pastel painting

Another in the Enamorado Con Amor/In Love with Love series.  Part of love is intimacy, but of course not all intimacy denotes love.  Here it does, and the couple sparkles in the play of light and shadow.  

The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints.  The binder has a neutral hue and low intensity.  

Pastel is challenging because it is mixed and blended on the paper or other surface.  Colors cannot be tested on a palette although with the new powder pastels you can.  This work was done with sticks.  Changes are not easy to make, as you can not just paint over things.

In use since the Renaissance, they were very popular in the 18th century.  My favorite pastel painter is Renoir.