WORKSHOP: "A Sense of Space" presented by Mark Ivan Cole, IAPS-MC, PSA

Welcome to the ZOOM workshop: "A Sense of Space" presented by Mark Ivan Cole, IAPS-MC, PSA! Join us on November 15-16, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM(Eastern Time) to explore the beauty of space through art. This event will be an immersive experience where you can unleash your creativity and learn from a renowned expert. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and enhance your artistic skills. See you there! Early Bird Pricing still applies!

About the Workshop:

I love looking at a painting and thinking: "Wow, that puts me right there!" Whether it's a grand vista, a magnificent mountain, an idyllic stream or an intimate forest interior, what is it about a painting that conveys that sense of place? In this two-day online workshop, we'll identify and discuss the elements that contribute to that feeling, and talk about how different materials can achieve a different look. I'll demonstrate how I work toward that sense of place in a pastel painting, showing various tools and techniques that you can use in your own work. You'll have the chance to paint each day, and we'll go over our work at the end of the day.

Materials List

· Required: Your favorite pastels!

· Recommended: Have pastels in various levels of hardness available

· Softer pastels (I’m using Terry Ludwig, Jack Richeson, Mount Vision, Sennelier, Great American, Windsor Newton)

· Semi-hard (Rembrandt, Faber-Castell, Mungyo)

· Hard (NuPastel)

· Optional: Pastel pencils

· If I do use pencils, I will have a mix of Derwent, Faber-Castell, Pitt and Stabilo.

Papers: Use the paper you’re most comfortable with! I’ll be using one (or more) of the papers from this list.

· Unsanded: Hahnemühle Collection Sketch, Hahnemühle Ingres Pastel, Hahnemühle Velour, Canson Mi-Teintes, Fabriano Vice Versa, Strathmore Artagain

· Sanded: UART 400 Dark, Canson Mi-Teintes Touch, Art Spectrum Colourfix, MingART

· You can use the same or choose one of your favorite papers.

· For the techniques I’m using, I recommend choosing (or toning the paper in) one of the following colors:

· Warm or cold gray will work. Some browns will also work.

· Red or orange can work, but it’s a challenge. Blue or lavender may work better.

· Buff is okay, if you’re using sanded paper, though you may want to do an underpainting.

· Hahnemühle Collection Sketch is WHITE, and works well with a dry underpainting (which I will demonstrate).

· Paint at whatever size is most comfortable for you.

· I’ll be painting 8×10″ (maybe 11×14″ or 12x16", if I get really ambitious!).

Other Tools

· Basic eraser (full size); just not a kneaded eraser

· Good options: Staedtler Mars "Plastic," Prismacolor “Magic Eraser,” Alvin, or Factis (which I'm told is dust-free!)

· Also recommended: Pencil-size eraser (in a holder, or at the end of a pencil)

· I use the Pentel Clic Eraser ZE80, which I purchased in Taiwan. (I'm going to need a new one soon!)

· In the U.S., you can get a round/cylindrical version of the same thing (ZE21/ZE22) at Blick.

· Staedtler and Tombow also make retractable erasers (Alvin, too, available at Blick). I’ve just not used them.

· Relatively stiff bristle brush, around 1/2″

· Paper towels or an old sock (preferably with a hole already in it! Haha!).

· Reference Photos

· Find a few images of landscapes that you find inspiring and/or challenging. In the Zoom chat, I’ll post the reference options I'll use for the demonstrations.

· You can use your own photo as a reference for your own painting, or you can use mine (copyrights reserved, of course).

About Mark Ivan Cole:

Short Bio:

Always having multiple projects in the works, Porland, Oregon-based artist Mark Ivan Cole mark@markivancole.com has three main pursuits: art, music and writing. He says, “Creative expression is essential, constant, even insistent, regardless of the form it takes.” He considers himself a self-taught artist, though he has spent decades learning from and studying the works of numerous artists, both contemporary and historical. He is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and has been designated a Master Pastelist by the International Association of Pastel Societies. His paintings have been juried into local, regional and international shows and have garnered top honors. His work has been shown at the Salmagundi Club, the Triton Museum, the Art Museum of Los Gatos, and the Haggin Museum, as well as in galleries in Florida, Oregon, California, China and Taiwan. His art is widely collected and his painting "Titan" is part of the MingART Gallery's permanent collection in Suzhou, China.

Go to his website for a complete bio:

https://www.markivancole.com/