I love the medium of pastel. It's so versatile,and there is no drying time to worry about. Sometimes I use photographs or detailed sketches when painting pastels, and other times I just start laying down colour and seeing where it takes me.

Pastel paintings are generally considered to be somehow 'inferior' to oils and watercolours. This is of course not the case. Degas and Toulouse Latrec used pastels extensively, and the National Portrait Gallery in London has has some stunning pastels by Paula Rego on display.


I am a full member of the Pastel society of Ireland, an organisation based in northern Ireland who promote and encourage the use of pastel. You will find a link to their website on the links page.