Experimentation

 A couple of weeks ago I was going through an old box of art supplies and came across a set of oil pastels. I bought these nearly twenty years ago when I was taking a drawing class at the NH Institute of Art. They looked like they were barely used. I knew nothing about working with oil pastels so I went to my old friend YouTube to get some tips.

What I discovered is that they aren't easy to work with. It's really hard create something that doesn't look like a kids coloring book! I heard that blending multiple shades of one color is one way to avoid the "coloring book" look. Easier said than done!

I had some fun with it, not sure I will spend much time using these.

I did learn a little history about oil pastels while researching techniques. Sakura Cray-pas came out in 1925. They were the first company to combine a non-toxic crayon with pastels. In 1949 Henri Sennelier created fine art pastels for Pablo Picasso and Henri Goetz. Sennelier's company still makes the finest oil pastels on the market. It seems most artists use less expensive oil pastels for their base work and then finish with Sennelier oil pastels. Cray-pas are still very affordable at around $9 for a box of 16. Sennelier, on the other hand are between three and five dollars a stick.

Now it's back to clay. I have some sponge holders in the studio that need finishing and two bisque kilns to unload. Jeff fired both the gas kiln and the electric kiln between Monday and Tuesday morning. I see lots of glazing in my future.