Hydrant Graveyard - Original Oil Pastel
About The Work:
Dauphin MB, where I lived for a while, had to replace all their older fire hydrants as they could no longer get parts for repairing them. Most of these hydrants had been decorated years ago as part of a contest to beautify the community. The hydrants slated for replacement all had a bright blue spray painted 'X' on them; they were then dug up and hauled away to an industrial site by the railway tracks. While this was going on my husband and I drove around town taking photos of as many of these decorated hydrants as we could find. We also ended up buying one and installing it in our backyard’s fenced in dog run.
I executed this work using a sgraffito technique with oil pastels. Practiced in Italy since the 1730’s, Sgraffito is an old and beautiful “subtractive” method of creating images by scraping away a surface of medium in patterns and shapes, creating an image by exposing the underlying layer of color(s). While in Italy I became captivated by this art form and had to explore this technique. In my studio, I design my image, transfer it onto paper, block in vibrant colours of oil pastel - the first layer. I then add a top coat of dark colour, 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.
Size: 8 x 10 inches artwork, matted to 11x14 inches
Medium: Oil Pastel on acid-free paper
Year: 2013
This work is matted to fit a standard size frame and enclosed in a protective clear plastic sleeve. A Certificate Of Authenticity is also included. Frames are not supplied.
Please note that colours may appear slightly different on screen than they do in person.
Follow me on Instagram @janjenkins5075 or on Facebook @JJenkinsRWA
About The Work:
Dauphin MB, where I lived for a while, had to replace all their older fire hydrants as they could no longer get parts for repairing them. Most of these hydrants had been decorated years ago as part of a contest to beautify the community. The hydrants slated for replacement all had a bright blue spray painted 'X' on them; they were then dug up and hauled away to an industrial site by the railway tracks. While this was going on my husband and I drove around town taking photos of as many of these decorated hydrants as we could find. We also ended up buying one and installing it in our backyard’s fenced in dog run.
I executed this work using a sgraffito technique with oil pastels. Practiced in Italy since the 1730’s, Sgraffito is an old and beautiful “subtractive” method of creating images by scraping away a surface of medium in patterns and shapes, creating an image by exposing the underlying layer of color(s). While in Italy I became captivated by this art form and had to explore this technique. In my studio, I design my image, transfer it onto paper, block in vibrant colours of oil pastel - the first layer. I then add a top coat of dark colour, 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.
Size: 8 x 10 inches artwork, matted to 11x14 inches
Medium: Oil Pastel on acid-free paper
Year: 2013
This work is matted to fit a standard size frame and enclosed in a protective clear plastic sleeve. A Certificate Of Authenticity is also included. Frames are not supplied.
Please note that colours may appear slightly different on screen than they do in person.
Follow me on Instagram @janjenkins5075 or on Facebook @JJenkinsRWA
About The Work:
Dauphin MB, where I lived for a while, had to replace all their older fire hydrants as they could no longer get parts for repairing them. Most of these hydrants had been decorated years ago as part of a contest to beautify the community. The hydrants slated for replacement all had a bright blue spray painted 'X' on them; they were then dug up and hauled away to an industrial site by the railway tracks. While this was going on my husband and I drove around town taking photos of as many of these decorated hydrants as we could find. We also ended up buying one and installing it in our backyard’s fenced in dog run.
I executed this work using a sgraffito technique with oil pastels. Practiced in Italy since the 1730’s, Sgraffito is an old and beautiful “subtractive” method of creating images by scraping away a surface of medium in patterns and shapes, creating an image by exposing the underlying layer of color(s). While in Italy I became captivated by this art form and had to explore this technique. In my studio, I design my image, transfer it onto paper, block in vibrant colours of oil pastel - the first layer. I then add a top coat of dark colour, 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.
Size: 8 x 10 inches artwork, matted to 11x14 inches
Medium: Oil Pastel on acid-free paper
Year: 2013
This work is matted to fit a standard size frame and enclosed in a protective clear plastic sleeve. A Certificate Of Authenticity is also included. Frames are not supplied.
Please note that colours may appear slightly different on screen than they do in person.
Follow me on Instagram @janjenkins5075 or on Facebook @JJenkinsRWA
Care and Handling:
Special care is needed in the handling of original Oil Pastel artworks. Oil Pastels do not dry or harden, they remain soft, moveable and can be smudged, scratched or scraped. This work has been sprayed with a protective coating of oil pastel fixative but remains fragile. Oil pastel artworks should be matted and framed behind glass (or plexi-glass) as soon as possible. A double mat provides the best separation and air space needed so that the oil pastel does not come into direct contact with any other surface. UV glass is highly recommended - avoid hanging in direct sunlight.
Copyrights:
The sole copyright and all reproduction rights of original artwork by Jan Jenkins is retained by the Artist Jan Jenkins, remains the property of Jan Jenkins and therefore cannot be reproduced in any way by anyone other than Jan Jenkins.
Returns:
As an independent artist, I do not accept returns. However, please contact me if you are not fully satisfied with your purchase.