As the leaves turn golden and we approach Thanksgiving here in the US, my heart swells with gratitude. It's a time of reflection, of appreciating the small wonders that make life so vibrant. One such wonder for me is art – its transformative power, its ability to evoke emotions, inspire hope, and instill a sense of awe.

One thing I'm incredibly thankful for is how colors can shift our moods and uplift our emotions. There's something magical about pastels – their softness, their versatility, and how they beautifully capture the essence of any subject matter.

learn special pastel painting techniques to create this beautiful flower vase portrait recreation — Alain Picard, **Gratitude**, 18.5x9.5” pastel

The Magic of Pastels

Creating art with pastels can be an enlightening experience. The ability to layer and blend colors allows us to explore different tones and shades effortlessly. Whether you're painting a serene landscape or recreating a photo from your last vacation, pastel techniques provide endless possibilities for artistic expression.

Embracing Simplicity

Simplicity often holds profound beauty - like in this flower vase painting recreation using special pastel painting techniques. By focusing on positive and negative shapes along with lost and found edges, we get to appreciate each element’s unique contribution to the overall composition.

Sharing Beauty With The World

I'm also deeply grateful for you - my fellow artists who share this journey with me. Each stroke you make contributes beauty to our world – it could be through a mesmerizing sunset or an intimate still-life piece that tells your personal story.

To express my gratitude towards all aspiring artists out there, I’ve prepared a special lesson on painting tulips just for you. In this video, we recreate a common photo of tulips into an expressive pastel painting. This lesson is an opportunity to delve into the relationship between positive and negative shapes, explore the magic of lost and found edges, and reflect on the beauty found in simplicity.

As an artist stepping into this creative field, there are three key strategies I'd like to highlight:

1) Embrace simplicity in your paintings - sometimes less is more.
2) Practice regularly - in our live workshops we focus on learning new techniques, as honing your skills takes time.
3) Share your work - feedback is a gift and sharing every creation has value!

Ready to join me at the easel? I'd love to invite you all to our upcoming live workshops where we'll recreate photos using pastel techniques together and you’ll have the ability to get the feedback and practice we discuss above.

For today we can start with the following Let's paint a vibrant bouquet of flowers video!

Watch the video