capturing water Archives

An addendum to New original Pastels for 2025- I am a lover and follower of nature-Artbygordon is a celebration of the beauty and mystery-in recent weeks, I am realizing my purpose in creating these pastel pieces.

Aspects I’ve learned about Pastels-

This is a large pastel of the Grand Canyon-it is on white paper but the beginning I was relying more on the memory- I was working on depth and colors but the contrast begins to blend in if you work over the image too much.

My next pastel in the works is a smaller pastel and on red paper-the brightness of the pastel will jump out of the red more and I will be more meticulous in going only once over an area.

The image of spring is more the ideas that I’m planning- the colors are vibrant and immediate-no overworking and blending in-very raw. I’m also planning on an ocean scene on blue or green.

Grand Canyon sketch in Pastel-artbygordon pastels 2025 — Grand Canyon Study in Pastel

Spring 2025-Pastel on Paper — Spring pond pastel on paper-Artbygordon

The less you work an image the better: Work from life and get the details together without working up the layers-the tooth of paper takes a certain amount of pastel and then it is hard to overlay color.
Soft pastels can overlay paper that has been overworked: it just takes more work to perfect.
Before you begin a pastel, have a plan: Know where the lights and darks will be and accurately capture how they react by going from life.

A New Series of Pastels 2024-2025

New original pastels for 2025 will be added to the Fine Art America site soon. A new direction in Pastels on paper for Artbygordon: A study of light and shadow. Previous studies in pastel were more for the scene, capturing often an imagined scene or something I wanted to convey of places I had been.

The approach now is more of capturing a technique and taking the approach to see how far I can get adding light to a subject. I want the viewer to look at the work and not understand where the light is coming from. Every time I think I have accomplished this technique, another idea comes to me and I start another pastel.

The images of the light are all from one area on Scenic Drive in Rowlett, Texas-the light on Lake Ray Hubbard in the morning lights up the lake and you can barely see because it’s so bright. This intense brightness is what I have worked on creating in the these pastels.

Inspiration for Isolating light-Scenic Drive Rowlett, Texas

Original Pastels for 2025-Grackles — The Grackles- Pastel on Black paper

Rockwall Bridge-Original Pastels for 2025 — Rockwall Bridge-Pastel on Paper

Luna moth-original pastel on paper-new pastels for 2025 — Luna-Light in a pastel.

Creating light in a pastel-Lake Ray Hubbard behind the trees.

Study of trees against the light-Pastel on Paper

Update of an oil painting with oil pastel accents

Revisiting a ride through the west--Utah, Nevada — A pastel study of the desert

The Fishermen-Navarre Florida-pastel on paper

The morning ride and the lake — Lake Ray Hubbard pastel on paper study

Original pastel study of waterfall and pond — Stream pastel study on black paper

Pastel study of a pond-and the depths beneath it — Pastel on paper of pond-water study

Redwinged Blackbird pastel study — Redwinged blackbird from Hagerman Wildlife Refuge on sunflower-pastel study

The Rain Barrel with Wren — A Carolina wren on a rain barrel pastel on paper

Mallard ducks landing-original pastel on paper — Mallard ducks landing an original study in pastel

Pastel on Paper of Hagerman Wildlife Refuge — Hagerman Wildlife Refuge- pastel on paper

A dog at the dog park in Pastel on Paper 2023 — Shepherd Pastel on paper 2023

Cottonwoods by the lake original pastel on black paper — Original Pastel on paper by Gordon 2022

The Fourth 2023: Fireworks in the Park, original pastel on paper- Artbygorcon

Karaoke at Rosies: Pastel on Paper – Artbygordon 2023

Ranger and Frady- Cat and dog on brown paper — Original Pastel on brown paper- Dog and Cat

Cancer 2024 never give up — Window of Hope 2024 Pastel on paper- 12×18

I am in the process of reviewing pastel brands. I’m reviewing on brilliance, permanence and ease of use-Ie Sloppy, clean, soft or too hard.
Check out my blog

Turner Falls Oklahoma Original Oil on Canvas Artbygordon 2018

Back to the Canvas- got back to the canvas yesterday and found my purpose for water. The problem with water or even capturing images realistically is seeing and capturing the basic element of the image.

To Truly See: Getting back to Details

After you’ve truly seen and conveyed the basic idea, the essence of water with temperature and depth, then you can stray from the reality of the colors and even the perspective.

Intention: What is the Basic Premise

It all depends on intention, my intention is always to see the depth and clarity of water first, after that I can express the place or time and I’ve succeeded in the whole reason I started painting water in the first place.

What has happened recently is a loss of conveying the details. Waterfalls end up looking like flows of hair or cotton and the water clarity and depth instead takes on a nondescript study of color.

Petit Jean Arkansas: Original Oil on Canvas Artbygordon 2018

The Shift: To Truly See

There is a point where I can push color back and forth without truly seeing but with any luck there is the shift, where the subconscious remembers what it knows.

This is what happened yesterday, suddenly the brush moves with little consciousness from the artist-it’s like all the forms and strokes are already there.

It is almost an out-of-body experience because the hand the brush, even the colors and the forms tend to paint themselves. I’ve experienced this with writing too and it is an amazing place that no artist wants to leave.

The Fisherman: 2018 Original Oil on Canvas, Artbygordon-work in progress

New Elements in Recent Works

I’m not sure if it’s because of shooting so much graphic photography but recently I have more intention on form and contrast of light. The actually scene is secondary to the relationship of the elements and the contrast of light.

There are many ways to show depth and perspective, this is just one more option and I’m really beginning to see a shift in my work overall as elements supersede or at least complement mood.