Blog

Working in pastel, Tanya Avchinnikova paints large seascapes and landscapes of the UK, focussing primarily on closeups. Her work relies on spontaneous mark making to create the illusion of presence and a deep unity with nature. 'Tactile sensation, direct communication with pure pigment, freedom of applying it on surface straight away, that’s what I love about pastel. There's something very in …

Cheryl Culver is pastel artist, focussing on landscapes in her surroundings. 'Cheryl's work has always been about ‘how it feels’ rather than ‘how it looks’.'It is good to be humbled by nature and what better than a vast and powerful landscape or a mighty oak tree to do just that. Mankind needs to learn his place in the grand scheme of things. We have an amazing world around us, which survives in s …

Working in pastel, Liz Balkwill enjoys painting the figure and still life, capturing gesture and using colour to evoke mood.'No matter what the subject my main aim is to capture the way that light and shadow transforms everyday objects from the mundane to the beautiful.The combination of the colours and texture were the concept that led to me putting this piece together. A neighbour grows org …

Working in a range of mediums, from oil to acrylic, or watercolour to pastel, Simon Hodges aims to reflect an atmospheric sense of place, inspired by light, weather and location. 'Exploring tone for the finished work again helps to tell the story about the subject. High tones can express ethereal light, brightness or vagueness; dark tones, a sombre, moody and gloomy atmosphere. The range of l …