The Warmth of Pastels — Colour, Texture, and Touch

Of all the mediums I work with, pastels are perhaps the most tactile. There's something wonderfully immediate about them — you're applying pure pigment to paper with your fingers, your hand, your instinct. The colour is rich and immediate. The texture is like nothing else.

Pastels occupy a fascinating middle ground between drawing and painting. You draw with them, but you blend and layer them like paint. The result can be anything from a loose, impressionistic sketch to a densely worked surface that glows with colour.

A Brief History

Pastels have been used by artists since at least the 16th century, with early examples appearing in the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Hans Holbein. But it was in 18th century France and Italy that pastel truly flourished as a fine art medium, used for portraits and genre scenes with a delicacy and freshness that other mediums struggled to match.

The medium fell somewhat out of fashion during the 19th century — until Edgar Degas rediscovered and reinvented it. His extraordinary pastel works of ballet dancers, bathers, and café scenes remain some of the most celebrated artworks ever made in the medium, and his influence on how pastels are used today is immeasurable.

Soft Pastels vs Oil Pastels

It's worth knowing that there are two quite different types of pastel, each with its own character:

Soft pastels are made from pure pigment bound with a small amount of chalk or gum. They're velvety, highly pigmented, and blend beautifully. They can be applied in layers, blended with fingers or a tortillon, and built up into rich, luminous surfaces. Soft pastels are the traditional choice for fine art and are what most people picture when they think of pastel artwork.

Oil pastels are bound with oil and wax rather than chalk, giving them a completely different texture — waxy, vibrant, and resistant to blending in the same way. They suit a bolder, more expressive style and can be used with solvents to create painterly effects.

Both have their place, and many artists work with both depending on the subject and mood of the piece.

Artists to Explore

Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917) is the undisputed master of pastel. His ability to capture movement, light, and fleeting moments in pastel is unparalleled. The Musée d'Orsay in Paris holds an extraordinary collection of his pastel works, many of which are viewable online.

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926), associated with the Impressionist movement, produced beautiful pastel works capturing domestic scenes and the tenderness between mothers and children. Her work is warm, intimate, and full of light.

Among contemporary artists, Zaria Forman (American) creates large-scale pastel drawings of glaciers, oceans, and polar landscapes that are breathtaking in their scale and emotional power. Her work has been exhibited internationally and has helped bring attention to climate change through art.

Sally Strand (American) is another highly regarded contemporary pastel artist known for her luminous figure paintings and her ability to capture dappled light with extraordinary subtlety.

In Australia, the Pastel Society of Australia supports and connects pastel artists across the country, and their exhibitions are a wonderful place to discover the breadth and vitality of the medium locally.

Pastels at Anne H Art

Pastels feel like the most personal of all the mediums I work with. There's no brush between me and the surface — just pigment, paper, and my hands. That directness feels very honest to me as an artist.

My pastel animal portraits were created in soft pastels, and I love how the medium captures warmth and energy. There's a softness to pastels that suits animals and natural subjects particularly well.

Have a browse through the gallery and if any of my pastel pieces speak to you, I'd love for them to find a home.

— Anne