Last May, after attending the
International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) in Albuquerque, N.M., several of us from the magazine (group publisher David Pyle, managing editor Sarah Strickley and myself) rented a car and took a short drive north to Santa Fe, the beloved art mecca of the Southwest. Here we paid a visit to the celebrated artist
Albert Handell in his picturesque adobe-style studio. We spent a wonderful morning talking about his life in art, his techniques and materials, while also enjoying a private showing of his artwork—mostly landscapes with esquisite color like the pastel landscape
La Vista (16x17) below, but also pastel still lifes and figures, and a number of lively drawings, too.
One result of our visit is a print feature about the artist in the new
September/October issue of the magazine; the issue mails to subscribers this week and hits newsstands September 4. Also, because David was able to play the role of camera-man during our conversation, we also were able to create four short video clips with selections from our discussion. Mind you, I'm quite sure our videos won't be winning any awards at Cannes, but I know you'll enjoy hearing about the artist's methods and materials straight from the source.
Start your viewing with "
Orchestrating With Contrast,"in which Handell describes how he came to use watercolor as an underpainting for his pastels. In
"Plein Air Painting Trip," he describes the structure of a typical day painting on location—where to, how long, how many paintings, etc. In
"Plein Air Setup & Supplies," you can see what Handell carries with him on location as he packs up supplies from trunk to luggage carrier. In
"Managing Color With Value," watch the artist demonstrate how to find different colors of similar value. In workshops, Handell suggests this as an organizing method—a way to get a handle on the many colors in one's pastel box. But you'll see—in a peak inside his own box—that he doesn't actually follow his own organizational advice. He, personally, prefers a bit of chaos in his pastel box which he says keeps his eyes more awake.
Our thanks to Albert for graciously inviting David and Sarah and I (and our camera!) into his studio. And, by extension, inviting our whole family of magazine- and blog-readers too!