Less is More: The Atmospheric art of Donald Hazeltine

I came across the art of American painter Donald Hazeltine today. His work is deeply atmospheric, combining richly textured surfaces with smoky atmospheres and indistinct edges to create an air of mystery and drama. Hazeltine's pictures show that you don't need a big, dramatic subject or complex composition to create art. A simple, even humble subject can have great power. His work might be simple, but it is also informed by accurate observation: Hazeltine can really draw, as demonstrated by his life drawing .

Partularly impressive is his series of simple still lives, pastel drawings of a single bowl, of which I have two favorites, Povera Bowl - Trees, and Povera Bowl - Clouds. These are done in pastel and charcoal over 'paste on canvas' - by paste I assume an impasto modeling paste, probably acrylic.

Why not try creating a textured surface for drawing? Try PVA glue scraped onto card with a scrap of cardboard or a stiff brush, or even try a layer of paper-mache. Use fingers, rags and sponges to blend pastel and charcoal.