I am a pastel artist, painting with pure, compressed pigment on 400-grit sandpaper. My palette is the paper itself, where I mix colors by layering one over another. This method allows me to work quickly, giving my pieces a freshness and spontaneity that reflect the moment of creation.

Originally from Michigan, I spent my career as a graphic artist. Now living in Florida, I’m inspired daily by the astounding beauty of Florida’s landscapes, light, and colors.

Pastel, from the Italian word pasta (“paste”), has been used by artists since the 1400s. Created by combining powdered pigment with a binder and rolling it into sticks, pastels offer a direct, tactile way of working—just as Leonardo da Vinci and later masters like Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt did.

I’m drawn to pastels because they are pure pigment—intensely rich, immediate, and luminous. Working directly on sanded paper allows me to blend colors by layering, creating texture, edges, and transitions in the moment. The medium responds instantly to pressure and gesture, making it both highly controllable and wonderfully spontaneous. Pastels don’t require drying time—though they do love to smudge, keeping me on my toes.

For me, pastel is about immediacy, expression, and the joy of vibrant color—capturing a fleeting moment in a permanent way.

Yours, Daisy!