I enjoy the immediacy of pastels - you handle the chalks directly and colors are often applied without blending and with limited layering. This fosters a greater intimacy with the paper.

Pastel painting presents new problems to solve specific to this medium, but its very nature allows for more rapid application and with that, more spontaneity. This is very freeing and encourages me to use a wider color gamut, often experimenting with complimentary colors with less inhibition than imposed by other media.

Pastels seem ideally suited to the colors of New Mexico, and specifically to the landscape - a current focus of mine.