The idea of using soft pastel and watercolor side by side stems from their opposing characteristics: watercolor, a liquid medium, is worked from light to dark, while pastel, a solid medium, is applied from dark to light. This opposition forces the artist to constantly adapt.

For both techniques, paper is the traditional support. However, for pastel, an abrasive surface such as sandpaper (sp) is preferable: it holds the pigment well, each stroke is sharp, it supports multiple layers, and importantly, it does not require fixative. Over time, I developed a mixed technique, often executed on a panel coated with a mixture of rabbit skin glue and carborundum (cp), which fuses these two processes.

I was honored with the title of “Master Pastellist” by the Pastel Society of America, after winning three awards with portraits during my four participations (1984-1987) in their annual group exhibition at the National Art Club in New York.