Demonstration in oil pastel

This is the still life set up for my oil pastel demo. Keep looking through until you get to the completed artwork.

Demonstration in creating with oil pastel

I do my oil pastels on BFK Rives paper, a printmaking paper that is just so sensual of a surface to work on. I start by laying in a pencil drawing, making sure my proportions are somewhat correct. As I always so, if you drawing is incorrect, when you get into color, now its in full correct and incorrect.

Oil pastel Demonstration

This is an example of a finished oil pastel. The colors are richer and brighter than the dry pastel. I did not use my usual acrylic matt medium on this work of art. I found the really soft Senelier pastels to lift right off of my BFK Rives printmaking paper. Every time I use this paper it always reaffirms why I love this paper so much. The pastel is ready for a matt and a frame.

More on being an artist

This is an excellent interview and it really describes what I am talking about. Process is quite the whole soul experience. I am not putting down anyone that would like to be creative. We need more of that in our society. But being so committed to that search of idea and description takes a lot of time and focus. http://paintingperceptions.com/interiors/interview-with-alex-kanevsky?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PaintingPerceptions+%28Painting+Perceptions%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Making the commitment to be an artist

So many people say and want to be an artist. These days it seems everyone is an artist. We all have a creative side that should be nurtured and taken care of. It is important to tap into your creative self. In this it will be a better world and/or art appreciators. We all need that self expression. It is also great to learn art skills. But to make the commitment to become a professional artist is a big step. Since age 5 I am been looking at famous artists work and realizing that is all I ever wanted. The commitment of working on drawings and painting for months/years, trying to find the best ways to express ones ideas and feelings without being contrived is a life long challenge. This can't be done in just a few years. It is a huge commitment and passion. Finding the images you want and also getting the creative flow happening takes hours and hours of working through the layers to access that deep information in ones soul. It is so close to meditation and other spiritual practices. I leave and go into an altered state to access this information. I know that I am doing something new and exciting is happening at different levels of conscious. Artists need years of experience to access this deep level of consciousness. It takes cultivating. I am not saying that someone with passion can not find this aspect of themselves at some point in their lives. There are also many reasons and levels of making art. Just purely making images does not make you an artist. Creating is not always fun, joyful and an activity just to be admired. It is hard work, focus, exhausting and frustrating at times. But if I succeed at finding that visual statement that says more than surface ideas...the satisfaction is beyond words. I always worry that I will not find that depth again.