PASTELS
detail, "Water", from The Elements. SOLD
Pastels were my primary medium for many years. Working with soft pastel sticks is a natural extension of my fingers into the realm of pure pigment. I am much more enamored of the sticks as they wear down to tiny stubs of color, working together with my hands in a rhythm of sweeping, smearing and staccato motions. Even when applying oil paints, I'll often put the paintbrush aside - leaving fingerprints, scratches and the mark of my hand in the pools of color on the canvas. This is a sampling of pastels from over the years. Sizes listed are image size, without frame dimensions. Some are now available as fine art prints.
Linda H. Post
"Learning To Fly" is a pastel, 50" x 36", set over the Connecticut River. It was one of my first forays into a visual expression of the cusp between childhood and adolescence, and one of the largest pieces in this extensive series of airborne figures. SOLD Available as a limited edition print.
In "Into The Night River", the boat is the psychological "bridge" between air and water, conscious and unconscious. A dreamer leaves the boat, floating through the air into the water. The boatman is her anchor, her refuge. The sky is on the cusp of night and day. 25" x 50". SOLD
"Air and Water" is a pastel triptych, 30" x 56". The diver/flyer is a self-portrait, one of many painted over the years. The deep blue water is turbulent, plants shoot into the air and the seabird heads for the safety of the sky.
A birds-eye view of the Connecticut River is the setting for "Wake", which is 48" x 38". Tumbling through the air, the main figure is watched by a swimmer, a boater, and a bird carrying a dreamer.
The man and woman float among water lilies and swimming koi, making their way though a liquid garden path. The woman is serene, the man watchful. "Secret Garden" is 30" x 22".
In "Cape Light" I experimented with applying pastels to a solid gesso panel, then adding varnish to create a matte textured surface that could be framed without glass. 20" x 24".
"Swimmers in the River", 50" x 36", is from the same series as "Into The Night River". The surreal setting is actually the Connecticut River, which possesses a wonderful rounded island that I passed every day on my way to my Holyoke, MA studio. SOLD
"Float" depicts a whirlpool, drawing fish and swimmers into its vortex. It consists of six panels, all pastel over monotype on Arches Cover paper. Each panel is 28" x 24". Available as limited edition prints as a set or as separate prints.
Water II
This is the second version of "Water", pictured on top of this page. It was commissioned by a collector when the first one sold. All are self-portraits, and part of The Elements series of pastels, each one 50" x 42". SOLD Available as a limited edition print.
Earth
"Earth" is a 50" x 42" pastel, one of the self-portraits that make up The Elements. The trees and grass envelope the figure, almost caressing her. Each of the works in this series portrays a total immersion into one of the Elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire. Available as a limited edition print.