Stella Noir

"Stella Noir" is a pastel portrait of one of the four muses that I live to serve. I am a dog lover, through and through. This portrait has helped me cope with the loneliness of the COVID lockdowns. I photographed Stella one day and was struck by how lovely the composition turned out. I had the title in my mind before I ever made the first mark, which almost never happens. I'm fairly new to pastels, my gateway medium was colored pencils, which still make my heart skip a beat. Since discovering pastels, I have fallen in love with the absolute vibrant colors I can achieve with this remarkable medium.