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Arts & Entertainment

An interview with pastel artist Wendy Goldberg

Pastels offer dark edges for local artist.

As a budding artist living in Rhode Island as a child, Wendy Goldberg was fortunate to be able to take Saturday morning kids' classes at the Rhode Island School of Design -- one of the most prestigious art schools in America.  She was only 6 years old, watching her sister's class working from nature, and she knew she wanted to do that too.

When she attended college at Cornell University to study writing and art, the landscape surrounding the school helped influence her life and view. 

Wendy:  It's very dramatic with the gorges and the skies; it's incredible.

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In 1989, Wendy was accepted into The Vermont Studio Center and her art took a new direction. 

Wendy:  This was the first time I had a pretty big space to work in and I didn't know how to deal with it. I started with these little charcoal drawings, then turned to pastels using a limited palette and really simplifying things. I just kind of took off from there.

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Wendy went back to Vermont two more times, winning a fellowship for a pastel artist the last time. She said she sometimes hesitates to say she works in pastels, because people have a certain conception that pastels are pale, light colors. But not for her. 

Wendy: I like the dark stuff, dramatic light, the beginning and end of the day.  And I like the nighttime because it's challenging and interesting. I like pastels because I like getting my hands in stuff; I like getting dirty. I love gardening for the same reason and I can't wear gloves the same way I can't wear a mask with pastels, even though I should.

I asked her to describe the way she works and what materials she uses.

Wendy: I work outside, but I don't consider myself a plein air artist because I am not site specific. 

She will draw with her pastels outside and then often bring her work into the studio

Wendy: I'll start with the landscape and what I am seeing, but then when I bring it back inside I try to make it work as a piece. If I need to shift something around to make the piece work then I'll do that. For the bigger drawings I usually do a small drawing first. I work on the wall inside, and outside I work flat on a board of some kind.

She uses a paper similar to sand paper to help create an atmosphere and give the mood and texture she prefers. On the larger pieces she uses softer, bigger pastels like Sennelier or Rembrandt. When she works smaller she uses square ones that have an edge.

Now, she is beginning to work again with oils, focusing on interiors instead of landscapes.  

Wendy: Structural, man-made elements have become increasingly important in my work---old garages, long-used, intimate, or messy work spaces.  These often provide a sharp contrast to the sometimes overwhelming beauty of the landscape.

Wendy is currently curating a contemporary drawing show for the Marin Arts Council.  It will be on the first and third floor of the Marin Civic Center and will be installed Sept. 20 and 21. Wendy also regularly oversees art installations for the Marin Arts Council at the Civic Center and at the Marin Community Foundation.

Read more about her, view her work, and turn the pages of a lovely book she designed of her work, "Drawing Out the Light" at her website.

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