Artist and Pastel Journal contributor Robert K. Carsten recently had the pleasure of attending the Pastel Society of America’s 35th Annual Open Juried Exhibition at the National Arts Club (Sept. 7-30). Below he shares a snippet of his conversation with artist Tim Gaydos (featured in our October 2007 issue), who won the PSA’s Art Spirit Foundation, Dianne B. Bernhard Gold Medal Award for his painting, More Coffee? (at right).

“I made up this composition, More Coffee?, using two models and myself,” says Tim Gaydos. “I often use myself in my paintings, not with the intention of self portraiture, but because I’m cheap and available! I use double mirrors, both on easels. The one in front of me is a smaller one, which I can lean a little forward or backward to alter the angle of my view. The mirror in back is a larger one, maybe 4-by-5 feet, and both are wired to the easels for safety.

“The circular counter and rounded window come from my compositional sketch created at the White Manna diner in Jersey City, N.J. All of the figures, though, are changed from the sketch, as are the colors,” he says. “I’ve been painting diner scenes since about 1982, and I don’t see them as evolving so much as I do, capturing an emotion and a sense of alienation in the modern world. The figure on the right is perhaps thinking about her life, why she’s here, what she’s doing on this earth. She is in deep, if momentary, contemplation. Perhaps she’s thinking about an event in her past or yearning for a new future. The male figure, well, he’s intrigued by the daydreaming girl, while the other waitress, perhaps noticing, asks, ‘More coffee?’

“When I’m sketching in a public location such as a diner, I try to do it as anonymously as possible. Occasionally, people who have noticed me working have come up and complimented me on my drawing; I’ve never had a bad experience,” says the artist. Speaking of experiences, bringing home a PSA award is one to be remembered. “It is very, very gratifying to win this award,” he says.

To read more about Tim Gaydos, his remarkable work, and his studio setup, see the October 2007 issue of The Pastel Journal.

Our last few days in the Highlands of Scotland have been a whirlwind of activities. The workshop, sponsored by Jack Richeson & Co., was a delight from beginning to end, but there were some especially memorable events and painting opportunities.

Our day of painting at Blair Castle was wonderful with more exciting painting subjects than could be painted in a week, but we managed to choose two spots for the day. Some of us painted the beautiful little stream running through the grounds. I particularly enjoyed the challenge of portraying the underwater rocks. The technique I used was to paint the rocks that would be underwater, using colors a little brighter than I wanted for the end result. Then, I used a brush and water to wash over the pastel and "set" the shapes. Because I was working on the Richeson pastel surface on Gatorfoam, I didn’t have to worry about the surface warping from the water. After the underpainting dried, I skimmed over it with pastel to create the feeling of water pouring over the rocks (see the painting above). You'll find other paintings of the site on my blog at my website.

One event I’ll never forget was the last of the Highland Games in the village of Pitlochry. The day began with a parade of piping bands, leading the audience to the field for the games. There were competitions of Highland dancers, pipers, foot races and cycle races, tossing the caber, tug of war, and much more. The huge field was ringed with seats, and booths offering a variety of items for sale, from souvenirs to art to clothing and food. (The fresh strawberries with clotted cream were delicious!)

A painting day at the Birks of Aberfeldy gave us a chance to work on painting trees and water in a lovely woods. Our last painting day was in our home village of Blair Atholl, where people painted window boxes of flowers, local gardens and portions of the old mill. And our final dinner was highlighted by a piper and a couple of local Highland dancers. It was with some sadness that we said our goodbyes to each other, to our wonderful hosts—Jack and Linda Richeson and Darren and Michelle Richeson—and to our temporary home in the Highlands.

But the traveling fun isn't over. Next up? Cortona, Italy!




The Old Mill (left; pastel)
by Bill Canright