The Moab Pastel Guild will return to the Bighorn Gallery at Dead Horse Point State Park from Thursday, Sept. 1, through Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, with the new show “Melodic Lines.”
The guild is a group of like-minded local artists who meet regularly to paint, offer mutual support, inspire one another and critique each other’s work. The participating artists are Helen Becker, Mary Collar, Victoria Fugit, Sarah Hamingson, Peggy Harty, Margie Lopez-Read, Marsha Modine, Thea Nordling, Charlotte Quigley and Larry Thomas.
The group’s members have been working together for several years, embracing opportunities to learn and experiment with different techniques and approaches to composition. All share a deep love of the surrounding landscape and its ever-changing light, moods and colors.
Over time, each member has developed a unique personal vision and style. Several have received awards for art entered in shows in Utah and Colorado. The artists initially focused on honing their skills with pastel, but some are now expanding their repertoire by working in watercolor and oils as well.
Pastel is often mistakenly confused with chalk. It is quite different. Pastel is pure pigment mixed with just enough binder to hold it together in stick form. The purity of the pigments lets their brilliance glow.
Pastel is a vibrant and versatile medium that mixes well with other mediums. Some artists use only dry pastel on paper. Others apply it over underpaintings rendered in watercolor, acrylic, or pastel dissolved in turpenoid or alcohol on heavier, textured surfaces. The resulting works are varied, ranging from detailed realism and more loosely rendered impressionism to abstraction.
The show’s subject matter will include local landscapes, as well as animals, flowers and more distant landscapes that have inspired the artists. Works on display will include both paintings created in the studio and en plein air. During the exhibition the original paintings, as well as prints and note cards, will be available for purchase.
The guild members invite you to join them for an opening reception at the Bighorn Gallery on Saturday, Sept. 10, from noon to 3 p.m. Entrance to the park will be free for those who attend the reception.
Dead Horse Point is located 9 miles north of Moab on U.S. Highway 191, and 23 miles south on state Route 313. The visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Park admission is $10 per vehicle for three days, or $5 for Utah seniors 62 and older.
“Melodic Lines” on display from Sept. 1 – Feb. 1, 2017
