Materials I use.

I use the finest quality products to create my art which guarantees the longevity of my work.  Soft pastel is one of the most permanent art mediums in existence. Many pastels painted over 200 years ago are still as bright and fresh as the day they were created. They are actually superior to oils in that they will not crack or darken over time and every bit as permanent. The pastels of Degas and Cassat were created back in the 1800's and still just as beautiful as the day they were completed.

List of products I use to create my original artworks is as follows.

• Art Spectrum^® Soft Round Pastels are hand made using the finest lightfast pigments with maximum pigment concentration and minimum binding agent, triple milled to bring out the finest colour and provide the rich, velvety bloom. They are also a pure pigment free from heavy metals, asbestos or other toxic substances and do not contain any animals fats.

• Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencil are free from wax and oil, and high-quality acid-free pigment.

• Daler-Rowney Murano paper weighs a substantial 160gsm, and features high cotton content. It is both textured and acid-free.  All Daler-Rowney Murano paper is manufactured in England to provide artists quality that they can rely on use after use.

• Art Spectrum^® Colourfix™ Papers are sheets of archival acid-free, 340gsm hot pressed European watercolour paper, screen printed with Art Spectrum^® Colourfix™ Primer.

• Art Spectrum^® Colourfix™ Optimum Board is a high density archival and acid free foamcore board, hand screen printed with Art Spectrum^® Colourfix™ Primer.   The substrate board is acid free containing no lignin’s.  The glue used in this product is also acid free.

• Spectrafix Degas Pastel Fixative contains no resin varnishes or other chemicals or chemical propellants to darken the value and alter the hue of my work.   SpectraFix is formulated from a blend of art-grade natural milk casein, water and pure grain alcohol to produce a colourless, rapid drying, water-resistant and non-yellowing film. The alcohol evaporates rapidly taking the water with it leaving only a thin layer of casein which dries quickly to a protective and archival acid free matte film. Also protects fragile pastels without colour change!