A number of years ago, I had an opportunity to attend a class at LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. For several hours each day, participants would be allowed to copy works in the galleries. There were a few important restrictions, the first being that artists could use only oil pastels or pencils. This was protect the floors.
I could understand the problem, but, unfortunately, I hated oil pastels. They are greasy. They smear. They are difficult to mix or blend. Relatively few colors are available, and, on relatively small supports (lap-sized), it is almost impossible to capture fine detail.
But, hey, I’m always up for a challenge! I bought a set of Sakuras, a pad of watercolor paper, and paid my fee. I had SO much fun. I copied a lovely Cezanne canvas of his beloved woods. What a solid composition! That man was astonishing. Then I copied a Degas double portrait. I love the way he captures the nuance of personality, and his colors are delicious.
I can’t say that I adored the oil pastels, but I did use them for some original work. After copying the Cezanne woods, I went up to Descanso Gardens in La Crescenta, California (above Glendale in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.) I set up a folding stool and did a study of the California live oak grove there.
I would need to rework my finished drawing to match the integration of the work that inspired it. I may do that digitally in the future.
Another piece I did with oil pastels was a little abstracted still life. The French called still lifes “Dead Nature.” The challenge for the artist is to inject the tension of life into them. One of my teachers, Vija Celmins, did this in her early works by painting hot things like hot plates, or moving things like airplanes or bullets. Her style was meticulously representational. I can’t compare myself with her, of course, but I have taken a different approach to the same problem. I use color and complex diagonals to add energy to the arrangement.
The lesson of oil pastels, for me, was the power of a new medium to re-inspire an artist. My favorite drawing book, written by a veteran instructor, advises artists to use something different for each composition so the energy of beginning is maintained. The something different can be a support, a pigment delivery, or a compositional rule. I think this is great advice!
Descanso Oaks
These woods watch me;
I feel their gnarled presence
in my muscles as I struggle
with the greasy greens of oil pastel
and smear in the twisted trunks
that reach above me for the sun.
As they struggle to create
energy from the sky
I am embarrassed by
the inadequate reflection
of their still power
on my paper.
What is movement?
Is it the trapped space
among such branches?
Spring grass in dappled light;
Where is there to go?
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Contributor's Note
You can see original oil pastels in my portfolio on Absolute Arts.
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