Художница Марии Гонсалес расскажет о технике создания детализированных пастельных пейзажей

Details, details — yikes, get me outta here quick! Now, now, settle down. You’re going to love Marie Gonzales’ presentation on how, over many years, she developed her techniques for building details into her pastel paintings. Well, the proof is in the pudding, right? And if you don’t come out of the Placerville Arts Association meeting on Monday, Aug. 17, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. with a new love and respect for “details,” then you are ... hmmm ... I’ll let you decide! The PAA meetings are held the third Monday of each month at the Placerville Senior Center, 937 Spring St., from 2:30-4:30 p.m. The first hour features a presentation and demonstration, with a refreshment break at 2:30 p.m. — a time to meet ’n greet the presenter, artists and art lovers. A good detail to remember. After the break, there will be time for an art share. PAA artists participating in this year’s Artists Open Studio Tour, scheduled for the last weekend in September, will share some of the art they will have on display during the event. It will be wonderful to get a peek at what they will be showing on the tour. What has everyone been up to, anyway? Another great detail. Gonzales will demonstrate the possibilities of soft pastels. She will show how she layers colors to create the sky, clouds, trees, boulders and flowers. She loves pastels because “it’s very forgiving and the colors are pure.” She’s trained her fingers to do the blending needed. She layers different shades to create depth and shadows — her “style is very detailed.” Unlike the normal pastel artwork everyone expects, Gonzales likes bold, strong colors and focuses on “tiny details.” She doesn’t prefer any one particular subject. She does landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes, some flowers and, occasionally, animals. Gonzales’ experience and talents arise from a broad and fascinating background. She was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan. She has always enjoyed drawing and being creative, but her initial encounter with pastels after she moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, made all the difference. Gonzales took classes from award-winning artist Wayne Takazono before moving to Folsom. She has been very fortunate to continue her classes under Barry Jamison, who is also an award-winning pastelist, and Margot Schulzke, who is a Distinguished and Pastel Laureate of the Pastel Society of the West Coast and a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America. Aside from the above classes — and many others — Gonzales has been a member of and participated in a variety of art societies and art associations. You will be very impressed with her online art gallery. For the rest of her story, visit mariegonzales.artspan.com. Sometimes details are the most important part of art — and life! You won’t want to miss out on Gonzales’ presentation and realize how much you’ve been missing out on by not taking care of the details. PAA promotes the creative work of its members, provides opportunities for artists to share ideas and invites public interest through a variety of visual arts events. Its Outreach Program provides funding and supplies to support community visual arts initiatives. PAA is the oldest nonprofit art group in El Dorado County in continuous operation, dating to the early 1960s. Its current membership includes both artists and patrons of the arts.