Pastels in plein view

From rustic mountains to waves lapping up over the sand at Malibu, pastel artist Bruce Trentham tries to reflect the vivid hues and light cast onto each scene.

The Burbank resident received his first award in the honors division of the Burbank Art Assn. Fall Juried Show at the city of Burbank Creative Arts Center Gallery during the opening reception last week.

Of his three pastels in the show, “Surf, Clouds — Zuma Beach” won a $75 merchandise certificate, said Karen Bauman, chairwoman of the honors division.

Artists start competing in the open division and, after earning the required points, work their way up to the honors division, she said. This was Trentham’s first time to show in the honors division.

“I gave him his award,” Bauman said. “He was thrilled to win.”

The painting features clouds in the sky in abstract form, and there is a low horizon with the water coming onto sand, she said.

“It’s very simple but beautifully done,” she said. “There is lots of movement in the sky with the clouds. He used blue, lavender and peach tones that complemented the blue in the water.”

Gallery Director Frances Santistevan, of Glendale, was also impressed with his work.

“It’s a beautiful piece,” she said. “I saw his other works in the show that I like even more.”

Trentham, 59, has been a member of the association for about five years. He has received several awards in the open division, including a Best of Show in 2004.

This first award in the honors division is important to him, he said, because the judges — Frank Lennartz and Lynn Gadal — are well-established artists. It is also rewarding having his work in a gallery where people can see it, he added.

“One of the points of producing artwork is to let people see it,” he said. “I take pleasure in sharing it with others.”

Trentham primarily paints on location — plein air — because he likes being outside and loves the natural light, he said. Seascapes and landscapes are his favorite subjects.

“It’s the process I go through that’s enjoyable,” he said. “Seeing the light, the color of things and knowing I have to paint quickly because the light’s changing. I find it pleasurable and very challenging. It sets up a positive tension for me, so I don’t take too long in one particular area of a painting.”

Trentham has tried other media — oil, watercolor and etching — but prefers pastels because they are quick, and there is a more direct connection by the application, he said.

“Pastels require very little mixing of colors, and the pastel is right on your fingertips and close to the painting,” he said.

During high school, he won a scholarship to Chouinard, in Valencia, which is now CalArts. He continued studying art at Los Angeles City College and took workshops with established artists.

Trentham also teaches painting with pastels at Emeritus College in Santa Monica.