Inspiration can come from anywhere and at any time.  But rarely does our source of inspiration provide us with perfection.  Whether the source of inspiration is a scene directly in front of us or captured in a reference photo, it almost always will require modification.  And to make it truly our own, we should be modifying it.  We should be asking ourselves “How can I make this better?” and “How can I make it communicate what I want to say?”

On a recent visit to a zoo, I captured several photos of an adult orangutan snuggling with a youngster, both huddled beneath a burlap sack.  I was entranced as I watched their tender interactions.  However, my photos were less than ideal.  The orangutans were behind an angled double-paned window that was splattered with dried rain drops.  And the youngster kept its face turned towards the adult during their interactions. 

Back in my studio, it was time to answer those two questions.  How could I make the scene better and what did I want to say?  Since I was touched by their interactions, that was what I wanted to communicate.  But I needed the interactions to be more obvious when attempting to capture a single moment in a painting.

I worked out the design through small (2x3”) thumbnail sketches.  Making the scene more intimate, I moved the orangutans closer together.  To strengthen the concept of the relationship between them, I decided to make the youngster a baby, snuggling into its mother.  Reaching the baby’s arm across the foreground would visually lead the viewer’s eyes to the baby’s face. 

But even after the initial thumbnail sketches, design changes can occur as the concept develops.  Incorporating a large tropical leaf under which they sheltered would serve as a line leading back to the left across the top of the page, thereby creating a circular composition that keeps the viewer’s eyes moving around the scene and encircling the mother and baby.

I decided to keep the scene in a low key of lighting to convey the sense of them being deep in the rainforest, secluded and sheltered. 

To make the design changes, additional research was needed beyond my time spent observing their interactions and my reference photos.  Research included the appearance and anatomical differences of a baby compared to a youngster orangutan.  To establish the environment, research was needed to determine the correct type of foliage and to establish the ambient lighting and how it would reflect color onto the orangutans.

My final decision was to have the mother looking directly at the viewer, as if to say, “Protect the Precious.” 

We should always be vigilant for those moments of inspiration that will lead to that next painting.  But planning, research, and design will make the painting truly your own voice.

“Protect the Precious”  12x16”  pastel on archival gator board with pumice gel

Over the years, I have learned that there are infinite ways in which pastels can be manipulated as a drawing and painting medium.  Examples range from various mark making styles, using it in dry or liquefied form, employing a mixed medium approach, to countless varieties of blending, erasing, molding, shaping, stamping, scraping, scratching, and dusting techniques. 

With my passion for pushing the medium, I enthusiastically approach each new experience to see what surprises might develop.  Many of these surprises I, figuratively, tuck into my toolbox for future endeavors, waiting for that perfect match between subject matter and painting technique.

But one tool has turned into my best friend when working with pastels.  And surprisingly, it is a kitchen tool.  The humble wooden skewer.  This inexpensive little reed of wood ultimately gets used in nearly every one of my paintings, but in many different ways. 

If I need to blend to make an element recede, such as distant water, I will use the skewer rather than using a brush (which may remove pastel) or a finger (which may over blend and muddy the colors). Gently moving the skewer in the direction of the pastel marks softly blends the colors in a more controlled manner.  Similarly, if I want to create a soft transition from one color to another, such as in the fur of an animal, the skewer will drag one color into another, softening overly distinct marks.

The skewer manipulates edges well, softening the edge of an apple as it recedes, or sharpening an edge by pushing back the background.  It can be used to thin down lines, such as electrical lines, animal whiskers or lettering.  And it is handy for cleaning up an edge when pastel has ended up where you did not really intend. 

In “Architectural Artistry” my trusty skewer was used to clean up some errant marks.  But I also used it to carve through layers of pastel to reveal earlier layers of pastel and underpainting colors.

They are easily cleaned by wiping them with a wet paper towel and if it needs to be resharpened, an emery board or sandpaper does the trick. 

Inevitably, when one of my students has a question about how to fix something in their painting, one of the most frequently asked question is “Do you have your skewer?”