Making Marks

Oil Pastel book

Although this book is out of print, Oil Pastel by Kenneth Leslie is available on the second market. Leslie includes amazing examples (from classic to contemporary themes and images), and he also dissects myriad techniques for applying oil pastel to the substrate.

Leslie's discussion of scraping away the pastel to reveal the under-color really inspired me to look for different tools to do the job. I picked up an inexpensive screwdriver from the hardware store and filed it to a straight edge to use, for example. I also went looking for tools ceramic artists use to score and decorate clay. These simple tips worked so much better for me than what my teacher suggested (a straight-edged razor blade) because I had much more control over the tools.

If you have read Oil Pastel for the Serious Beginner and thought there should be a more contemporary approach to the medium, check out the Leslie book.

Work in progress - stage 2

In stage 1, I developed the underlying structure of the painting, and in stage 2 my goal is to start laying down color.

One of my goals is to create some depth even though my paintings are very abstract. I've learned that creating depth is much more interesting for viewers. A flat plane can be intriguing, but it's often not captivating.

As I apply the first layer of color, I'm sketching out the basic areas and hues. At this point, I use a fairly light layer of color. That allows me to make adjustments in the subsequent layers. However, if I later choose to scrape an area down, the first color will likely remain. (Other substrates, such as paper, might be more flexible, but the acrylic grounds grab and hold the first layer of pastel.)

I do add a few color variations at this point. For example, you can see that I have added some yellow and some red to different parts of the orange field.

Work in progress - stage 1

Here's a picture of a work in progress. I prepare a gallery stretched canvas (12" square) with an acrylic background (shown in a peachy color). I also paint the edges before applying oil pastels.

The background is overpainted with a Golden product called Acrylic Ground for Pastel. I water it down and apply two layers for a nice tooth.

Next I use a colored pencil to draw my images. In this case, I revised the clouds in a lighter color.

Over the next few posts, I'll be showing the work at different stages.

New Work - medium 2

I think "Orange Hill", another 8" x 8" piece, is complete. However, I'm going to live with it for a few more days before making the final decision.

One of my favorite flowers is lavender, which is grown near Silverton. They gave me inspiration for the "Orange Hill" piece.

As I mentioned in the post about Teresa's work, I want to use more out-of-the-ordinary colors in my work, so I purposefully chose to create an orange hill here. I think it works, and I particularly like the dark teal/orange juxtaposition.

What color combos do you like?

New Work - medium 1

"Blue Field" is 8" x 8" and another in the series of patterned landscapes I've been working on.

The area of this painting that flummoxed me for several days was the orange grid. I kept getting an ochre or sienna look when I wanted a brighter orange to contrast with the blue fields. Finally I got it to work. One aspect of this work that I really like is the subtle shading of the blue field area in the bottom of the painting where parts merge into purple or green.

I'm really enjoying working in oil pastels. They are extremely versatile and easy for me to work with. Also, in comparison to acrylics, the clean up is so quick! I have no brushes to clean out.

New Work - small

This landscape, "Orange Field", is a 6" x 6" oil pastel I recently finished. While I am happy with the whole piece, I really like how the clouds evolved. Also, the orange haze in the sky is mimicked in the bottom of the orange field.

I feel like I've hit a stride with the patterned landscapes. I have a few more to share over the next posts, and I am taking photos as I work on another piece. I look forward to sharing the process with you.

These landscapes are inspired by my daily drive to work, which is through the Willamette Valley. A good portion of the scenery is farm land, and I love how the crop rows emerge, the vineyard posts create patterns and the trees provide a natural frame.

What inspires you?

Scooter's Portrait

Here's Teresa Burgett's wonderful portrait of Scooter on a scooter! She's often clever with word plays in her art, and this is no exception.

Teresa made three sketches and asked us to choose one, and this image really captures his personality. I was going to take it to work, but I just couldn't. It's outside my office/studio and makes me smile every time I see it.

One of the things I truly appreciate about Teresa's work is her use of color. She's not afraid to make the sky green and the sidewalk purple. Somehow it looks completely natural, and I'd like to be able to use color like this, too.

