Aside from some evening classes in Western Australia in the 1990s, Glenys Forbes’ achievements in pastel have been fuelled by hard work and a passionate enthusiasm for the medium. Glenys tells us about her artistic journey . . .
Pastel is my favourite medium. It is vibrant, instant, tactile, versatile = PERFECT!! I have tried most mediums but as I have a strong aversion to brushes, I always use pastel – in all its forms. My favourite piece of equipment would be my hands. My fingers are my small brushes and the side of my hand the big brush.
Portraits are my preferred subject, but I also enjoy fauna, flora and still life. Anything but landscapes, really. I am so passionate about all things pastel and the pure joy of using pastel as a painting medium. I became heavily involved with PANZ after coming home from Australia. My first ‘Purely Pastel’ National Art Awards and Convention was at Upper Hutt in 2005 and I was runner-up to the major prize. Nobody was more surprised than me. Then I ended up on the National Executive with a very busy role, convened the next Annual Awards and Convention at Mapua (2006), again at Dunedin (2010), and finally Mapua again in 2016. I also produced the bimonthly PANZ newsletter for six years. Mixing with so many talented artists and bringing tutors from Australia and the USA to New Zealand, has been a wonderful experience. See more about Glenys here.
