Field of Sunflowers

This was a fun experiment creating a pastel painting over a monoprint. I began with a photo in which I could easily see the lights and darks. Black water-based oil paint was applied to a piece of glass with a roller, and the light areas were wiped off with a rag. A piece of printmaking paper was pressed over it, rubbed well and peeled off; then I pressed a second piece onto the glass to absorb any remaining paint. This is called a "ghost" print since it is much lighter. When these were dry, I applied some clear gesso. When dry, it was ready to accept and hold the pastel. Here you can see the reference photo and two monoprints.

The ghost print was used as an under painting for this pastel painting.