". . . a brush with nature"

But is it Chalk?

The answer is “no”.  Chalk is what kids use to draw their hopscotch game out on the sidewalk with or what teachers used to use to write on a blackboard. (Okay, that really was a LONG time ago, wasn’t it?)

                                         
             Shown above I am working with Pure Pigment Pastel.

Anyway, what this is is PASTEL. And PASTEL is a wonderful medium that artists have been working with for centuries! 

Just consider many of the great masters that come to mind and you might be surprised to learn that they worked in pastel at one time or another. Edgar Degas painted in this medium both indoors and en plein air, but he certainly wasn’t the only one. Manet, Whistler, and Mary Cassatt painted with them and others used them as a favorite drawing medium. Those artists included Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci. Rosalba Carriera painted portraits with pastel of the Paris aristocracy in the 1720s. Pastel artists of the mid to late 20th century include Georgia O’Keeffe, Andrew Wyeth and David Hockney.
And then there is me. Although not nearly of the same renown, or level of achievement of any of the artists I have named here, I am proud to say that I am a pastel artist, too!

So, you might now ask, “What exactly IS pastel then?” 
That’s a great question. A pastel is a color stick made from ground pigment combined with a small amount of gum binder. 
Pastel is pure pigment! How cool is that?! Because there is not a liquid binder involved, there is no chance of darkening, fading, yellowing, cracking, etc. And, of course, there is no drying time involved. An artist can be completely spontaneous in their approach to painting with pastels. 

“Is special care and considerations necessary for a pastel painting?” 
Of course, there are some steps to be taken to protect a pastel painting just as there are steps to protect any original piece of fine art. Pastel paintings must be framed under glass with a spacer to prevent the surface of the painting from touching the glass. Pastels should be kept out of direct sunlight, but this is true with any medium. And when transporting a pastel painting it should be face up, as flat as possible or, at the very least, angled back from the top. 

Think of it! Pastels are truly the most permanent medium of all because of the way they are made. Pastel masterpieces painted centuries ago still retain their freshness and brilliance even today. With proper treatment and care your modern-day masterpiece can and will be treasured for years and years to come, as well. 

If you would care to read even more about PASTEL, I would like to share the links to a couple of articles I wrote and published online several years ago. I have saved them on my website under Articles at the following links.
Everything You Wondered About Pastels
Shipping Pastel Paintings For the Faint Hearted

Thanks for taking a further look!