ANNE SHINGLETON | Artist in Tuscany, painter of light and animals, figurative sculptor in bronze

Pastels have become my preferred medium for my plein air work. They are lighter to carry than the gear needed for oils. I use soft chalk pastels on a tinted coloured sturdy paper. Generally I can work very quickly catching fleeting light effects, and enduring difficult working conditions. They can be used anywhere; the snows of northern Finland, the deserts of southern Israel and the tropical forests of the Seychelle Islands. If the paintings are packed tightly between some smooth sheets of paper (like tracing paper) so they don't move, there is generally no damage during transport.
I never like to fix my pastel paintings, it changes the colour and consistency of the surface.