I started using pastels after I retired from teaching. Until then I had never considered them a serious option for my own work. But I was eager to return to making art full-time and I wanted to find a medium where I could create finished pieces more quickly than printmaking. It turned out to be a great solution.
I began working with a nearby artist who taught the technique and I fell in love with the medium. It allowed me to infuse color into my images like never before. Around that same time, I took a mission trip to Ghana with a church group. The visual experience of being immersed in the West African culture was mind bending, giving me a plethora of material to work with. Most of the pieces in this series are from that experience.
My pastes can be found in my Painting & Drawings collection.