PASTELS
detail, "Water", from The Elements. SOLD
Pastels were my primary medium for many years. Working with soft pastel sticks is a natural extension of my fingers into the realm of pure pigment. I am much more enamored of the sticks as they wear down to tiny stubs of color, working together with my hands in a rhythm of sweeping, smearing and staccato motions. Even when applying oil paints, I'll often put the paintbrush aside - leaving fingerprints, scratches and the mark of my hand in the pools of color on the canvas. This is a sampling of pastels from over the years. Sizes listed are image size, without frame dimensions. Some are now available as fine art prints.
Linda H. Post
"Learning To Fly" is a pastel, 50" x 36", set over the Connecticut River. It was one of my first forays into a visual expression of the cusp between childhood and adolescence, and one of the largest pieces in this extensive series of airborne figures.
In "Into The Night River", the boat is the psychological "bridge" between air and water, conscious and unconscious. A dreamer leaves the boat, floating through the air into the water. The boatman is her anchor, her refuge. The sky is on the cusp of night and day. 25" x 50". SOLD
"Air and Water" is a pastel triptych, 30" x 56". The diver/flyer is a self-portrait, one of many painted over the years. The deep blue water is turbulent, plants shoot into the air and the seabird heads for the safety of the sky.
A birds-eye view of the Connecticut River is the setting for "Wake", which is 48" x 38". Tumbling through the air, the main figure is watched by a swimmer, a boater, and a bird carrying a dreamer.
The man and woman float among water lilies and swimming koi, making their way though a liquid garden path. The woman is serene, the man watchful. "Secret Garden" is 30" x 22".
In "Cape Light" I experimented with applying pastels to a solid gesso panel, then adding varnish to create a matte textured surface that could be framed without glass. 20" x 24".
"Swimmers in the River", 50" x 36", is from the same series as "Into The Night River". The surreal setting is actually the Connecticut River, which possesses a wonderful rounded island that I passed every day on my way to my Holyoke, MA studio. SOLD
"Float" depicts a whirlpool, drawing fish and swimmers into its vortex. It consists of six panels, all pastel over monotype on Arches Cover paper. Each panel is 28" x 24". Available as limited edition prints as a set or as separate prints.
Water II
This is the second version of "Water", pictured on top of this page. It was commissioned by a collector when the first one sold. All are self-portraits, and part of The Elements series of pastels, each one 50" x 42".
Earth
"Earth" is a 50" x 42" pastel, one of the self-portraits that make up The Elements. The trees and grass envelope the figure, almost caressing her. Each of the works in this series portrays a total immersion into one of the Elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire. SOLD Available as a limited edition print.