An Art Journey: Leslie’s Lake

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Leslie’s Lake

I might have thought I’d be more artistic during my Covid lockdown but actually I was much less so. Depression? Who knows? Less interest? But my FB artist friend Gary Garrett began posting some fabulous paintings he’d done with Mungyo oil pastels.

I’d always thought I’d like oil pastels and had several sets: Holbeins, NeoPastels, CrayPas. But my attempts were always awful. It just never occurred to me that my actual oil pastels could be the problem. Now Gary is a far better artist than I am, but I did love his Mungyo review so I bought a set.

And I fell in love! These Mungyos are such a pleasure to use. This was my first attempt at using them. My friend Leslie has a little cottage on a lake which I’ve visited a few times, and this is the view from her cottage. This on a 9x12 sanded sheet (darned if I can recall brand name) which I bought a few years ago to try with my dry pastels. It was awful for them though, but I love it for the oil pastels.!

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ABOUT ME

: Name:Debbie Cusick; Location:NE Florida, United States

Debbie has loved nature and drawing since early childhood, and spent a lot of time drawing and coloring - mostly animals, and visiting art museums, encouraged by an artistic and nature-loving mother. At age 11 she won an art scholarship of a year’s free lessons at the Montclair Art Museum.

But Debbie veered away from art in her teen years. Her interests lay in more classical drawing, and more representational interpretations, all of which were totally out of vogue, and totally untaught, in those teen years. In her 20s she turned to quilting, and spent many years making quilts, primarily her own original designs.

But she still missed drawing, painting, and the fine arts, and in 2005 began to pursue this passion again. She discovered pastels and finally found an art medium she could love.

From 2005-2011 she continued to take lessons with Master Pastelists – first Alex Piccarillo at the Montclair Art Museum (Life drawing, figurative art) and later with Christina Debarry (still lifes and landscapes) at her home studio. Debbie owes a huge debt of gratitude to both Alex and Christina, to their fine teaching skills and warm personalities.

Debbie is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of New Jersey, and served as their 2^nd Vice President and Exhibitions Chair. In 2011 Debbie moved to northeast Florida where she just completed a 2-year term as President of the Art Guild of Orange Park, is a member of the First Coast Plein Air Painters, and also currently serves as the Webmaster of the First Coast Pastel Society , as well as a board member of the St. Johns Audubon chapter.

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