ANN GUIDERA-MATEY
PASTEL ARTIST

I am inspired by nature and my work begins outside. Whether it is the feeling of reverence I get while watching a sunset over a coastal marsh or the thrill of discovering an early morning shadow across an autumn field, I need to make an emotional connection with what I see before I begin to paint. These feelings and memories of the particular day outside motivate my painting.

Presently, my work is simple and direct. My landscapes are based on simplified shapes that I see in nature. I use strong color to convey emotion.  I love the immediacy, vibrant color, portability and convenience of pastels. I apply my pastels to a panel that is under painted with acrylic and then primed with pumice gel which provides the texture.

I paint from my own photographs of the fields near the Brandywine River, the marshes and beaches of the New Jersey Shore, the Eastern Shore of Maryland or Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Recently I was fortunate enough to paint in the Lot Valley in the Southwest of France. The majority of my work is completed in my studio at Heron Crest Studios in Aston, Pennsylvania which is open by appointment only througout the year