Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Arlene Origoni talks with pastel painting student Teri Sweeney at the Artistic Viewpoints Gallery & Studio on Thursday afternoon in Gardnerville.
Arlene Origoni, founder of the Northern Nevada Association of Pastel Painters, has done exhibitions in support of both environmental and human causes. Her works have been included in calendars and are in several private collections in the United States and Europe, including the collection of Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Currently she teaches classes at Artistic Viewpoints in Gardnerville and will be giving a free demonstration on painting pastels at 1 p.m. today in the Brewery Arts Center.
For someone looking to start painting, is pastel a good medium to begin in?
Absolutely. It is a great medium to begin with because it is very forgiving. If you put a color down that you do not want you can lift it with a brush or an eraser.
What piece of advice would you give a novice painter?
Do not give up. If you get frustrated, keep painting and work through it. If you cannot work through it there is a possibility that whatever medium you are working with may not be for you. Try another medium, experiment. I was an oil painter prior to finding soft pastel about 10 years ago and I just love the vibrant colors and the immediacy.
Learn as much as you can about the medium you are interested in. Be sure and talk with artists that have had success in their field of painting. You will find you will learn more by speaking with them, taking classes and just painting than you ever would by just reading.
How do you decide what the subjects of your paintings will be?
The subjects have to move me in some way. I have to feel a connection between myself and the subject. If I am painting animals I try and paint the personality, the soul of the animal. I believe that by doing so your viewer will feel that connection. It is similar with landscapes but, the landscape actually enables me to connect more clearly with myself.
What is the purpose of the Northern Nevada Association of Pastel Painters and what are the requirements for membership?
The purpose of this organization is to encourage interest and excellence in the medium of pastel. Persons interested in being part of the association should contact me to receive paperwork outlining the criteria we use in our jurying process. The members of NNAPP along with an outside juror will be doing the jurying process.
What do you enjoy most about painting?
Everything! I have been painting since the age of 9 and began exhibiting in galleries at the age of 13. Ten years ago I discovered soft pastel, which is now my passion. I enjoy every aspect of the process of creating art. Painting and creating art is a life-fulfilling experience, it completes me.
It is my passion for painting that drives this motivation I have to create, in the hopes that the mere depiction of this world as something miraculous will evoke the viewer's own sensations of what they see.
If you go
What: Painting pastels demonstration by Arlene Origoni
When: 1 p.m. today
Where: Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St.
Call: Dorrine Sadilek at 885-7072