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the various influences I was exposed to
either consciously or unconsciously. Among
the influences I am aware of are Vermeer,
Chardin, and Morandi, and, closer to our
time, Wayne Thiebaud, Jeff Koons, David
Hockney, and James Rosenquist.
I am a member of several pastel societies
including the Pastel Society of America
(signature member), Art du Pastel en France.
I also take part in the exhibitions of the
Pastellistes de France. I take part in about
seven to 10 exhibitions per year including a
personal one in my studio in Alsace, France.
I use different pastel brands because, in
my opinion, no single range of pastel sticks
can cover all the needs of the painter. A
pastellist needs many hues as mixing colors
is very limited contrarily to oil painting. Perfume bottle and checkered background, pastel, 23 x 31" (58 x 79 cm)
They also need various degrees of hardness, My basic purpose was to enhance the process of distortion of the checkered background
which a single brand does not provide. As as seen through a perfume flask. I liked the interaction of geometry and glass.
The drawing was patiently carried out with a carbon pencil. I saw to it that the edges
I love detail, I must resort to pastel pencils be somewhat blurred in order to offset the overall strictness of the drawing.
that are harder and thinner than sticks. The first person who saw the finished pastel noticed that a grinning face with a long
Acquiring technical know-how is one thing; nose emerged from the bottle. Would that correspond to a subliminal message?
Shirts, pastel, 31 x 23"
(79 x 58 cm) another is to learn to see. I react now to
This stack of shirts subjects I would not have even noticed 10
caught my eye on years ago. In reality, you can find a lot of
the account of the artists who master the technical side of their
abstract pattern craft. But you will find less artists who carry a
formed by the stripes. personal vision. This is what I am striving for:
Generally speaking,
I often realize that to continue working so that people say when
most pictures I paint seeing my paintings, “This is a Malnati!”
display a more or less Trying to suspect what my art could
obvious pattern of become in the future, I can only anticipate
abstract composition. broad tendencies:
I have never » Maybe a larger recourse to symbolics
indulged in abstract » As far as colors are concerned, maybe less
painting, and I only contrasts and more subtle harmony
moderately appreciate
nonfigurative art, » Probably simpler and plainer subjects with
but here we have a less flamboyance
strong structure à la Who knows which wind will blow into
Mondrian. On top of my sails?
that, the subject is
unusual and complies
with my continuous
wish to explore new
territories.

Pastel Demonstration 117

FrancoisMalnati.indd 117 6/22/16 11:20 AM