Artist Reply: Yes, it is/was "a dream"... Yet somewhere, back there on the Western edge of the continent, it still exists.... only time and circumstance since has turned it into a dream...

Artist Reply: Thanks, Nelly! You've found some of my favorite places.

Artist Reply: Thanks, Betty (and everyone else who took the time to comment). I very much appreciate the nice reviews!

Artist Reply: Thank you, Charles, for taking the time to write a comment. Aerial perspective is one of the things I've worked on a lot--and hope I'm making progress with that! (Maybe in an esoteric sense, too! :) As for the medium itself, it's not that difficult at all, environmentally. It's just important to have good ventilation, work with pastels that don't crumble (and are inhaled!) easily, "dump your sheet" frequently, and don't waste yourself (or your lungs) by using fixatives. I use none of them now, and after years of experimentation, have decided that it's not worth the risk. You can get great effects without those &*!!$%%& "pesticides"! This causes problems at the other end, however, of getting things to market that are so fragile... but if they're properly matted and framed, NOT using fixatives is not that big of an issue. I've even found ways to send them safely unframed, in special foamcore sheeting. I encourage every artist to take up the pastel medium, because I think it represents a nice interface between drawing and painting.... it's a little of both, and can produce amazing results which neither alone can do. Best regards, Michael