Workshop - Creating Lively Expressive Landscapes in Pastel - Friday and Saturday - March 20th and 21st

2 Day SESSION

Dates: Friday and Saturday - March 20 and 21, 2026

Time:  10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

COST: $300

Max Students: 12

#BSPASTEL03202026

In this two-day workshop, you’ll discover how to create lively pastel landscape paintings using expressive mark-making and a fresh, confident approach. Through clear instruction, we’ll break the painting process down into simple, manageable steps—helping you trust your instincts, make strong creative choices, and elevate your own work.

Together, we’ll explore how to see the landscape in terms of solid, simple shapes and how to build convincing form using value. You’ll also learn how to thoughtfully control color temperature and contrast to create paintings that feel vibrant, luminous, and full of life.

The workshop includes a full pastel demonstration, plenty of one-on-one guidance, and a supportive group critique on the second day—giving you practical tools, fresh inspiration, and the confidence to continue growing long after the workshop ends.

SUPPLY LIST:

• Soft Pastels - a good quality set of landscape/plein air pastels (80-100 colors) - Solid brands to use would include Terry Ludwig, Jack Richeson, Sennelier (plein air half stick set of 80), Unison, Great American, Pastels Girault, Schmincke
• Hard Pastels - range of 24-36 colors (NuPastels or Cretacolor)
• Uart (or LuxArchival) white pastel paper 320 or 400 grit (Blick Art Materials has 400 in retail stores) - cut into sheets of 9” x12” or 8” x 10” or 11” x 14” and mounted ideally. (You will need approximately 4 sheets of varying sizes for the workshop)
• Kneaded eraser
• Small stiff brush - (can be an old used oil or acrylic brush)
• 1” wide paper tape (artists tape) - white or black
• Drawing/Sketch Board (at least a few inches larger than your UArt paper to use as a backer board)
• Small sketch book
• A few sharp graphite pencils (4B or 6B) to use for sketches and a sharpener
• Paper towels
• Latex gloves and/or hand wipes if desired
• A few pastel pencils (optional)
• Small ruler
• Binder clips to hold paper to board
• a few sheets of glassine paper (used to cover your pastels while transporting to and from workshop)
• Photo references of landscapes you would like to paint. Ensure photos have a solid light source with strong shadows. Instructor will also have photos you can use.
• Small jar of denatured alcohol (sometimes called Fuel) or rubbing alcohol
  
  

Most of these supplies can be purchased through Blick Art Materials. Uart or LuxArchival mounted pastel paper and pastels can be purchased through Dakota Pastel online www.dakotapastels.com. It’s also a good idea to have a few small scrap pieces of Uart paper (no need to be mounted) to play around with and compare colors on.

ARTIST BIO:

Brian is a national award-winning artist that has been working with pastels for over 30 years. Focusing mainly on landscapes, he is passionate about capturing the essence and mood of a particular moment and place in time. Brian is the Vice President of the Chicago Pastel painters and teaches drawing and painting at the Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich, IL. He also teaches pastel classes at the DuPage Art League in Wheaton. He is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and is a Master Circle Member of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). He also is a contributing writer for Pastel Journal Magazine. His work is represented by galleries in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.