White House in Poolesville, 12 x 16, UART 500

I’m working on a new surface. I ordered ProArt Panels with UART 500 grit surface some weeks ago in 11 x 14 and 12 x 16 sizes and this is my first chance to use one. I’m preparing for two workshops in Massachusetts coming up in mid-April where I will discuss the difference between what I see as “center of interest” and a “big shape” picture. I’m going to be using the UART for the first and thought I’d better try it out. To date, I’ve used the 280 (which is too rough) and the 400 (which I like a lot). The 500 is finer and more like Wallis. With the exception of the sky and the “whites,” I used nothing but Giraults on this picture and they felt just right. The surface is quite fine and the pastel goes on very easily, quickly filling the paper, so the harder Giraults are great for it. I did a watercolor underpainting and was pleased with the results. The color of the paper is such that you could work directly on it, but I wanted to use water color to see how it would work at the bottom of the painting, where I wanted to leave it unfinished. Because the paper is mounted and cut to the exact size, the edges can be difficult to cover as there is a very slight lip. But they won’t show under a frame.  This is very different from the bolder, big shape pictures that I’ve been doing for years now. But it was a pleasure to do and, who knows, maybe my style (like my eyesight) is changing!