About Oil Pastel

 Oil Pastel, as an artistic medium, is in its infancy compared to the 600 year old tradition of oil paint. Created in 1925 by the Japanese for children's use, the first professional version was not produced until 1949.

Pablo Picasso and Henri Goetz, intrigued by oil pastel's dustless brilliance, convinced a French manufacturer of oil paints, Henri Sennelier, to improve it for them. Goetz considered oil pastel the "most direct medium", "forcing one to work like the Impressionists, building the image out of rich color rather than pre-mixing as one can do with liquid paint".*

Most often used as a sketching tool originally, oil pastel has developed into a serious medium in its own right, much as watercolor progressed from its pre-painting status. Many of the brands of oil pastel on the market today did not appear until the mid 1960's, with some as recent as 2004. Oil pastel's increasing popularity as a "user friendly" medium is enhanced by its affordability and its non-toxic nature.

Although oil pastel paintings never truly dry, they do set-up and harden over time. They are, however, always susceptible to extreme heat and should be handled, displayed and stored with this in mind. Oil pastel paintings need to be covered to avoid dust adhering to the surface and should be prevented from touching the glazing to protect the image.

*Leslie, Kenneth: Oil Pastel, 1990, Watson-Guptill Publications