Oil Pastel

I create my oil pastel artworks on archival paper using the "sgraffito" technique. Practiced in Italy since the 1730’s, sgraffito is an old and beautiful “subtractive” method of creating images by layering in varying oil pastel colours and then scraping away the topmost surface of the oil pastel in patterns, textures and shapes to expose the underlying colours. In my studio, I design my image, transfer it onto paper, block in vibrant colors of oil pastel - the first layer. I then add a top coat of dark color, gently mark my image back in and start scraping away the dark top coat. I love the creaminess and the smell of the oil pastel while working with it and the whole process of “revealing” the image in the undercoat, the transformation from dark to light.