Tobi's Tips

Pastelmat paper remain my preferred paper of choice. This superb French paper is made by Clairfontaine, and is unlike any other pastel paper I have tried. The touch is unbelievably soft, it does not the rough sanded finish that we are accustomed to feeling on most pastel papers. The paper may feel smooth but the tooth of PastelMat is deep, I say it like a shag carpet, smooth on the top but holds a lot of pastel.  The first layer of pastel packs down in the fibers with little loss of pastel ( falling dust) and a second layer can sit [...]

Can you hear the moon calling out to your soul? Often when I stand quietly watching the day end, I hear a whisper, a seed of an idea that wants to be birthed into being. It's one of my favorite times to paint. This painting was done while camping up near Abiquiu lake. I had sat the night before and watched the moon come up with a cocktail in hand, thinking that this would make a wonderful painting. The shapes were simple, so it could be captured quickly. I often pick my pallette ahead of time, before I begin my painting. [...]