Artist insights, creative techniques, suggested art supplies, and guided exercises for May 2026
by Elizabeth Ragona, with art by Jennifer Chandler. © 2026 Alabama Art Supply.

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Movement doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it’s a powerful gesture, sometimes it’s quieter.

This Studio Notes art blog explores how movement, balance, and atmosphere can shape a painting without relying on detail or precision. Presenting pastel art by Jennifer Chandler, this art blog invites artists to think about motion not just as physical action, but as emotional rhythm and visual flow.

Jennifer’s motto, “A Life of Color & Motion,” reflects both her background and her approach—where experience, gesture, and restraint work together to create paintings that feel open, luminous, and alive.

Movement Begins in the Body

Movement is often felt before it’s seen. In Jennifer Chandler’s work, motion originates from physical awareness—how the body moves through space, how energy travels through a gesture, how balance is maintained even in stillness.

Rather than drawing motion literally, this blog encourages artists to explore how marks, pressure, and direction can suggest action. A pastel stroke can sweep, drift, or anchor the eye without defining a specific subject. The goal isn’t to illustrate movement, but to embody it.

When your body moves differently, your marks will too.

The Horizon as an Anchor

The horizon is one of the simplest—and most powerful—tools in a composition. It establishes balance, tension, calm, or unease with a single line or band of color.

In your art exploration this month, let the horizon become a place of decision. Does it divide the space evenly, or does it shift the weight of the painting? Does it suggest stability, or anticipation? By working with subtle placement and tonal contrast, artists can explore how balance shapes the emotional tone of a piece.

Sometimes the most important movement in a painting is what doesn’t move.

Breath, Atmosphere, and Space

Pastel excels at softness, layering, and light—and those qualities are central to this month’s exploration. Atmosphere isn’t something to fill; it’s something to leave room for.

Jennifer Chandler’s landscapes often rely on restraint. Large passages of quiet space allow color and light to breathe. Areas left unresolved invite the viewer in rather than pushing them away.

In your own work, consider where less can say more. Let air, light, and softness carry part of the story.

Suspension Before Resolution

Not every painting needs a conclusion. Sometimes the most compelling moment is the pause—the second just before impact, the quiet after motion, the instant where everything feels balanced but unfinished.

The exercises below encourage artists to stop early. To recognize when a piece holds enough presence without explanation. To trust that suggestion can be stronger than certainty.

This kind of restraint takes confidence—and practice.

Suggested Products (May, Week 18 - 22)

WEEK 18: Movement in the Body

Focus: Develop expressive marks that come from gesture and physical movement.

• Soft Pastel Sets – a variety of colors for expressive strokes
• Pastel Paper – paper with tooth designed for pastels
• Blending Tools – blending stumps, tortillons, soft sponges, or fingers
• Backing Board + Clips/Tape – to secure paper while working
• Paper Towels or Rags – for cleanup and texture experiments

WEEK 19: Horizon & Balance

Focus: Explore the emotional and visual impact of horizon placement and compositional balance.

• Soft Pastels or Pastel Sets – a range including warm and cool tones
• Toned Pastel Paper – mid-tone or neutral papers enhance value shifts
• Pastel Pencils – for finer horizon lines and subtle details
• Krylon Workable Fixative Spray (optional) – for stabilizing your work in progress

WEEK 20: Breath & Atmosphere

Focus: Build soft, luminous areas with layered color and light pressure.

• Soft Pastel Sets – colors for airy color fields
• Light-to-Medium Tooth Pastel Paper – supports layering and soft blending
• Soft Blending Tools – makeup sponges, soft cloths
• Pastel Pencils – optional for accents or light edges

WEEK 21: Suspended in Motion

Focus: Capture a moment that feels paused—just before or just after movement.

• Soft Pastel Sets – limited or neutral palettes support mood focus
• Neutral Pastel Paper – allows subtle color interplay without distraction
• Minimal Blending Tools – for intentional restraint (stumps or fingers)
• Backing Board + Clips – keeps paper flat

WEEK 22: Motion & Surface

Focus: Build rich, textured pastel surfaces with layered color and mark rhythm.

