Wanderlust Week04: Mixed Media Pear

Our task for week four of Wanderlust was to create a still life painting on a canvas for Teresa McFayden's lesson titled 'A Fruitful Year'. While I admire others' ability to paint more realistically, it's not something I strive for myself, perhaps because I know I wouldn't be good at it. I followed the instructions as far as texturing the background and painting it yellow, but then I chose to use oil pastels instead of acrylics to proceed.

I don't know why I opted for oil pastels when I hardly ever use them. I think they're just easier to blend than paints. The reason I don't normally use them is because they make it tricky to put anything on top, so they're not ideal for journalling. I own several brands of oil pastels, both water soluble and regular. I love having them, but frankly, I don't remember the last time I used them, which makes this project perfect for linking to Carolyn Dube's link party Let's Play, where this month's challenge is to use some of your neglected art supplies.

I used a small 7"X5" canvas for this project. I collaged book papers for the pear and simply used water soluble oil pastels, blended with some gesso to cover the surface. This was a very quick process and I actually quite like the results. I think it looks better in real life than in the photos. Usually, it's the other way around!

Incidentally, Carolyn Dube is a guest teacher on Wanderlust, along with some other fabulous artists. It's not too late to sign up as the videos are all downloadable and you can do them at your own pace. I enjoy taking part in Wanderlust, though it's quite a challenge as I'm doing LifeBook at the same time, but I think the two courses complement each other splendidly.