July 24th: Diane Leifheit
Class: Working with Pastels
Plan on getting a little dusty in this short primer on pastel painting in the outdoors. Though participants will not be leaving the classroom they will be working from what can be seen right outside the class room window. Diane Leifheit will provide a bit of the history of pastel and plein air and how to get outside with a limited palette to capture the Adirondack landscape. Diane will work with each participant to explore the variety of strokes to achieve rich saturation and textures in their work. If the weather is truly not cooperating there will be a variety of sample landscapes to work from. Participants will take away a small landscape and a head full of possibilities for working with pastels outdoors.
Diane Leifheit has been painting and drawing since she “first drew her name.” Her pastel paintings have been a part of the Adirondack plein air movement since early 2001. “Pastel provides immediate satisfaction when working plein air.” says Leifheit, “The color I see pops on the paper.” Diane loves the way light is rendered in pastel and how it can depict a scenes soft edges and deep shadow and then contrast with sunlight’s brilliant definition. She looks forward to sharing her knowledge with Wild Center participants. Leifheit is also known for her 2014 project Face to Face, painting 185 portraits of the Saranac Lake community in one year. Her work can be seen at Point of View Studio in Gabriels, and online at dianeleifheit.com