The velvety opaque finish of soft pastels first captured my attention and imagination from the works of Bert Collins and Jennifer Moses both of the Ojai Studio Art Tours. These years were probably 1995-2000 while I lived in Ventura and worked for the Patagonia Clothing Company as a catalog and product graphics designer. I admired how pastel could be applied in a more impressionistic style, capturing the nuance of form and color of the moment as opposed to exact details. I was curious about not using a brush and I loved the idea and freedom of not having to carry water to work with.

These various curiosities came together in the Spring of 2023 when a few artist friends and myself decided to bring our painting mediums to Baja. My friends are both established watercolor artists and I brought along an ancient set of soft pastels, a few sheets of Canson paper and a couple of YouTube tutorials. I really had fun allowing the mountains, oceans and natural environment to find a personal voice on my paper. Pastel is almost a 3-dimensional activity for me and the pop of color is the reward!

Tracy