Social media has changed nearly every business on the planet. With a few swipes we can find new recipes, check out the hottest style of jeans and learn dewy makeup trends. One click will have products at our door in a matter of days. When pastel artist Ricki Scheef decided to leave her corporate job and dive into creating art full-time, social media was there to welcome her with open arms. In just over a year, Scheef has become a successful artist, shipping her paintings globally to places like Dubai and Australia.
Pastel is a medium made from finely ground pigment, which Ricki Scheef says is a “lost, under-appreciated medium.” Scheef uses pastel sticks, blending the colors together with her fingertips, erasing away areas that are not what she envisioned. Each piece she creates takes an average of 15 to 40 hours to complete, with careful layering of each manipulated color.
Raised by an archeologist mother and an entomologist step-father, Scheef said that summers were spent going to museums and national parks that inspired her love of nature — especially animals and flowers, which is reflected in her work.
In January of 2023, Ricki Scheef began a self-challenge to create a painting that reflected each day. She would film herself painting and post the videos, along with the completed piece, on Instagram. Scheef noted that she was using art as coping mechanism following a difficult time in her life. “I think a lot of artists are very emotional, and art is born out of grief. People begin painting when they are sad or angry about something, and that was definitely the case for me. There was a lot happening in my life and I think people resonated with what I was sharing.”
Quickly, Scheef developed a following; her pieces were selling to both friends and family as well as customers worldwide. Now, in addition to selling on Instagram, Scheef also takes commissions to bring people’s vision to life.
Many of Scheef’s commissions are landscapes, and while she uses reference photos, she is a self-described impressionist and focuses more on the feeling the owner will get than the subject itself.
“People will ask for a painting of their ranch in Texas, and I ask if they are sure about that,” Scheef explained. “If you want to see the actual ranch, just hang a photograph. I want them to remember how they feel when they are there. Those are completely different things. I want it to look almost unrealistic and embody what they love about that ranch.”
Education on pastels is important for anyone hoping to add one to their collection. “They are so delicate and have to be preserved properly behind glass. When I ship a painting, I tell the client to take it directly to the framer because pastels smudge easily, [and] pastels need to be hung in a room without any steam — so I am heavily involved in client communication.” Scheef finds that the fragility of the medium adds to the pieces’ value. “It makes them beautiful. They are customized and special and each piece I create is completely unique.”
This year, Scheef has begun a new project: a series of horses for each day of the year. Each is listed for sale on her Instagram and is usually sold by the end of the day.
Though the past year has been a whirlwind, Scheef said that she is grateful for all of her success. “I am so excited about the future. What was once my hobby is now my job, and I love creating something new every day.”
