Pastel Portrait Commission

I'm comfortable painting portraits in oil. Even though learning and growing as an artist is a never ending journey, I realize its easy to slip into a rut and do the creative process the same way every time. Therefore it was a nice challenge for me to work in pastel again. My brain had to wake up, look around and be alert. It was refreshing to pick up chalk instead of a brush...to press and rub and play with layers of color on paper.

Baby Girl Portrait Commission
14 x 11 inches, Pastel on Paper
Rita Salazar Dickerson

Painting a portrait with pastels seemed so appropriate for this beautiful baby girl. I was able to create soft lines and edges that matched the mood of this commission.

After lightly laying my first contour lines down, I began working with her eyes before moving down to her nose and then the rest of her face. It's so much easier not to smudge this way. I try to complete as much as possible the first time around so that I don't have to keep going in and reworking it.

 My client kindly sent this photo to me of the portrait matted and framed. A well chosen frame is such an important part of the completed pastel. I was so happy with the results.

My Art Diary: August - December, Part 2

Mixed in with the pets that I wrote about in my last post, I was honored to paint these portraits that were to be Christmas gifts for loved ones. Every portrait has a story and this first one had an additional aspect to it, I was asked to paint two pastels of the same subjects. Same size. Same everything. Each would be going to separate families. The challenge didn't come until I had completed the first one and had it approved. Then it faced me. I needed to come as close as I possibly could to duplicating these two handsome boys -- keeping them as similar to the first portrait as possible. (I got to know these boys really well!)

I am usually asked to paint in oil so this was a change of pace to create in pastels.

Reid and Eli, I
20 x 16", Pastel on paper
Rita Salazar Dickerson

Reid and Eli, II
20 x 16", Pastel on paper
Rita Salazar Dickerson

After I completed Reid and Eli, I began the portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Carlson. It was also to be a Christmas gift. An added bonus with my work is the opportunity to take pleasure in hearing the story behind the painting...in this case the special memories shared between two people of a time and place they both enjoyed.

Mr. and Mrs. Carlson
16 x 12", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson