Solving a Riddle

Mar 03, 2024

Abstract expressions & Oil Pastels

What do you see? 

This piece has changed a lot since starting it on February 27.

I created it while listening to Beyonce's new single, "Texas Holdem" on a day when the weather was very unsettled. Here in Eastern Iowa, we had temps that climbed to 78F and dropped to 10F by the next morning. 

We went from beautiful spring one day, to blustery winds that keep me from sleeping at night, and bitter cold the next day. 

 It's a cruel, cruel world in Iowa when it comes to weather, but it's never boring here! 

I never know what will come out when I start an abstract expressionism study, or which version I will like most, so I always take pictures at different stages of completion. 

It’s always a surprise, almost like a riddle that even I do not know the answer to.

 #abstractdrawing #oilpastels #art #abstractexpressive #circleoflife







Was My Art Influenced by My Page a Day Art Calendar?

Pictured right: the image from my "Page a Day" art calendar for Tuesday, February 27, the day I started this abstract expression painting session.  Do you notice any similarities?  

I never looked at this calendar when I started the sketch, including all of the composition, and color selections.  

I only noticed the similarities after I was done blocking in all the colors . The calendar was in a different room(my studio by my computer), and I was sitting at the kitchen table creating the sketch.













Welcome to My Brainstorm

Pictured Left:

During this creative session, I had a sheet of paper and a black Sharpie nearby. Why? So I could jot down any thoughts that came up.  This is an excellent creative exercise for both writers and visual artists.  It's rough, it's messy, and it's unplanned.  

I always enjoy looking at it after the painting is finished, because it helps me to piece together what inspired the art...current events, weather, random thoughts, feelings, music, etc.














Why I like to Use Oil Pastels for My Abstract Expression Sessions

  1.  No water, no paint brushes, no premixing required
  2. Oil pastels force me to focus on gestural mark making
  3. Oil pastels can be blended right on the paper.
  4. Oil pastels are fast for blocking in color, when you turn them on their side
  5. Oil pastels can be applied in layers.
  6. Oil pastel layers can be removed with your fingernail, or simple kitchen items like toothpicks or shish ka bob skewers
  7. Oil pastels can be blended with paper towels, qtips or foam make up applicators, or clay sculpting tools with rubber or metal tips.
  8. Oil pastels allow me to be spontaneous in the initial phases of an artwork, but detailed later on in the process through use of different tools to push and pull the pigment around on the paper, and other tools for blending, etching, or removal of color layers.
  9. Oil pastels are not dusty like soft pastels.  They can crumble, but I don't get the dust particles in my nose!