Oil Pastel Paintings

I discovered oil pastels in 1969 while at The Academy of Arts College in San Francisco, California. Specifically, “Guitar” oil pastels made in Japan.

An oil pastel is a big oil-based crayon that is heavily pigmented. Guitar pastels have outstanding durability because of this. They are fluid, colorfast, and immediate. They lend themselves to blending and can be thinned with turpentine. I almost always used mine straight out of the box.

For five years, I mainly used Guitar oil pastels. Their immediacy suited my creative needs. No matter where I was, for example, sitting in my living room or visiting with a friend, I could pick up my drawing board and drawing paper, place my oil pastel box next to me, and create an oil pastel painting.

A graphic example of the immediacy of working with the oil pastel medium was in 1970 when my wife and I went on a European tour for three months to see the iconic masterpieces firsthand. As we traveled from country to country, the first thing I did as we settled into our hotel, was to set up my art supplies at whatever table was available. During the day, we would explore the city and take in all the museums. On returning to our room, I would sit at the table with my oil pastels and capture the experience on paper.

I’ve released just a couple that you will find now in this oil pastel menu. Eventually, we will make the entire body of work available on the website. Watch for the announcement.

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We can accommodate oversize print orders. We can print up to 58 inches tall and as long as needed, without compromising print quality. For very large pieces, we recommend printing on canvas instead of paper. The canvas can be shipped either stretched or unstretched, depending on your preference. For customers located farther away, we suggest opting for an unstretched canvas, which can be stretched by a local picture framer.

All my art is available as Giclee prints. If you are interested in purchasing an original oil pastel please contact Nancy @ [email protected]

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