About Pastel Paintings As a fine art medium, the word pastel does not refer to sweet, pale color, but to the pure, powdered pigment which is combined with a small amount of binder and formed into a stick. These pastels are created from the very same pigment that is used in making all fine art paints. Professional grade pastels available today offer an enormous range of colors, from the very soft and delicate to the extremely rich and vibrant. And pastel is the only painting medium that retains its pure and luminous quality, since light reflects off the pastel particles like a prism.   Painting with pastel can be traced back to the 16th century when there were only a few, mostly dark and earth toned, pigments available for artists to use. As more pigment colors were developed, artists began using pastels not only to make drawings, but to create fully completed paintings with pastel covering the entire surface. European artists, such as Degas, Picasso, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Delacroix, and Renoir, embraced pastel as a painting medium. It wasn't long before American artists, such as Whistler, Cassatt, O'Keefe, and Prendergast, began painting in pastel. Today, there are many well-known artists whose artwork is created using pastel, as this fascinating fine art medium is becoming more widely known and increasingly popular. When properly framed under glass, pastel paintings are as durable and permanent as paintings made in other fine art media, such as oil or watercolor. In fact, pastel is considered by many to be even more permanent since it does not contain liquid materials which cause paintings to fade, yellow, darken, blister, or crack with age. There are pastel paintings almost 300 years old still in existence today, and they are as fresh and vibrant as when originally created!   Pastel paintings require the same care as other fine art works. They should be framed under glass using quality, archival materials, and should not be hung directly over a heat source. And like all fine art, pastels should not be exposed to direct sunlight or moisture. With this simple care, pastel paintings can be enjoyed for many generations to come. As an artist, I am constantly amazed and thrilled by what these small sticks of pigment called pastel can do. The soft, buttery texture and the brilliant, sparkling color flowing directly from my hand onto the painting surface is so exciting and satisfying!  If you would like to learn more about pastels, or have any questions or comments, please email or phone me.  Thanks for visiting and come back again real soon!    beckyhicks@beckyhicksart.com (830) 606-33255 New Braunfels, Texas

Peppers In A Blue Bowl 12 X 16 Pastel