patch of sunlight near the trees.
“The icing on the cake,” Allain says,
“was the addition of the pure white
snow that cuts across the mountain
tops, adding a ‘wow factor’ to the cool
colors of snow in shadow.” He used his
preferred brands, Terry Ludwig and
Unison, plus a few Schmincke pastels.FOURTH PLACE
Denise LaRue Mahlke
Inspired by a color study made
among Arizona’s Vermilion Cliffs,Texan Denise LaRue Mahlke
(dlaruemahlke.com) used a variety of
references, including video, for High
Above. “The sights and sounds of the
video, along with my notes, triggered
the emotional response I had while
actually being there,” she says.
After experimenting with thumb-
nail sketches, Mahlke chose the
strongest and used it to create a
full-size sketch with willow charcoal
on brown paper. Next, she chose a
homemade panel for the painting.
Using vine charcoal to indicate
a light grid on the panel, and mea-
suring carefully, she transferred the
full-size sketch and applied initial
layers with hard to medium-soft
pastels, following them with a wash
of mineral spirits. Mahlke then re-
established the darks and mid-darks,
working toward the lighter values.
“I’m careful to follow the road map of
my value sketches,” the artist says. As
the painting progressed, she adjusted
values and shifts of color tempera-
ture using Nupastel, Girault, Ludwig,
Daler-Rowney, Unison, Schmincke
and Great American pastels.
Hosner says, “It could be easy
for the skill and technique to over-
shadow the poetry and mystery54 Pastel Journal APRIL 2020