Capturing a moment in pastel

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‘A Whole New World’
15.5×21.5in.
This lion cub’s inquisitive expression portrays the universal curiosity of the young – a good reminder to be ever curious about ourselves and those around us.

In her childhood, Laura Kroesbergen found she struggled with confidence in her relationships with people, but when she was in nature or with animals she could relax and be herself. Animals’ ability to tune into non-verbal cues and communicate through them seemed, to her, to bring them a softer, calmer way of life. And horses, in particular, inspired her with their majesty, and freedom. They became a major source of inspiration for her works in pastel.

Her pastel drawings are filled with the texture of hair on the horses’ necks, and veins outlining their muscles, as they gallop across the field or gaze wisely at you. Horses were her first drawing interest. However, after encouragement from her mother and others, she began to create drawings of other wildlife as well – prowling panthers, curious lion cubs, and guarded antelopes.

Her faith is an inescapable part of her work. As she explains,

“Since going through severe depression in my early 20s, I have come to recognize the value of life, and though my focus is still on the animal world, I now try to bring some of that ‘life essence’ into each drawing.”

‘Night Prowler’
24x18in.
The black panther (aka the black leopard), is a melanistic leopard with a recessive gene that produces more pigment, thus creating the black coat. These leopards are mostly found in the forested areas of Africa and Asia, however, this particular leopardess lives wild in the African country of Kenya.

She intuits what makes living things tick, and translates that into her work. Detail is also important:

“Working in the field of hyper- or photo-realism also brings the unique experience of learning the subtle colors and intricate patterns our Creator has put into His creation. The more detail I dive into, the more detail there is to see. This gives me a beautiful glimpse of how infinite our glorious God is.”

For Laura, doing her absolute best is a big part of how she brings her faith into her work. This ties into the intricate detail and realism she always attempts to capture. “The attitude of, ‘it’s the best I can do,’ if it’s not realistic, is not something I allow for myself,” she says. She tries to combine the accuracy of a photograph with the added emotion or “essence” of what she’s drawing – essentially capturing a moment in time.

This influenced her choice of pastels as a medium. At first, she did all her drawings primarily in grayscale, because she found capturing color much more difficult. But after watching an online time-lapse video of an artist using pastels, she was surprised to find herself thinking, “I can probably do that.” To her delight, she found she was able to create beautiful hyperrealist drawings in pastel on her first attempt. She sees this as a major way God was working in her life at that time, as she was laid up with a fractured pelvis and was asking Him about what she could learn during her time of recovery.

‘A Mother’s Love’
18x24in.
This pastel painting captures a quiet moment between a zebra mother and son.

“Pastels are a great way for me to achieve more of a ‘painterly’ effect without having to switch to a wet medium…though trying out painting is on my list,” she explains. She is fascinated by how much color can be put out by a simple pastel pencil. And the paper she uses can hold many layers of pencil without getting too saturated, and it contains felt so she doesn’t need to use a fixative spray to keep the pastel from smudging.

She is currently not working as an artist full-time, though she did pursue this in the past, and continues to draw and create. “I do wonder in what ways God will have me use my skills in the future,” she says, “since this is a talent He has given me.”

You can see more of Laura Kroesbergen’s work at laurachristinefineart.com. She also does pet portraits, which you can view there. Or contact her by email with your questions about art-related things at [email protected].

Harma-Mae Smit loves to write and think about art, despite not being an artist herself. She loves how art can reflect the Creator Himself. Send Harm-Mae Smit suggestions for artists to profile at [email protected], including their contact information.