Jala Pfaff: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Untitled 100

Pastel on PastelMat, approx. 3" x 7".

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More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Friday, April 29, 2011

Untitled 99

Pastel on PastelMat, approx. 3.5" x 4".

Sold.

Thanks, everyone, for your recent comments. It's always exciting to move in a new direction. Loriann asked about whether I'm using an underpainting, so I thought I'd describe my process for these.

I take the new PastelMat or UArt paper, rub a random pastel color all over it, then rub that in. Then I usually put on one or two more layers. At that point, I'll either take some of the pastel back off (with a dry oil-painting brush), and/or spray with Spectra-Fix. I continue this add/subtract/occasional spray process for many layers, sometimes at times even removing virtually all the pastel I've previously put down ("wasting" lots of pastel, yes)...until that magic moment when the painting suddenly feels right.

I never use any fixative on the final layer, as I feel it kills the freshness. In fact, until this newest style of paintings, I never use any fixative whatsoever. I've noticed, in doing these new ones, that as a final layer, the intentionally created contrast of fresh pastel over sprayed pastel can be a great effect.

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More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Untitled 98

Pastel on PastelMat, approx. 3" x 4".

I wish I could say this is an enormous oil painting (because that would be very cool too), but in fact it's a small pastel. Nevertheless, I'm very excited because it's the first one I'm showing you in a new series. I've been experimenting for months to try to get a certain, Rothko-style effect using pastel on paper rather than oil on canvas, and I have finally figured it out. I can only get the effect on PastelMat and on UArt400 (slightly different on each, but equally satisfying).

I'm still using the Sennelier LaCarte for the previous type of effects (the last 30 or however many Untitleds). I love that effect too and I'll keep doing those as well (and I still have a lot of them left to post), but they're very different. Sennelier gives more of a crisp, clear color, whereas with these new ones I've finally figured out how to get the hazy, almost cloudy, luminous, more subtle, yet vibrant color effect I've also been looking for.

The good part about them being small is I can do one in an evening, rather than weeks as for a large oil. Of course, it also makes them much more affordable!

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The Brother has come for a week-long visit and Gadjo is hiding.

No, just kidding--the animolecules actually love The Brother, even though he doesn't have any animolecules of his own.

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In India.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Monday, April 25, 2011

Untitled 97

Pastel on Sennelier LaCarte, approx. 2" x 6".

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More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Friday, April 22, 2011

Untitled 96

Pastel on Sennelier LaCarte, approx. 2" x 5.5".

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Things have been difficult and chaotic lately. The Husband, who had been looking for work for some time, found a new job a few weeks ago...and lost it a couple of days ago. Then there was the termination of the old health insurance, the figuring out the new one, and now the termination of the new one.

Back to square one.

I got a bit of good news today, though: found out I got juried into Open Studios again. Please come if you are in Boulder the first two weekends of October!

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In India.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Untitled 95

Pastel on Sennelier LaCarte, approx. 2.5" x 3.5".

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Lynx: [Oh noooo, she's got the camera again! And she's pointing it straight at me!]

[...I refuse to look!]

Gadjo: [No problem, Lynxie, I'll make sure she doesn't see you.]

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In India.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Untitled 94

Pastel on Sennelier LaCarte, approx. 1.5" x 6".

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In India (Bihar state).

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Friday, April 15, 2011

Untitled 93

Pastel on Sennelier LaCarte, approx. 3" x 3.5".

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Crazy, crazy Rumi.

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In India. Look at this poor skinny little guy fixing the road (amidst heavy traffic, no less)!

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Untitled 92

Pastel on Sennelier LaCarte, approx. 2" x 6".

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The blue-eyed brothers--the biggest cat in the house, and the smallest--have been hanging out a lot together lately.

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In India (state of Bihar). This is India: colorful, dirty, chaotic, fascinating. And yes, goats, cows, and feral dogs and cats pretty much live off of the ubiquitous garbage piles.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com