Homeward Bound (Kayaker at the end of the day)

"Homeward Bound"
6 x 12 Pastel on Paper
Original sold
Click here to buy print:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/nikihilsabeck/art/5989191-1-homeward-bound-pastel

I was sure I would experience more bad karma with this paper...

I bought the paper at a large creative supplies store, which shall not be named here. I was irritated because they no longer have the plain old block of cheap Strathmore art paper, so I bought some extra large pieces of toned paper for pasteling (Canson). When I got to the register, the cashier started to roll up the paper, and I snapped at her to leave it flat. Normally I try not to snap at anyone doing his or her job, so I felt guilty-- and the bad karma from that incident has been following this paper. It's taken a beating with some wrinkles and water drips, and has narrowly missed several cat and child-related mishaps. I promised myself I wouldn't snap at a cashier again for not knowing how to handle art paper. I probably shouldn't be shopping at places like that in the first place.

As for this painting, I took several pictures of a couple of kayakers dragging their kayaks up at the end of the day. Unlike the surfers, who usually emerge looking refreshed and proudly carrying their boards, these guys looked tired and "over it." So, I named it "Homeward Bound" after one of my favorite songs, because this kayaker looks like he's already heading home. I left the tone of the paper as the color of the kayak, and used a limited set of colors with purple, yellow, and white, with a touch of blue and orange for contrast.

You can't beat Canson paper for chalk pastels (dry anyway), and I used the less textured looking side of the paper, which to my delight held the chalk so well there was hardly any dust to shake off.


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