THE  OIL  SPILL 

  MARCH 2005

To All Members,

 

What an exciting beginning to 2005 for the Oil Pastel Society!! At the close of February, we are excited to announce that we have 57 members who have paid dues and are eligible to submit works to our first Members' Only 2005 show, "Beginnings".

 
We want to thank so many of you who have written encouraging notes and thank you's for the organization of the Oil Pastel Society. We hope that thru the efforts of all of us working together, oil pastels will become more respected and take its place as a fine art medium in shows around the globe. Some of you have written to say, "so glad to find other artists who share my love of this medium". We are excited that you have found the Society, too!
 
One way that all of you can help to make the 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 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 Ann has just joined the staff and will be working to bring you even more information in our monthly newsletter. (Thanks Ann!)

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

http://www.cafepress.com/oilpastels

Your OPS Staff

The Oil Pastel Society presents the 2005 Member's Only Show:

 "Beginnings  2005"

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

Entry Fee:  None

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

Members, you might want to print out and keep these guidelines handy.

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


Upcoming Events

 
Art of the Carolinas 2005

Jerry’s Artarama
Holly Park Shopping Center
3060 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh NC 27609 (919)876-6610
Mixed Media Immersion:  Painting in Pastel 
Instructor:  Sean Dye               June 18th – 19th   Cost:  $210

Oil Pastel Made Easy 
Instructor:  Gina Murray            July 31     Cost:  $99

Oil Pastel Workshop - Carly Clements
 
March 5, 2005
at Binders Art Supply, Atlanta, GA
Time: 10:30-4:30 with lunch break
Cost: $45 Register at Binders
Contact Carly....      carlyart@comcast.net - for more information

Pat Isaac is giving an Oil Pastel demo at the Cape Cod Art Association on March 4, 2005 from 12:30 - 2:30pm  -  3480 Route 6A, Box 85, Barnstable, MA 02630.   For further information contact Pat at  patisaac@erols.com

Welcome to the Oil Pastel Society! 

New Associate Members:

Rebecca  Clearman

Paul  Farley

Harry Koyama

Lisa Loudermilk

Margaret Reid

Charlotte Roux

Barbara Steck

Peg  Whitney

 

New Professional Members:

Carly Clements

Martha Kennedy

 

Tips and Techniques

Carly Clements presents an oil pastel demonstration on Arches Coverstock Black paper.   This informative demo can be found by  clicking here...
 

 

Competitions that Accept Oil Pastels:

 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. 

Click here for the list of Competitions

 

   

Featured Artist of the Month - JUNE WALKER

I like to use my hands in creating and this is what attracted me to drawing and painting.

I like the oil pastel medium because of the bright colours. Also, oil pastels are portable and fairly simple to use (not requiring elaborate preparations as with other mediums).  A bonus is that you can sit and watch TV whilst sketching.  This is a good approach for me as my mind lulls into the creative mode whilst watching T.V.   I can allow the subconscious mind to have a free rein.

I started to develop my current colourful style about a year ago.  Previously, my contemporary art had been almost entirely in black and white, e.g., small graphite sketches with some pen & ink work.  The painting mediums did not seem to match this style and so I was very happy when I discovered that oil pastels could.  They seemed like a way into colour, using the same method of creating as in my early works in graphite.

My method in pencil was to start with no concept in mind, cover the paper with tone, using lines in varying directions, until a subject ‘revealed itself’ on the page, directly out of the marks.  My oil pastel method is also to start with no concept, then cover the paper with shapes of different colours, either complementary or perhaps harmonious colours, and then look at the finished design to see if imagery appears out of the colours and shapes I have used.

For me this is an exciting way of working.  I never know what is going to ‘appear’ and this is part of the appeal.

The artist whose work I admired when I was at school was Picasso and I still like the freedom of form he introduced to Western art.  I admire his introduction of non-Western art to the thinking of Western art. Another artist I admire is Klee whom I discovered later.  Perhaps I like them both because they were experimental in their art.

My aim for my oil pastels is to have unusual subject matter/colour/or design in order to persuade the viewer to think about the image.   I also hope to provoke an emotional response for the viewer, mainly through colour, design and texture. 

Much of my work so far contains animal imagery, probably as a result of having studied animal behaviour (primates).  It also tends to have some spiritual references, due in part to my interest in non-Western art.

June  Walker

               

ARCHIVES:   Click  here to read past Newsletters.


Edition 1 Issue Number  6

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