He also teaches pastel workshops in France, Italy and England. Napp has participated in many mixed exhibitions, including The Pastel Society UK, the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of British Artists. His work has been exhibited widely, including one-man shows in London and around the U.K., 10 exhibitions in the U.S., and shows in Holland and France. He has won many awards, including the Elizabeth Greenshield Award for Young Artists (twice) and the Pollock Krasner Award. He has since lived in France and currently resides in Italy. Jame’s Park, London by David Napp About David Nappĭavid Napp, born in Kent, England, studied at Canterbury College of Art. The pink laid in the sky will provide considerable color action when blue is placed over it. The darks are massed in with a deep blue. The outline is drawn carefully in pencil. Napp begins by using a grid to transfer the image from a sketch to a piece of toned pastel paper. Here’s how he achieves brilliant color in pastel.
“Otherwise, it will drive my poor framer crazy.” If you’re intrigued by Napp’s approach to color in pastel, read on for a quick step-by-step demonstration! 4 Steps to Colorful PastelsĪ strong underlayer of pastels often skewed in color serves as the foundation for many of Napp’s paintings. “Since I never fix anything, I have to tap the work quite sharply on the back to ensure that any loose pastel falls away,” he says. “In the end,” he notes, “my most successful pieces are the ones that are done the fastest, when everything comes together in a rush, and there’s no reworking.” After he has completed a piece, Napp has one final ritual. Like many pastelists, Napp wrestles with the consequences of going back and reworking a pastel. “The hues are much more vibrant with these brands, but a lot of the colorwork already has been done by the harder pastel layers underneath.” “For the final layers, I use a soft pastel, usually Sennelier or Schmincke,” says Napp. He frequently skews the color in the early layers of pastel, putting down red oranges on areas that will eventually be green, or placing greens in areas that will be red. Darks are massed in, and basic color areas are established. Also, like oil, you have to work from thin layers underneath to heavier layers on top.” After he has established his composition in outline, Napp relies on a big set of Rembrandt pastels to start building active color layers without putting too much loose pastel on the surface. When it comes to building his pastel surface, Napp explains, “You have to build pastel-like oil paint, starting with the darks and building up to the lights. The very orderliness of the composition enables the freedom of attack that’s so enticing to the viewer. If he makes preparatory sketches, he may grid them to ensure the composition is transferred accurately. To aid the composition process, Napp will use a cardboard square or make his fingers into a box shape to frame his subject. And of course, it was difficult because the locals don’t really like having their photos taken.” And then there were light effects - shafts of sunlight breaking into shadows - that were transitory. “And every so often a truck comes down collecting rubbish, or a taxi will push its way through.” He continues, “There just wasn’t any room to work.
“The bazaars, or souks, are designed with very narrow streets so that people are forced to look at the merchandise on the stalls,” explains Napp. Then on a trip to Marrakesh on 2010, he found it was too difficult to paint his subjects from life. Heading Down a New Pastel Pathįor the first 30 years of his career, Napp worked directly from life traveling with his easel and pastels in tow. Detail is stripped away, forms are massed and color is built to achieve a transformative vibrancy. His views and motifs are carefully chosen and simplified to a compelling clarity. Whether it’s London’s Waterloo Bridge at night or an Italian hill town covered in snow, Napp brings a sense of raw pleasure at being in a particular place at a particular moment. Parks, featured in a past issue of Pastel Journal. Sarial Elegance by David Napp, Pastel, 25 cm c 32 cm. Information provided in this post was pulled from an article written by John A.
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