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We decided to do a little word-play and change the name of this newsletter. Spiel sounds similar to Spill but with a long “ee” sound as if spelled “speel”.

At the same time, William Dimaculangan generously offered to create a logo for our newsletter.

2005 Member’s Show

Eligibility: All Associate and Professional Members whose dues are paid for 2005

Deadline for Submissions: May 15, 2005
Submissions postmarked after that date will not be accepted.

How to Enter:
* Submit up to three (3) jpg images at 72 ppi. The longest length not to exceed 600 pixels.
* Images which exceed the size requirements will be returned if received before the deadline.
* Images should be closely matched to the original artwork and not enhanced with digital
manipulation. Images should be clear and of the best quality for viewing. Images should
not include any background or mats or framing.

Art Details:
* Artwork cannot be more than 2 years old and must not have won any previous prize or award in any other art competition. Current artist gallery images on the OPS site are not eligible.
* If there is underpainting, the painting must be at least 80% oil pastel.
* Artwork must be original - conceived and created by the entrant. No artwork created in a
workshop, class, or from published materials (such as art instruction books, magazines, or
other copyrighted sources) should be submitted.

Judging:
All entries received which meet the entry guidelines will be exhibited in the online show. An independent judge will make selections for awards.

Notification:
If you are an award winner, you will be notified by email before the show opens on June 15th, 2005.

Send Entries to:
You may send a floppy or CD with your images to OPS, PO Box 390114, Snellville, GA 30039. A delivery confirmation is recommended for all mailed entries.

You may send your images by e-mail to ops2005show@oilpastelsociety.com

Please include your name/address and image title/size/support with your submissions in the *body* of your email or on a separate piece of paper for mailed entries. If images cannot be matched with the artist, they will not be accepted.

Publication:
By entering, you give the Oil Pastel Society permission to publish your artwork on the Oil Pastel Society website and in any other publication which features "Beginnings". Any work published will be given proper credit at all times.

Terms:
Submission of entry automatically constitutes the entrant's acceptance of all competition rules. The judge's decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. Awards will be posted with the winning entries when the show opens.

Questions:
Contact coordinator@oilpastelsociety.com

FYI - Terry Ludwig will be serving as our judge for "Beginnings". Terry is well-known for his landscape and figures workshops. He also manufactures his own line of handmade soft pastels. If you'd like to see his work, please check out his website, www.terryludwig.com

Kathryn is very involved in the pastel community. She is a moderator on the pastel forums at WetCanvas.com, an on-line artist community. She also helped to found the Oil Pastel Society. Last Fall, she sold her first Oil Pastel painting through a gallery. It was titled “Sunflowers”

12" x 15", mat board, Sennelier and Holbein OP's, Walnut Hollow oil pencils and permanent blue ink

A Conversation with Kathryn Wilson

That’s a good question – I can’t remember when I wasn’t involved in art, even as a child. It has always been with me in my life – of course, my favorite medium of choice as a child were crayons – I guess that shows that I was more comfortable with a “stick” medium than a brush medium.

I am a very visual person – a beautifully taken photograph, a scene along a highway, a walk in the woods, a hike up a canyon – I can always find something to stimulate the senses, whether it be in shape/form or color.

I’d been working with soft pastels and wanted to try a new medium that was less dusty – I needed something to give me a break from all the pastel dust – a health issue more than anything else.

The Impressionists, mainly – but more than that, any artist that uses color and light really well.

I think the subject matter that I am drawn to more than anything else are those things that delight me in real life – horses/animals, architecture, pottery, things of a natural nature like rock formations, trees.

As to color, I tend to like more jewel-tone colors rather than a softer palette, although I certainly can “ooh” and “ahh” over a delicately done still life.

What techniques do you prefer to use in Oil Pastel? Do you put them on thick or let the paper show through? Do you blend a lot? Use a lot of layers?

After a lot of experimenting, I’ve come to love using my fingers with OP’s – I started out using the OP’s heavily and with little to no success with layering, I found that using my finger to spread, blend and cover the paper works best for me.

Although I have quite a few of the major brands, I tend to use Senneliers more than others – especially the La Grandes which seem to be creamier in texture. I find that each brand has a special quality – Holbein has wonderful, useful colors, but I also find the less expensive OP’s have their uses too. My best discovery was the Walnut Hollow Oil pencils – they do a wonderful job for delicate lines and for blending colors together.

What surface do you like to use? Do you have a preference in surface color or texture?

I use Art Spectrum paper for the most part – mainly because the background color is already there and I tend to like to use complementary background colors to show through my work. I also like to use Ampersand’s Gessoboard for its hard, smooth surface that makes it easy to smooth out OP’s with my fingers.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting with Oil Pastels, what would it be?

Don’t give up! This is not the easiest medium to conquer and it will take time for you to discover how best to use OP’s. I would suggest trying all the surfaces available, as well as all the different OP’s manufactured until you find the right combination for you.

Left - "Last Light" - 16" x 20", gesso board, Sennelier La Grande OP's
Right - "Sunset" - 4 3/4" x 7", Art Spectrum paper, Sennelier and Sennelier La Grande OP's

Many of us use pre-moistened towelettes to clean our hands and pastels as we work, but the tissue seems to dry out before it has been used up. I keep a can of aerosol mineral oil next to the easel to mist the tissue when it dries....this allowing me to stretch my baby wipes dollar! (and decrease the trash) Also, just misting a paper towel works equally well as the pre-moistened wipes but tend to be rather rough and abrasive on the oil pastel stick.

Sue Choppers-Wife (Professional Member of OPS) is featured in an article for The Artist's Magazine, April, 2005. "A Week With Shiva" documents her experience in trying out the new Shiva Paintstiks

Carly Clements will be showing her oil pastel floral paintings at the Art Shanty in Kennesaw, Georgia, with the Southern Colours group during the month of April. Contact Carly carlyart@comcast.net - for more information.

Pat Isaac will be having an exhibit along with 2 other artists at the South Shore Music Circus Gallery April 29 - July 28, 2005, Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm, South Shore Conservatory. One Conservatory Drive, Hingham, MA. For further information contact Pat at patisaac@erols.com

The OPS is providing this information as a service to our members. No endorsement is intended. The artist assumes responsibility for reading the prospectus and determining eligibility.

One way that all of you can help to make the Oil Pastel Society more visible is by placing a link from your personal website to the Society's home page or you can link to your artist gallery from your homepage. Feel free to use the new society logo as a graphic on your links page!

We are always in need of tips and articles to share with everyone. If you would like to contribute a tip or write a short article, please contact our Newsletter Editor, Ann Tucker, at newsletter@oilpastelsociety.com

And don't forget, Cafe Press has items for sale featuring our beautiful OPS logo and can be seen at: