My style demands the best paper on the market. UART Pastel Paper is that paper. I’ve been using it exclusively for about 4 years. I personally use the 400 grit because it holds many layers of pastel without giving out. I begin with an underpainting using Mineral Spirits – it dries quickly and flat. I will underpaint 10 to 20 sheets at one time, with no plan as to what will be painted on it. I’ll use 2, 3, or 4 colors in my underpainting – resulting in a very abstract image. I am then ready to go in with bold stokes, building layer by layer. I let a lot of the underpainting show through, giving the painting an immediate harmony. I’ve used several papers over the years, including Canson and LaCarte, but when I found UART it gave me all the qualities my work demands: durability, liquid resistant, consistent surface, variety of grits, lots of sizes. The image included here is a demo I did this last summer – using analogous colors. You can see the pink/red underpainting showing through in many places – creating a dynamic painting.
