As the Day Grows Long: A Painting Demonstration by Kim Lordier

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California artist Kim Lordier seamlessly melds color, temperature, and value to portray worlds transformed by light. Her pastel paintings are marvels of observation—gloriously sensitive to the nuances of tone and color that the Western landscape displays. Painting in every season throughout California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, Lordier presents a world transformed by light—from arid plains to snow-swept hills and lush spring meadows. Horses abound in her work, often depicted roaming free and pictured against a vivid backlight. Their rich coats, haloed by highlights, create an almost religious air.  

Follow along as the artist walks you through the process of creating her pastel painting, As the Day Grows Long. 

Step 1: The Spark and Reference Photos  

I knew I wanted to create a painting featuring horses nestled in chamisa, a shrub that grows widely in the West. I love how the light hits it in the fall; the yellow flowers seem to glow from within. The golden ochres and pops of vanilla turn to a cool sage green as the bush moves into shadow.  

Searching through endless photos from my painting travels throughout the West, I gathered images of chamisa that had interesting abstract patterns. The blurry photo of the brush drew me in because of the subtle movement of the shadow shape as it moves into the background. I also liked the high horizon and the generally simple shapes. I could just picture a horse standing right in the sweet spot.  

While on a painting trip, I went in search of the Onaqui mustangs just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. I came across several bands of beautiful wild horses and was able to capture a shot of a buckskin mustang resting with his bachelor buddies. He looked so peaceful, basking in the waning sun. That’s the feeling I wanted to convey in my painting.  

The photo of the pair of horses is from a ranch nestled along the Salt River, in Arizona. I decided I’d take liberties with the lighting, color, and values because I wanted to create atmosphere and mystery in the back-lit scene. 

Step 2: Thumbnail  

This is a quick reference for the placement of the horses and the movement of the dark shape that connects and anchors the design. 

Step 3: Initial Sketch  

I select UART 320 sanded paper premounted on acid-free Foamcore and trim it to 27×27 inches. Using a charcoal pencil, I lay in the initial sketch, keeping in mind the perspective and scale of the chamisa as it travels back to the first horse. My initial idea was to have all three horses dark in value; however, when I see that the horse in the top-right is lighter in value, I decide to leave it untouched as a white horse that reflects the colors of the painting. (The dot in the middle of the paper denotes the center of the canvas; the slight tic marks on each side also help reference the center.) 

Step 4: Underpainting Prep  

I preselect cool-colored pastel sticks in greens, moving into the cool purples, as the composition travels back in space. In hindsight, I wish I had kept the shadows at this stage warmer, as I fought with the temperature in the shadows for the next few stages. I lightly glaze the colors into the shadow shapes and bring in a light glaze of warm terra cotta and pink for the light-filled shapes.  

I dip my No. 16 filbert hog-hair bristle brush into a small jar of Turpenoid and start “melting” the pastel, “painting” it from top to bottom. The shadow shapes form first, followed by the warmer notes. I don’t apply pastel directly to the horses, because I know I’ll have enough “wet” pastel to pull up and into them. This enables  me to keep some of my drawing visible. For me, this stage is the most fun. I’m literally dancing with my brush, allowing the bristles to mimic the movement of the chamisa. You can see at this stage the mark-making left by the brush. The dried underpainting provides a solid design of dark and light shapes for a strong two-value notan.  

Step 5: First Layer  

The first layer of pastel is a time to find my palette. There’s a bit of a hunt-and-peck process at work, as I pick up a color, make a mark and observe whether it feels right in color, temperature, and value. My goal is to start to create form without detail and to harmonize with color. I focus on staying in the mid-value range. I redraw the horses and start to find their colors.  

I pay attention to the happy accidents that happen in the underpainting. I really like how the horse on the left has a wonderful cool/warm vibration thanks to the raw sienna pastel and neutral green underpainting. Throughout the process, I avoid covering that up. I also realize that the temperature of those greens in the shadow is way off from where I want to be with the color harmony.  

Step 6: Second Layer  

I modify the color harmony, building the shapes and refining the character of the chamisa. I’m still trying to avoid details at this point. I find myself “feeling,” as if I’m inside this world that I’m creating, aware of my time spent painting from life and how the low-angled light affects the chamisa. I’m also working to combat that cool-green shadow shape; I’m still not satisfied with the harmony there. I introduce some of the neutral purple and a warmer green, but things still feel disjointed. 

Final Step  

I place the highlights—that beautiful rim light—on the horses, making sure to keep the hard and soft edges to help define form. To ensure that the two horses on the right stay back in space, their highlights aren’t as light in value as the primary horse; they’re also slightly warmer to indicate the color of light. I also darken the value of the large chamisa in the foreground. I had too much light value in front, and it interfered with the feeling of soft, filtered light cascading down. I push that green shadow shape down by glazing over it using a dark warm orange and dark warm mauve to suppress the green. Finally happy with the color harmony and pleased with the movement of light and dark shapes, I spray a final light layer of Krylon Workable Fixative over As the Day Grows Long (pastel on paper, 27×27).

—Kim Lordier

Just Add Snow 

For more landscape inspiration, this time winter-inspired, check out these additional pastel paintings. And, to learn more about Lordier and her artwork, see the article about her painting practice in the Winter 2024 issue of Pastel Journal.

About the Artist 

Kim Lordier has exhibited her work widely over the years in museums and art clubs, including the Autry Museum of the American West, Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, The National Arts Club, The Salmagundi Club, Forbes Galleries, and Laguna Art Museum. She’s a Signature Member of the California Art Club, Pastel Society of America, and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, as well as a Distinguished Pastelist of the Pastel Society of the West Coast. Lordier teaches workshops around the country, and her work has been featured in many art publications. She lives in Milbrae, Calif., with her husband Tim, her son, Ryan, and their dog, Melky.