10/15/2026
October Meeting: Karlene Van Deusen
If you’ve never tried pastels, you’ll want to try them after seeing Karlene demonstrate how to paint with them. A thorough explanation of the different types of pastels and papers, along with favored brands, was given. A lover of birds, Karlene painted a chickadee on sanded pastel paper, which allows for many layers of pastel to build into rich color. She begins a painting with a gesture drawing, refines it and then transfers it to a quality toned paper. Pastelmat is one such brand. She begins filling in the background using pan pastels - darker values first, lighter values later. She also alternates between warm and cool colors. Her signature palette is rooted in a secondary color scheme.
Her many thoughtful and practical suggestions were helpful for those in the audience new to pastels. Her suggestion to be playful with color is central to making an interesting painting. Using one’s photographs for reference is helpful, but creating a dynamic painting and, in this case, the bird’s personality, was more important than anatomical perfection.
WAC is grateful to Karlene for her excellent presentation!
