Chalk it up

Sara Sue Pennell's pastel portraits

by Leon Nigrosh

SARA SUE PENNELL: TEN YEARS IN PASTEL At the Moll Art Center,

Anna Maria College, Paxton, through June 18. First developed in the 15th century, pastel (a mixture of pigment, chalk, and binder formed into a stick) has often been thought of as the perfect cross between drawing and painting. It has all the color possibilities found in paint but can be worked with the directness of pencil. In fact, Leonardo da Vinci referred to pastel as "the dry method of applying color." However, it does have certain drawbacks that must be mastered in order to achieve the best results. Because the medium is opaque, great skill is required to create the impression of translucency or transparency. Unlike paint, the colors cannot be mixed before application and must be layered or blended directly on the paper. And it's dusty and impermanent.

Sara Sue Pennell, who has 59 pastels on display at Anna Maria's Moll Art Center, has put this finicky medium to excellent use in her portraiture and still lifes. Through her facile handling, all of her human subjects appear to radiate light and warmth from within. She employs a range of ethnic models, and even though they are strangers to most viewers, it is as if we know them. She easily captures the macho nature of Victor, a sullen young man in a well-worn leather motorcycle jacket. Her portrait of Bush I, a brooding young black man in dreads, has the same humanity that can be found in Red Hat, an image of a ruddy-nosed older woman.

Most of her portraits concentrate on the sitter in repose in front of a plain, but often colorful, background with few, if any, props. Her still lifes are another story. These works are crammed with colorful and diverse objects such as her tall drawing, Pfeathers. In this work, she has artfully jumbled two shelves of pottery and pewter together with a spray of peacock feathers as the center of attention. Here we can see her astute use of warm tonalities to create the light and shade necessary to articulate each item in the composition.

Each still life stands on its own for arrangement, color, and compositional style. But because a number of them include certain objects from Pennell's collection, the exhibit can become a "Where's Waldo." A small ceramic bird appears in at least two of her works. A green two-handled pot shows up in two drawings. And how many times can you spot the little lavender vase?

The highlight of the exhibit is a series of self-portraits. On her birthday for the past 10 years, Pennell has taken the time to examine herself and draw an accurate, no-holds-barred personal representation. Arranged chronologically by curator Elizabeth Killoran, two aspects of this work become immediately noticeable. First, Pennell has increased the size of the drawing in each successive year. Secondly, the images continue to become increasingly complex, with more and more of Pennell's surroundings gaining prominence.

Her first portrait, completed in 1988, is a simple rendition of Pennell's head done in grayed tones against a plain background. In retrospect, even Pennell has admitted, the work is "wimpy.'' Soon her Siamese cat joins her for several portraits.

In SSP93 we see Pennell and a host of her personal possessions rendered as though seen in a mirror. Her skill at implying reflective light is particularly effective in this drawing.

For SSP97, Pennell took a few liberties with reality. Drawing herself three-quarters length, with her two cats and several sketches and drawings in her Lexington studio, Pennell decided that the view from her studio window was too boring, so she drew in a landscape of the French farmlands she had recently visited.

Aside from her actual French landscapes, which are off the mark, Pennell makes excellent use of the dusty quality intrinsic to pastels. She brings a luminous quality to skin tones and flower petals by her use of barely blended overlay color strokes. Her almost flawless technique and peak ability to capture the essence of her subjects makes this exhibit a pleasure to peruse.

The Moll Art Center is open Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m., Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m., and by appointment. Call 757-1429.