'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

Over 20 years ago, I began my introduction to the use of pastels, having previously worked in oils and acrylics, all the way back to my days as a fine arts major, at Wayne State University (Detroit). A series of portraits, of several of my favorite movie stars marked the beginning of this exploration of a new media. I was immediately hooked by the brilliance and workability of pastels (primarily pastel pencils, as my style utilizes a great deal of fine detail). The ability to layer and blend color, in very "painterly" ways, converted me to the use of pastels, and I've never been tempted, since those early days, to work in "wet" media again.