Original Pastel Paintings

[Borsheim Arts Studio]

Original Pastel Paintings - Inspired by Nature and Color

by Kelly Borsheim

Please note that almost all 2-D art images may be ordered as giclée and/or notecards.

Paintings & Other 2-D Art / Pastels (with or without charcoal): Click on an image for more information.

Florentine Sunset:

Madonna Fiorentina:

Kiss-After Klimt:

Reluctant Temptress:

Cascading Clouds:

Libri, ...:

Katie (Half Proof):

Morning Light (Texas):

World Traveler:

Coral Corridor:

The Letter:

Giambologna's Trees:

A Night's Promise:

Guardian of Firenze:

Tuscan Vista:

La Pausa:

Palazzo Vecchio:

Songbird:

Pensive in Bologna:

Garage:

Dark Arno:

Le Scale Dell'Eros:

Fiesole:

Palazzo Pitti:

Via della Spada:

Santo Spirito Shadows:

Carnevale Sunrise:

La Giostra:

Shell Ginger:

Borgo degli Albizi:

North Carolina Leaves:

Il Mimo:

L'Inverno:

Pastel is pure pigment. It is the same substance that is used to create all fine art paints. Pure pastels have no medium added, such as oils or other additives that will darken or crack. It is not chalk. Pastel particles refract light such in a way that they look crystalline in the light. Pastels are beautiful in a way that is slightly different from other materials used to create fine art: very touchable, very sensuous. Many artists, famous or otherwise, have enjoyed the brilliance and longevity of pastel, perhaps made most famous by the Impressionists, such as Edgar Degas.

Pastel is usually applied to a heavy textured (toothed) paper or a specially prepared board. With proper care, the brilliance of this pigment will enhance your viewing experience for generations. However, pastel is pigment in powder form and may be fragile to touch. It is typically exhibited or stored behind glass, with a spacer separating the surface of the artwork and the glass. [Kelly highly recommends Museum Glass. While more expensive than standard framing glass, the dramatically reduced glare of Museum Glass is well worth the investment.]

When shipping a pastel (or charcoal drawing), always ship face up. Kelly applied a fixative to all of her finished pastel works, but some dust may fall off. No worries. But if you see dramatic loss of pigment, please contact the artist for repair. Otherwise, like most 2-dimensional artworks, the normal care advice of "avoid direct sunlight, extreme heat, or high humidity" applies to artworks in pastel as well.

Sculptor Kelly Borsheim first started working with the medium of pastel when she became a madonnara (street painter) in Florence, Italy, in September 2007. Knowing that the art would not last more than a day, she had the freedom to explore layering of colors in a way that might not have happened otherwise. Of course, she also finds herself longing at times for the roughness of worn stone with which to apply her pastels!

From Kelly:

Please click on the cropped thumbnail images above that interest you. You may read about the creations of some of these works on my art blog.

All pastel paintings are for sale, unless noted otherwise. Please contact the studio or one of the galleries, if interested in one or more of my original pastel paintings. Thank you.
Kelly Borsheim

P.S. Please note that almost all 2-D art images may be ordered as giclée and/or notecards.

Detail from one of Kelly's
street paintings in Florence, Italy
(after Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel)