Bob Richey Pastels

2011-03-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Revisiting Favorite Places

Landscape artists usually have a great number of favorite places where they return to for inspiration for new painting ideas. I often revisit favorite landscape spots and take a fresh look at an old familiar place. I do many pastels of favorite motifs hopefully each pastel a little different from the ones I have done before. I find as I get more experienced as a working artist I can put a fresh face on an old familiar subject being able to interpret the subject in a fresh new way. The pastel shown on this post, "Horseshoe Bend Autumn Vista", is a view near Frenchtown, New Jersey. I often pass this scenic spot on my bicycle rides with my friends. I have done this scene before and I am sure I will do it again during a different season or a different time of day seeing it in a different light.

Working Fast

2011-02-17T06:19:00.000-08:00

I always work pretty fast when doing my pastels. I like to do them in a single sitting. I am actually inpatient to see the final result. Regarding the pastel shown on this post (Bridge over Deep Run Creek, 9" x 12") I decided to work much faster than my usual pace. I wanted this to be an exercise in applying freer strokes of the pastel in order to achieve more of a sense of movement in the landscape. I was happy with the resulting pastel. The time to complete this pastel was less than one hour. Less can be more!

New Up Scaled Pastels

2011-02-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

During the last several weeks I have been busy doing new pastels which are mainly up scaled versions of some of my favorite small pastels. I have just posted many of these new 10" x 10" pastels on my web site.

New Size Pastels Introduced

2011-02-01T06:39:00.000-08:00

I have just started to work on a series of new pastels, each with a square format of 10" x 10". Some of these pastels will be inspired by my already completed favorite little square pastels but many will be completely new compositions. Look for many of these new 10" x 10" pastels to be introduced at the Yellow Springs Art Show and the Immaculata University Art Show opening this coming spring.

Winter Shadows - pastel - 10" x 10"

Winter Creek Bed

2011-01-25T06:30:00.001-08:00

I was very happy with the way this pastel turned out. I really like the way the light hits the two larger rocks contrasted by the deep shadows in the snow. This scene is only a mile from my home in a very small park. This illustrates you don't have to travel far to find interesting compositions for art subjects. I will probably make a bigger version of this pastel.

Favorite Old Barn

2011-01-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

I recently completed this small pastel. Over the years, this old barn with a damaged roof has appeared in many of my pastel landscapes. It is located in upper Bucks County and it really is one of my favorite barns to draw. I hope it stays around for many more years. Ironically it would be almost equally sad if this barn was renovated as opposed to being completely torn down. I like it just the way it is, rough, weathered and old.

Working in a Series

2011-01-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

I often do a series of pastels based on the same theme. The day after Christmas we had our first snow of the season. I went out on a photo taking field trip and got many ideas for new pastels. I have already completed about six pastels based on this one field trip. "Barn with Overhang in Winter" show here is one of these recently completed pastels.

Today's big number - 360

2011-01-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today's big number (360) is the total number of pieces of original art I sold last year. I want to thank all my old and new patrons for making 2010 a very successful and rewarding year.

Crafts in the Meadow at Tyler State Park

2010-10-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

This 3 day show got off to a slow start seeing it was cold and windy on Friday with not too many people coming out to see the show. The weather turned out great for the weekend however and many people came to the show and were looking to buy from the many fine artisans who had there work on exhibit. I was very pleased with my sales and this show turned out to be one of my best of the year. I look forward to returning next year to this well managed event. Much thanks to all my old and new collectors who purchased my artwork this past weekend.

Mountain Art Show Award

2010-10-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to find out today that my pastel, "Long Beach Island Sunrise Clouds"' has won an award of excellence at the Mountain Art Show which opens this weekend at the Saint Johns Church on the Mountain in Bernardsville, NJ. Please see my web site events for more information on this show.

Pennsylvania Guild Show

2010-10-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

It was a windy but nice autumn weekend at the Pennsylvania Guild Craft Show held at the Montgomery County Community College in Bluebell, PA. I enjoyed meeting all the people that stopped by my booth. Although I didn't have great sales at this show I did find new homes for several of my small pastels and all and all had an enjoyable experience doing the show.

New Hope Art Show

2010-09-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

I exhibited my pastels at the New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival this weekend. Although it was pretty hot on Saturday and there was a little drizzle on Sunday the show was well attended and I had very good sales both days.
When I am not doing an art show I usually go for a long bike ride on Sunday mornings with my wife Linda and our many good cycling and triathlon friends. This weekend Linda and many of my friends stopped by during their ride to say hello to me at the art show. It was good to see them all and I kind of missed not being on the bike ride with them but I really enjoy doing the shows also. When I am out for a bike ride I not only get plenty of exercise but I always get many ideas from the passing countryside for future pastels.

Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show

2010-09-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed a beautiful weekend exhibiting my pastels at the fall Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show in downtown Philadelphia. I had a very good show selling many of my pastels which I am very thankful for. Next weekend I will be back in Bucks County for the New Hope Fine Arts & Craft festival.

Phillips' Mill Art Exhibition

2010-09-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that my framed pastel, "Rainy Day in Pineville", was accepted into this years Phillips' Mill Art Exhibition. The Phillips' Mill is located on River Road just north of New Hope, Pennsylvania. This is the 81st year for this prestigious art exhibition. The long history of the Phillips' Mill Art Exhibition extents way back to days when the Pennsylvania New Hope School of Impressionist Artists were actively painting in this beautiful part of Bucks County. I feel very honored to be part of this exhibition.

Doylestown Art Festival

2010-09-13T00:17:00.001-07:00

It was good to see many old friends at the Doylestown Art Festival this past weekend. Not only did many of my art clients drop by my booth but I also greeted several old friends from my former life as an engineer for the US Navy and several of my friends from the athletic side of my life as a triathlete also stopped by to say hello.
Beyond selling art work I really enjoy doing these festivals because of all the nice people you meet.
I did have a pretty good sales weekend finding new homes for 17 of my new mini pastels. It is harder to sell the larger pieces right now with the bad economy but I am very thankful to all the people who are still buying my work.

Paxson Hill Farm Art Show

2010-09-04T16:42:00.001-07:00

I had a nice time today exhibiting my pastels at the Paxson Hill Farms located near New Hope, Pennsylvania. I spoke to many nice people today that were very interested in my pastel landscapes. I was thankful to find new homes for several of my newer original pastels. As you can see from this posted photo, the art patrons were not the only ones curious about what was on display at this very nice show.

Degas Pastel Society National Show

2010-08-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

I found out today that my pastel, "Coastal Fishing Sheds", has been accepted into the Degas Pastel Society Thirteenth Biennial National Exhibition to be held in Hammond, LA this coming autumn. My pastel was one of 80 pieces selected for the show from 262 entries so I am very excited to be accepted into this prestigious national show. The image of the piece selected is shown above on this posting.

2010-08-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been telling me I should have a blog for my artwork. I am very new to this and still have a lot to learn on how to use a blog as a tool to get the word out on my artwork. Well at least I have now created a blog page and will post things of interest on it concerning my artwork.

Most recently I have been doing many mini pastels usually 3 x 5 and 4 x 4 inches in size. These little pastels have been well received and I have sold over 100 of them in the last few months. I have dozens of them posted on my website bobricheypastels.com