Mount Vision Soft Pastels & Sets

Beautiful, hand-made soft pastels!

Mount Vision Handmade Soft Pastels consist of the highest quality pigments with the addition of chalk, talc, or clay and binders. Various combinations, depending on pigment, create different handling properties. The Mount Vision Pastel Company was founded in 2000, by artist Karl Kelly (a former paint maker for a small oil paint company). Handmade in small batches in Mount Vision, New York, the pastels possess a wonderfully soft and buttery feel. The pigment easily releases to the pastel surface with little resistance, allowing layers to build without becoming slick. Mount Vision Handmade Soft Pastels are consistently tested to achieve the best feel and color intensity for each pastel color. Mount Vision utilizes both traditional and synthetic pigments, which make great substitutes for traditional painting pigments that are health hazards to use in pastels (such as cadmiums, cobalts, etc.)

Mount Vision's manufacturing process is simple and straightforward, creating a truly handmade product with great love and care by dedicated craftsmen. First, the pigments and chalks(or other binder) are weighed out on a scale, and then placed in an industrial sized mixing bowl. The mixture is fully mixed to the consistency of cookie dough, and then put through a sausage stuffer, where it is extruded onto wood boards. The boards are placed outside to dry the long pastel lines a little, to firm them slightly before handling. Once ready, the pastel lines are cut to size and then carefully rolled by hand to create a more uniform shape. The finished pastels are then placed on a drying rack to cure before hand labeling.

The beauty of Mount Vision’s color selection and color values is by other manufacturers that make a handmade product. Drawing on his extensive painting and printmaking background, Karl Kelly carefully designed the color palettes and selections to create every color imaginable a pastelist could imagine, from the palest color values to the most vibrant brights and darkest darks. Sold in both open stock individually and as sets.

Health and Safety Statement from Mount Vision Pastel Company:
If you have any Health and Safety questions please do not hesitate to Call 888 413-2009. Your health is our biggest concern. At Mount Vision Pastels we use no heavy metal pigments such as Cobalt or Cadmium. Because of the nature of pastels, i.e.. drawing directly with the pigment with very little binder, I question the use of these pigments. With the advances in the manufacture of synthetic pigments I feel that there are alternatives available for use that will serve the artist as well without the possible side effects. That said probably the biggest concern for pastelists is the pigment dust created by them. Whenever possible it is better to clean dust with a wet rag, sponge, or paper towel than to sweep it up (which causes more dust). Care should be taken if using a vacuum as often the pigment is finer than the bag and can blow through causing quite a dust storm.