Gallery › Art in the Gallery › Karen Pettengill

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Artist Name: Karen Pettengill
Location: Pownal, Maine
Title of Show: A Passion for Color
Medium(s): pastels
Sizes: varies
Dates in Gallery: Oct 11 - Nov 19, 2006
Web Site: pettengillco.com

Bio: My mother gave me my first pastels many years ago, her old set of Grumbachers that Iím still using today, but until then it was as if Iíd only seen in black and white. There are no purer forms of painting mediums than pastels. Theyíre made with the purest mineral pigments from the earth, then finely ground and mixed (some by hand) with just enough binder to hold them together when rolled and dried into sticks. The amount of binder in the mix determines the hardness or softness of the pastel stick, so the less binder in the mix, the softer the pastel. Few mediums allow one to be as adventurous and spontaneous as pastels do, but the greatest advantage for me is the immediacy and freedom of expression that comes from working with pure, brilliant color.