Since May I’ve been focused on “firsts”, said another way, trying new things. Karen Margulis, an artist that I follow and have taken her workshop says, “if you ask yourself what if, then try it.” It’s during these moments of curiosity and experimentation that I discovered a unique approach to develop my rusty vehicles. Here is my list of firsts:

• Hosting a Plein Air Painting Event on Petit Jean Mountain, AR and a tour of my studio with the Arkansas Pastel Society.
• Coordinating the first Arkansas Pastel and Ozark Pastel Society Member Show at Thea Foundation.
• I created a pastel painting on Black Uart Sanded paper. I’ve never used black before.
• I took a ride in the 1931 CORD L-29 Cabriolet of which my daughter and I painted a mural of at the Museum of Automobiles on Petit Jean Mountain, AR.
• I framed paintings using the passee-partout process (placing the pastel painting directly on the glass).
• I created a painting with pastel on black canvas.
• I’m on YouTube providing an artist’s critique.
• Using the edge of my palm to knit together the color of the sky vs lightly using my fingers. This knitted the colors together nicely in a large area.
• Switching from ruled paper notebook to a drawing journal to keep notes on my entire process, swatches of the pastel I used, and sketches.
• Taking an introduction to calligraphy (I have horrible handwriting).
• Using Golden Fluid Acrylic – Micaceous Oxide to cover a white canvas.
• Using iridescent watercolors for an underpainting.

It is the combination of a canvas, micaceous oxide, iridescent watercolor underpainting, and pastels that allowed me to create a new approach to my rusty vehicle series. The micaceous oxide created a metallic sheen, mimicked the reflective qualities of rust and metal surfaces. The iridescent watercolor underpainting created a shimmering effect that added a unique visual dimension. The contrast between the iridescence and the rust textures produced an interplay of light and shadow.