• Soft Pastel Sets – broader range for textured layering
• Textured Pastel Paper/Boards – toothier surfaces for deep marks
• Paint Knives or Texture Tools – for scraping, dragging, and surface effects
• Collage Elements (optional) – textured papers or mixed materials
• Matte Medium / Adhesive (optional) – to secure collage layers

Core Supplies for All Weeks

These tools are helpful throughout the month’s exercises:

• Pastel Paper Pads – various tones and textures
• Soft Pastel Sets – multiple stick sets (basic + expanded)
• Pastel Pencils – for precision marks
• Blending Tools – stumps, sponges, rags
• Krylon Workable Fixative Spray – works between layers or to preserve areas
• Backing Board + Clips – stabilize heavy working areas

TRY IT NOW: Color & Motion

May 2026 Studio Notes Exercise Guide

Inspired by the work of Jennifer Chandler

Pastel is uniquely suited to movement—its immediacy, softness, and physicality invite gesture, breath, and presence. These exercises focus on motion not as depiction, but as experience: how energy moves through the body, across the surface, and within space.

There is no single right outcome. Each week offers a point of entry. Let the work stay open. Let atmosphere do some of the work for you.

WEEK 18: Movement in the Body

What

Create marks that respond directly to physical motion—reaching, turning, leaning, or shifting weight.

Why

Movement feels more convincing when it comes from the body rather than observation alone. Pastel records gesture quickly, preserving the energy of the moment.

How

• Stand while working if possible
• Make marks using your whole arm, not just your wrist
• Vary pressure and speed as your body moves
• Let smudges and overlaps remain visible

Try: Soft pastels • Pastel paper • Blending stump or fingers

Reminder: You’re recording motion, not anatomy.

WEEK 19: Horizon & Balance

What

Explore balance by adjusting the placement of a horizon line or dominant shape.

Why

Small shifts in placement dramatically change how a composition feels—stable, tense, calm, or expectant. Balance creates emotional weight.

How

• Begin with a simple ground and sky (or two large areas)
• Move the horizon higher or lower than expected
• Use subtle value shifts to guide the eye
• Pause often and assess how the space feels

Try: Pastels • Toned pastel paper • Fixative (optional)

Reminder: Balance is felt before it’s understood.

WEEK 20: Breath & Atmosphere

What

Build a painting that prioritizes air, light, and softness over form.

Why

Atmosphere creates space for the viewer. Areas left unresolved allow color and light to breathe and carry emotion.

How

• Use light pressure and layered color
• Blend selectively, leaving edges soft
• Allow large quiet areas to remain
• Stop before everything feels “finished”

Try: Soft pastels • Light pressure layering • Pastel paper

Reminder: Not every space needs to be filled.

WEEK 21: Suspended in Motion

What

Capture a moment that feels paused—just before or just after movement.

Why

Suspension creates tension and presence. It invites the viewer to stay with the image longer, imagining what comes next.

How

• Work quickly, then stop intentionally
• Resist the urge to refine
• Let edges remain open or incomplete
• Ask yourself: Does this moment already feel alive?

Try: Pastels • Neutral paper • Minimal blending

Reminder: Stopping is part of the process.

WEEK 22: Motion & Surface

What

Create a pastel surface inspired by movement, texture, or layered color.

Why

Surface carries memory. Marks layered over time create rhythm, depth, and physical presence without relying on subject matter.

How

• Experiment with underlayers or textured paper
• Drag, scumble, or press pastel into the surface
• Allow previous layers to show through
• Respond intuitively rather than correcting

Try: Soft pastels • Favorite collage or textured elements

Reminder: Let the surface speak back to you.

⭐ Share Your Process

Trying the exercises? Finished or not, your process matters.

We’d love to see what you’re working on. Share your piece on social media and tag @AlabamaArtSupply or use #StudioNotesAAS so we can follow along.

A Final Thought

Movement doesn’t require speed. It requires awareness.

Let your body guide your marks. Let balance emerge through placement, not control. Allow atmosphere to hold space for light, color, and breath. And remember: sometimes the most powerful motion in a painting is the moment you choose to stop.

Trust your body. Trust the space. Let color and motion meet you where you are.

Featured Artist Connection

This Studio Notes art blog is inspired by the work and approach of a featured artist at Alabama Art Supply. Visit the artist’s feature to explore their work, background, and creative perspective in more depth.

→ Meet the Featured Artist: Jennifer Chandler

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