Master Pastellist

With no desire to produce a photographic record of his subject matter, this talented man likes to contemporise the landscape beyond a realist approach … and still retain a conceptual delusion of reality.

London-born Chris Blake has been drawing all his life, and has been an artist for over 20 years. He works mostly in oils, pastels, and pen-and-ink.

Chris is a Master Pastellist with the Pastel Society of Australia.

He is also a member of the Royal Queensland Art Society.

He has won numerous awards including the Ken Farrer Award for Artistic Excellence at the 2003 Maleny Arts Awards; and the Most Outstanding Painting at the Sunshine Coast Immanuel College Art Exhibition in 2004.

He started teaching art in 1992 at the Caloundra Learning Cooperative. Since then, Chris has been conducting workshops and classes throughout south-east Queensland on a regular basis.

This man is very clear about his creative direction.

“As a pastellist, my main concern is not to produce a photographic record of the subject matter – but rather to contemporise the landscape beyond a realist approach,” he relates. “My strong belief is in simple

shapes and strong tonal contrasts and in using pastels and colour in a vibrant manner, usually on a dark ground. While my representations of landscapes are beyond the normal perception of the human eye, they still retain a conceptual delusion of reality. To achieve this, I use a glazing technique with multiple layers of colours. This involves a vibrant interplay of strokes of different colours to produce the desired final effect of colour and tonal values. Light and strong pastel strokes are employed to produce a more painterly effect.”

According to Chris Blake, pastels are a most versatile medium.

“Sometimes we are tempted to produce work that betrays the unique quality of pastels, and we end up producing work that imitates watercolours or gouache,” he laments. “I use pastels in a way that – I believe – exhibits the unique, vibrant textural qualities that are synonymous with this medium.”

Chris conducts a specialist art class entitled ‘Introduction to Drawing’ for small groups of students.

“This is an introductory to intermediate class,” he says. We cover all aspects of drawing – starting with simple shapes through to compositions using pen-and-wash and coloured marker pens. This journey includes studies in perspective, townscapes, simple human form and still life – in all drawing mediums (pencil, charcoal, pen and markers). There are also overriding continuing exercises to develop lifetime drawing skills and an appreciation of form in Nature.”

Demonstrations by Chris Blake are as much a learning experience for him as they are for his class.

“I believe, every time I put pastel to paper and make a stroke, my mind is open to a new experience in tonal conception. I tell my students, from day one, to ‘push the colour; push the tone; have fun and enjoy’!” ■