I love to travel and paint on site, and all my work begins with painting or drawing outside. Every landscape painting has its roots in a pastel or watercolor study, done on site out in the world. Most of these are quite small and easy to transport, but I also sometimes work from larger pastels I've done over the years.
Nature continually challenges me, as the light and trees are ever-changing. Going out to look closely at the world stops me from falling into ruts and assumptions in my work. Photographs flatten out the light and give me way too much tiny information, so I work from life instead.
Nature continually challenges me, as the light and trees are ever-changing. Going out to look closely at the world stops me from falling into ruts and assumptions in my work. Photographs flatten out the light and give me way too much tiny information, so I work from life instead.
Pastel Studies Near home
Pastels from Turkey and Greece, 2010
All images © Martha Kelly -- All Rights Reserved