Unison Color HQ – The place Handmade Pastels Come To Life

As an Affiliate Artist and a faithful fan of Unison Color with my very own 36-set of pastels, my latest travels to the UK needed to embrace a go to to the Unison Color headquarters tucked away within the coronary heart of Northumberland. And it was nothing wanting magical! The dedication to handcrafting every pastel with consistency and unwavering ardour left me in awe. I now have a a lot deeper understanding of what “handmade” means!

Be a part of me on my journey to Unison Color HQ the place we see the step-by-step course of of making these inventive gems.

My Journey to Unison Color HQ Begins

My journey began with a practice trip from Newcastle upon Tyne to Hexham, the place I used to be warmly welcomed by Nessie. We then launched into an exquisite half-hour drive by means of scenic nation roads, heading in direction of the house of Unison Color pastels.

Unison Color’s headquarters is nestled in a serene countryside location and is comprised of Kate Hersey’s charming home, outbuildings with the assorted stations of creation, and even a picturesque church and churchyard. 

A Heat Welcome

Upon arrival, I used to be met by Liz Reekie, my contact with Unison Color. (She’s really the corporate’s UK Retail Account Supervisor.) Over espresso and biscuits in Kate Hersey’s dwelling, we mentioned the artistry behind the pastels, and contemplated the legacy left by her husband John Hersey, the creator and founding father of Unison Color.

Earlier than lengthy, I discovered myself within the midst of a pleasant tour of the premises, meetinga few of the Unison Color crew alongside the best way.

The Begin of our Tour 

The tour started in Jim’s room. Jim is the chief concocter of the pastel recipes however sadly, he was away on the time of my go to. Every recipe combine he places collectively creates a batch of about 200 pastel sticks. Liz and I had a peek into a few containers of pigments – brilliant, saturated ones in fact. “Proper, you don’t do brown,” says Liz!

Now let’s check out the journey a single bowl of pigment combine takes. (These concoctions can have 5-35 totally different pigments in them!) 

From Mixing to Rolling to Drying

Nessie skillfully combined the bowl of pigment with water earlier than effectively spooning the combination onto paper in blobs. To take away extra moisture, used paper is stacked beneath the clear sheets. 

Subsequent, Sue took cost, skillfully mushing after which rolling the pastel blobs to type particular person sticks. I had the prospect to strive my hand at it and shortly found that it wasn’t as simple because it appeared!

As soon as rolled, the sticks are reduce with a helpful dandy device created from two palette knives!

The pastel sticks are then moved to a drying rack after which positioned within the drying room which surprisingly sufficient must be saved at a sure moisture degree to verify the pastel sticks dry evenly all through. Every batch has its personal word recording the color, the date, who made them, and the dimensions. This is useful as Hazel does her assessments. (I’ll speak about this later.)

The Artwork of Labeling

After the pastels are dried, the pastels are prepared for his or her labels. Two ladies, devoted to the duty of labelling every pastel stick, meticulously and dexterously handle this course of. Wow. And all of us had an excellent snort after we talked in regards to the first issues some artists do after they get their pastels – rip off the label!

Protecting Consistency

In the meantime, Hazel, together with her 27 years of expertise at Unison Color, ensures the standard of every pastel, testing a pair from every batch towards the unique colors.

Challenges and Perseverance

Unison Color’s dedication to consistency typically brings challenges, particularly when coping with altering pigments. Hazel makes positive that there are not any color shifts between the pastels created utilizing a brand new cargo of pigment and the originals. Even slight fluctuations require recipe changes, a time-consuming job that requires endurance, perseverance, and dedication!

A serious headache for Hazel is when a pigment is not accessible. When this occurs, another pigment should be discovered. After which, the recipe for each pastel stick that features the unavailable pigment should be recalculated with the alternate selection. It’s not unusual for a single pigment to seem in as many as 35 colors! Not a job for the weak of coronary heart (or for somebody with out the experience Hazel has!).

The Origin of the identify “Unison Color”

I puzzled out loud in regards to the model identify. Liz defined that the identify “Unison Color” itself displays the philosophy behind their pastels. John Hersey, the creator and founder, selected the identify as a result of the colors in every color set (usually 1-18) work “in unison” with each other. He was impressed by how gentle impacts totally different colors, very like how the colors of an apple change when held up and turned within the gentle. His inventive imaginative and prescient was not restricted to including white for lightness or black for darkness; he included various pigments to create distinctive hues.

A Rainbow of Potentialities

Unison Color provides pastels in three totally different sizes, making certain that artists have a spread of decisions to swimsuit their wants. With an unlimited palette of 380 colors, we artists can discover and experiment to our coronary heart’s content material, discovering harmonious mixtures that resonate with our inventive visions.

My go to to Unison Color’s dwelling left me with a brand new respect and love for these pastels. I’m deeply impressed by the crew’s dedication to handcrafting actually distinctive pastels. 

I now have a look at the pastels in my field with a distinct appreciation. Every stick has began as a recipe of pigments that are then combined, divided into about 200 blobs which can be then left to dry to a sure consistency. They’re then hand rolled and put within the drying room earlier than being labelled, by hand. Lastly, they’re boxed up and despatched out into the world. Wow!! Every one! (The packing and transport space is now in a separate constructing some 20 minutes away therefore the branded van they now need to run between the 2 places!)

I cherished assembly the individuals behind this unimaginable dedication and sit up for returning at some point. I additionally am decided to assist them get the phrase out in regards to the fabulousness of Unison Color pastels!

The wealthy historical past and inventive ardour infused into every stick of pastel make them a treasure for artists worldwide. As Unison Colour continues to develop and develop, I do know their dedication to creating pastels that work “in unison” will stay steadfast, enriching the artwork world and artists’ lives one color at a time. Thanks John Hersey and the crew at Unison Color!!

Till subsequent time,

Gail

PS. If you wish to see me really rolling the pastel dough and also you’re on Instagram, check it out here!

PPS. I couldn’t resist these pictures of the ground!!