Every Once in a While

Every once in a while, I look at the mess I have made of my current  work table of pastels and say to myself; I need to get these organized.  I did that about a year ago, said that is.  Today, I took out about 3 hours of my day and organized my table.  It actually took 3 tables for me to get it worked out.  I’m back teaching again and I will need to take a selection of pastels to my classes because I supplement my students’ sets by letting them use mine.  I’ll pick out one or two when I see a student having a difficult time with their limited choices.  Face it, even when one of my favorite students showed up with a huge unison set; it wasn’t enough.

Back to the sorting, I don’t clean my pastels like I probably should so the whole process is messy because not only am I handling them but I am also wiping them off to see the true color.  Sorting the blues isn’t as easy as just putting the blues in one tray.  First of all, they won’t all fit and secondly; there are cool blues, blue greens, blues with grey and blues with a touch of red and several hues in between.  This process is done with each of the different colors, including white and black.

Why bother if I am going to mess them up again?  Think of it like going out on a date with your significant other.  You are taking the time to focus on what makes each one special.  I am revisiting my relationship with each color grouping.  By doing this I am also putting things together; like with like, so that I don’t go into my back stock and pull out a 3^rd or 4^th of a similar color.  I am also removing ones that are down to the tiny chips so I can make them into new colors and make more room (still not enough room in each tray).  This is one of the jobs that teaches you at the same time you are working.  You have to do the work, before you can do your work well.  Prepping surfaces, cutting out and mounting, sorting your art supplies, cleaning your equipment; all sets you up for success.  I know artists who have messy studios, and they are successful but, I always wonder what they could really achieve if they were more organized.  Of course, just because it doesn’t look like my organization; doesn’t mean they don’t understand what they are looking at.

To all my pastel friends, take your pastels out on a date today.  You won’t regret it.