Gentle scenes

Soft pastel is a special medium for me. It gives me freedom, control and the possibility to express myself on paper in a variety of ways. I use different types of paper for different effects.

- Elena Orlova

Bad weather, soft pastel on paper, 2172 x 2572" (55 x 65 cm) In 2008 I spent two weeks in the Alps with a group of paragliders. I was a photographer on that amazing trip, taking photos of the brave men flying above the mountains and of the nature around us. I was so impressed with all the beautiful places. I still keep those landscapes in my head and in my heart. Some days the weather wasn't suitable for flying, like this day depicted in my painting. It is also one of my works that I made with my left hand.

If I want a lot of layers, and a mix of stumping and strokes, I use sanded paper. If I want softness or sketch-like techniques, I use normal pastel paper. For the first layers I always use extra soft pastels to cover the entire surface and stump my colors into a watercolor-like cloud. For the next layers I use soft pastel and hard pastel sticks to specify the details. For some works I use a limited color palette, and for others a wide scale.