Artist of the Month
Ben
A conversation with Stephanie Neely
How did you get started in art ?
I suppose I responded to the pleasure of creating pictures at an early age. I began to draw by copying photographs of professional football players from an NFL catalogue when I was eleven years old. As my first drawings focused on athletes, I became proficient with the human figure in action. I really didn’t move into landscapes until many years later.
What attracted you to the oil pastel medium ?
I developed an interest in landscape painting a few years ago and began to explore the use of soft pastels as an appropriate medium. I found that I could not tolerate the dust and did not like the chalky consistency of the material. I had an introductory set of Cray Pas Oil Pastels in the studio which I decided to try and was pleasantly surprised with the results. I really enjoy working with Oil Pastels because the process of creating is more like drawing than painting but the results almost always resemble a painted surface.
What artists inspire you ?
I appreciate the work of many artists. With that said, I find that I have an overwhelming attraction to the work of American artists. As a young person, I was fascinated with the realistic and sentimental images of Norman Rockwell and the American Illustrators of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In addition, I have independently studied the work of Arthur Wesley Dow, Georgia O’Keefe and John Singer Sargent as well as the artists of the Abstract Expressionist movement including Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell. I am drawn to more abstract works of art but am more inclined to create representational images. I suppose I look to the work of contemporary realists such as Joseph Raphael, Dean Mitchell, Gary Bukovnik and Carolyn Brady for inspiration in that regard.
Wisteria
What pulls you to a certain subject ?
I am drawn to the mysterious and transcendent quality of life which is often manifested in nature. I believe that it is possible to express this essential value in images - from the tranquil beauty of a garden to the awesome power of an approaching storm.
What techniques do you prefer to use in Oil Pastel ?
I feel like a complete novice when it comes to working with Oil Pastel. I have been playing with it for a couple of years, experimenting with techniques for the application and blending of colors. The challenge for me is creating subtle color variations from a limited palette, expressing fine detail with a relatively blunt instrument and producing a final result that manifests a refined painterly quality.
Do you put them on thick or let the paper shine through ?
My early attempts with Oil Pastel resulted in pictures with dotty areas of paper visible, but I found that I was not satisfied with that result. I presently use several layers of color, blending with my fingers and a small erasure tool until I am satisfied that I have achieved a full bodied color which completely covers the surface of the paper.
What brand of Oil Pastels do you use the most and why ?
I have experimented with several brands (Holbein, Sennelier and Cray Pas), and I am satisfied with each, but prefer the Senneliers. I am impressed with the wide range of color available, and I enjoy working with the creamy texture which facilitates blending. I appreciate the giant Senneliers for the application of large areas of color, especially for working with areas of sky. The colors available blend well and are conducive to the production of a fine result.
What surface do you like to use?
I use an Arches Watercolor block because it provides a substantial ground for the heavy layers necessary for blending and reworking areas of the drawing.
With your landscapes, do you work in the studio or plein air?
All of my work is in the studio. I have a terrific digital camera and use it to shoot hundreds of pictures at any given time. These photographs serve as source material for my work.
You do lovely portrait work. What is the commission experience like ?
Actually, it has been very positive. I have found that most of the folks that I have worked with are very willing to allow me to suggest a setting or pose for the portrait. I try to look for an unusual pose which captures the personality of the subject. Many of the portraits of children incorporate a family pet. Children are often quite genuinely themselves when responding to a beloved animal. My personal favorite is a drawing that I made of a little gal with a tamed squirrel sitting on top of her head – her expression was priceless. Of course, there are always nerves associated with anticipation of the ultimate response from a client upon completion of the work, but the reward of pleasing a client with a portrait of a cherished child, spouse, parent, friend or pet is always a bonus.
What is your funniest or most awful experience with a client ?
Most of my experiences with clients have been truly positive. I had one unfortunate experience with a portrait which was completely the result of my own unfamiliarity with the properties of the medium. I was working with a young dentist who wanted a portrait of her baby son during the time that I was transitioning from soft pastels to Oil Pastels. I made a drawing with the Oil Pastels and brought it to her for approval before I completed the project. She was pleased with the attempt so I took it home to make the final touches. Unfortunately, I left the drawing in a warm car encased in a plastic covering which ultimately touched the drawing and stuck to it. When I attempted to remove it, the plastic pulled away a large area of the drawing, so I had to start all over. Hard lesson learned.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting to work with Oil Pastels, what would it be?
I would encourage anyone with an interest to give it a try. Oil Pastels have not received proper attention and are often snubbed by organizations devoted to the promotion of work created with soft pastel; however, I have received very favorable comments from gallery owners in my discussions with them about Oil Pastels. It is a challenging medium in many ways. Experimentation with blending is required to achieve desired results in color and texture, but the finished product is often remarkably rich. An added bonus is the potential for correction and reworking a drawing – you can scrap it off and start over. It is incredibly forgiving in that respect. I also appreciate the versatility of Oil Pastels. It is possible to achieve such a wide variety of effects. A quick perusal of the wonderful work in a variety of styles by the artists featured in the Oil Pastel Society is certainly a testament to what can be accomplished with the medium.