By Beth Williams
Barbara Churchley, Sageland, pastel, 11 x 14.
“Vibrant” describes not only Barbara Churchley’s impressionistic pastel landscapes, but the accomplished artist herself. The retired certified public accountant has climbed all 58 of the Colorado mountain peaks exceeding 14,000 feet, has run marathons on every continent and in all 50 U.S. states (and half-marathons in every state), and is currently penning her second children’s book.
Barbara Churchley, Light on the Monument, pastel, 6 x 18.
As if that’s not impressive enough, Churchley has garnered numerous oil and pastel society memberships and awards over her nearly two-decade career, including the one that means the most to her: Best of Show in the 2017 Exhibition of Signature Members of the Pastel Society of Colorado. “Instead of being juried on just one piece,” she says, “members were juried on their body of work by landscape pastelist Clive Tyler. I greatly respect and admire him as an artist, so I feel especially appreciative.”
Barbara Churchley, In Harmony, pastel, 9 x 12.
Churchley’s forte is interpretive landscapes depicting the high desert around Grand Junction, CO, where she lives. “My paintings reflect my personal connection with the western landscape,” she says. “I like to play with colors that have nothing to do with the reality of what I’m seeing, and pastel enables me to use any color I want as long as I render the values accurately.”
Barbara Churchley, Valley Aspens, pastel, 16 x 20.
The medium also delivers the fresh, lively quality that complements Churchley’s intention for every painting. “I determine the focal point and place the darkest dark and lightest light straightaway; they’re like bookends for the values,” she says. “Then I lay colors down and leave them alone, just like I do in my oil paintings. I want the stroke work—and my style—to shine through.”
Barbara Churchley, Glorious Aspens, pastel, 12 x 12.
Churchley’s pastel paintings inform her oil paintings, and vice versa. “There are scenes I’ve painted multiple times, like GLORIOUS ASPENS, that I’ve interpreted by switching up the medium, surface, size, and palette. If you know your subject matter well, you can be really free to experiment.”
representation
Alpine Treasures, Vail, CO; Ago Gallery, Ouray, CO; Redstone Art Gallery, Redstone, CO; www.barbarachurchley.com.
This article is part of The Art of Pastel portfolio.