Wanting to work in pastel on a larger scale, I began to explore materials. I knew that Golden Artist Paint made a medium specifically for pastels, so I wrote to one to the technical experts at Golden about an appropriate substrate. He had a number of suggestions. I decided to try sintra, as it was more like a "board" than like paper. The surface required several coats of priming, first with gesso and then with the acrylic ground for pastels. Once the final coat was dry, I had a beautiful, "toothy" surface, just waiting to accept many layers of pastel. It was so exciting to blend color on this amazing surface and to feel immersed in the larger scale of the piece. Framed right to the edge, using museum glass, the painting has a very contemporary feel. This is the first of many to come!
