Hey, Jo ... Where'da Ya Go...?

In case you're wondering where I am -- and you probably aren't -- I am working on a little oil pastel drawing. It's experimental at this point, and it's very slow-going because I am a bit of a fuss-budget and I work slowly and methodically. I promise to show you the finished product -- when it's finished. I love working with oil pastels, because they are such clear, bright, wonderful colors -- translucent, almost. It's so much fun experimenting, and the really fun thing about pastels is that you can use any material -- wood, cloth, sandpaper, paper, canvas, even cement. You can put the colors down and then blend them using a torchon, which is a stick of paper that is tightly rolled or compressed, with a pointy end. You can wet them and use washes of color. You can crosshatch layers of color for a deep, rich effect.

My goodness, will you listen to me - heh - I almost sound as if I know what I'm doing.

One of the most famous of the Masters to use pastels was Degas. His paintings of dancers, in particular, had slightly blurred edges to make them look as if they were in motion. And did you know that, in the United Kingdom, there is actually a Pastel Society which dictates what qualifies as a pastel. It has to be oil or chalk pastel, charcoal, pencil, conté, sanguine, or any dry media in order to quality as a pastel. Well, phew...! Thank goodness I just happen to own all of those things. The Society was founded in 1989, and Degas was a founding member. All this, just to put some marks on a piece of paper, and make it look like something. I think some folks just might -- perhaps -- take themselves too seriously.

Anyway ... back to the drawing board, as they say. See you soon...