Vermont artist Mallory Lake used the landscape as her subject matter.  She had long been inspired by the landscapes of Italy, primarily Tuscany but also the lake regions by Lake Como and of Venice.  Recent work has focused on architecture and interiors, of Italian cafes, the urban landscapes of New York and imagery of vintage steam trains which have been inspired by film noir. Mallory Lake's pastel paintings were created using handmade Sennelier pastels from France on La Carte paper.  Pastel, because it is pure pigment, has a richness, permanence and depth of color not found in any other medium.  The paper was coated with vegetable fibers which give it a "tooth".  This allows the extremely soft pastels to be built up in many layers and produces a rich and buttery surface.