Thanks, Teresa!

Making Time for Art

This is the completed piece to trade with Teresa Burgett for the dog picture. I found out she's ready to trade, and I'm so excited!

Making time to work on this (large for me) piece was a little challenging. We're in the final term of the school year and my energy at work is flagging. I often feel very tired at the end of the day. In the past, I arranged my schedule to make sure I had time to work in the studio before going to my teaching job.  Right now that's not possible. So. . . one thing I notice is that half of the battle is just getting started. Once I start, my energy returns and I become involved in the project.

I also tried an experiment of not turning on the computer at home one night. While I thought I might have major withdrawals, it wasn't too bad. I accomplished plenty of tasks that night.

I'm looking foreword to time this summer when I can just concentrate on art projects and not worry about lesson planning! If I avoid doing art then, I'll know I have a different problem to deal with.

Guest - Alyson B. Stanfield

As promised, Alyson Alyson B. Stanfield, author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion, has answered a question I had about cooperative gallery membership. Alyson is here as part of the blog tour to help promote the book and is also giving away a free copy.

I asked: What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to an art cooperative?

Alyson has this to say: Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages together and I’ll try to be as brief as possible.

Camaraderie. Brenda, you’ve been a subscriber of mine for a while now. You have certainly heard me say at one point how important I think it is to be engaged with other artists. Great things happen when artists get together and share ideas. A well-run artist co-op can provide that.

On the flip side, it can be disastrous if there is even a single person who is out of step with the group. And when I say “out of step,” I mean way out of step. The personalities have to work well together and each member must be aware of his or her responsibilities to the group. Artists are, by lot, individualists. You have to have some diplomatic skills to be part of a group. Members need to be aware that what is good for one artist is good for the group. The reverse is true as well.

Sharing expenses. This is a no-brainer advantage. The more artists, the lower the operation costs. It could turn into a disadvantage if certain members are late paying their bills.

Dividing up the work. Again, it has to be equal. Allowances can be made for members who don’t want to sit in the gallery. (They pay a higher membership fee or have a smaller space.) There can also be perks for the person in charge of everything. (She doesn’t pay a fee or gets a larger space or doesn’t have to sit in the gallery.)

Which reminds me. Someone needs to be in charge. When everything is ruled by group vote, things get messy. One person needs to be in charge of books--with another person verifying the books. One person needs to be in charge of curating the space. One person needs to be in charge of openings. And so forth. These tasks can and should be rotated from year to year or exhibit to exhibit, but someone has to be in charge.

Communication. When working in a group, clear communication channels are essential. There should be guidelines for how communication works. I suggest setting up a Yahoo or Google Group and, yes, putting one person in charge of making sure that all members’ names and email addresses are up to date. With these email groups, members only have to send to one address to ensure that everyone gets the message.

Rules. I think that people in groups “behave” better when there are rules and when they know what the rules are. There should be rules for finances and operations. There should also be guidelines for exhibits, openings, and letting in new members. The rules don’t have to fill up a 50-page manual, but they need to be some kind of order. Again, this goes against the grain of most artists. You’ll have to trust me on this. Also, trust that it’s easier to recruit new members when the rules are clearly outlined for them.

Expanded mailing list. It’s easy to see that each artist will bring his or her mailing list to the co-op. Rather than relying on your own mailing list for your opening reception, you’ll have access to those of other group members. Or at least you should.

The art. It’s all about the art, isn’t it? The more art there is, the more diverse an audience the space will attract. However, if the art isn’t up to your standards, this may not be a good thing. If your art doesn’t look good next to someone else’s in the cooperative, this could be a disadvantage.

. . .Thanks so much for your thought-provoking insights, Alyson! This gives me some good standards to evaluate different options to show my work.

If readers are interested in a free copy of I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion, go to her book site, read the instructions, and enter. Your odds are good since she's giving away a free copy on most of the blog tour spots. You can increase your odds of winning by visiting the other tour spots and entering on those sites as well!