The Pastel Journal, December 2010

Highlights
Pastel Innovation: New Ways to Work
Loosen Up: A Step-by-Step Demo
13 Healthy Habits to Boost Creativity
Your Dream Studio

Features
Get Art Smart
By Sally Loughridge
No artist is immune to creative low points, so it's important to develop healthy art habits. Here we list 13 practices that can help you face challenges and strengthen your resolve.

A Wilderness of Hills
By Ken Gofton
Though her painting style may border on the abstract, Norma Stephenson's landscapes maintain a recognizable reality, capturing the distinct and untamed beauty of her locale.

Master of Illusion
By Meredith E. Lewis
Jon Friedman uses all the tools at his disposal—everything from pastel and Flashe paint to sandpaper and a spray bottle—to capture his creative vision.

Artist Autonomous
By Jessica Canterbury
Life-sized portraits. Gold-leaf flourishes. Three-dimensional embellishments. These are all signature elements in figurative artist Troy Wingard's unique body of work.

Letting Loose: A Demo
By Desmond O'Hagan
With the city street as his inspiration, Desmond O'Hagan demonstrates how to loosen up, using broad strokes and overlapping color to capture the vitality of a scene.

A Tale of Two Studios
By Deborah Secor
Even if a complete studio overhaul isn't in the picture, you'll find plenty of practical tips in these dream-studio stories to stage your own studio makeover—big or small.

Columns
Art Matters
By Jessica Canterbury
Pastel stories from France, your convention invitation, and the latest Creative Spark winner.

Pastel Pointers
By Richard McKinley
One of the important steps for communicating your artistic concept more effectively is to think about the relationship between your painting and its viewers.

Studio Smarts
By Deborah Secor
Once you've assembled all the basic tools for pastel painting, you'll soon want to consider some upgrades. Discover some of the items that belong at the top of that list.

Artist's Viewpoint
By Margot Schulzke
Learn the importance of embracing ambiguity for unexpected—and powerful—results in your paintings.

State of the Art
By Stephen Woolery
Even if narrowed to just its northern half, the California landscape is vast and varied. A plein air pastelist and 30-year resident touches on the highlights.