Heather Quay

When I was in junior high, my French class had a unit on the Impressionists and I was amazed by how, with just a few brushstrokes, they were able to capture a fleeting moment so perfectly that I could step right into the scene. In particular, I was drawn to the way the Impressionists could portray the quality and temperature of the light—sunlight on a hardwood floor, hazy early morning light filtering through the trees, or fading light at the end of the day.

Now, as a pastel painter, I continue to be drawn to scenes where the light is the central character. Whatever I am painting—and I love working on all kinds of subjects, from landscapes and cityscapes to figures, objects, animals, and portraits—I’m always motivated by how to use these sticks of pure pigment to render the light I see onto the surface of the painting in a way that people can relate to viscerally.

I also love the process of painting and the freedom to experiment as I work to translate a three-dimensional experience to a two-dimensional surface. Always, I am chasing the light, striving to visually grasp a small moment in time and to share it, to make it as real to the viewer as it is to me.

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