Oil Pastel Experiment - In the Moment

This picture is the result of an experiment, applying oil pastels to my latest abstract style. Although I've used oil pastels to paint representational pieces (click here for an example), I've not used pastels in this style. Oil pastels are unique in that they combine principles of oil paint with chalk, and while the final product can be colorful, it is more of a matte surface and not as bright as paint. It was a fresh experience because my latest abstracts have been limited to graphite, charcoal, oil paint, or mixed media, and none have incorporated pastels. It was time to explore new territory.

The approach to creating this was unplanned, meaning, there were no preliminary sketches or pencil lines to begin the piece. Rather, the oil pastels were applied to a blank piece of paper with free emotion. Clearing my mind of preconceived paths or “left brain” representations, I let the application of color and line dictate the flow of the painting’s development. It was a type of “living in the moment” art. Although perhaps a person could refer to some of the work by Wassily Kandinsky from the early 20th century, I made no conscious effort to recreate his style. This painting is more of an abstract self portrait of individual brainwaves and feelings present at the time of creation.

To see older blog posts and other works of art, click HERE. Thank you for following the paintings, the Doodle of the Day and the sculpture, drawings, works in progress, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark :)

Oil Pastel Study, And Other Art Updates

Thanks to those of you who made it out to the 59th Annual State Bar Art Competition at the Long Beach Convention Center, where I won First Prize in painting :) Again, your support is most appreciated!

In other updates, the City of Santa Clarita has commissioned me to create a work of art dedicated to its Santa Clara River Rally, and the efforts of the community in cleaning it up. I will keep you posted on how the work develops!

I have also been commissioned to create the cover art for a new book coming out by author John Janda. John is an incredible writer, and I have worked with him in the past, in his novel American Spirit. Stay tuned for updates on this development :)

Currently, I continue to work on several other new pieces, and the above image shows my recent study in oil pastels, a medium mastered by the great Edgar Degas. It is further practice in color and layering. Although this piece is a "still life", it is not the subject matter that most concerns me - it is the process of viewing an object and translating that visual into an illusion of color on a flat plane composition. This process is the same whether the subject matter is a still life, landscape, portrait, abstract, etc.

What interests me is how the work is created, while the subject matter is secondary. This is, for example, why Degas is one of the greatest artists in art history - it is not his choice of subject matter of horses, dancers, or performers that gives his art a place in every art history book. And this is why a still-life, like those famously created by Paul Cezanne, can be just as interesting as an action painting or any other type of art.