Months ago I began a WIP (work-in-progress) of a tulip oil pastel painting and for the longest time I ignored the painting as it sat unfinished. The excitement of painting this piece was gone, I suspect it was because I kept fighting with the brand of oil pastels (OPs) I was using, it wouldn’t go on easily.
So, the first of this year I made a commitment to finish this painting – only this time switched out the brand of OPs to Senneliers, which is buttery and handles pastel paper (Mi-Teintes) beautifully. Once I started painting, the OPs laid down smooth as silk and I fell in love with the piece calling it , Orange Tulips(oil pastel, 16×12).
If you could like to see the original thread of the initial WIP, please visit https://oilpastelsbymary.com/2013/07/30/wip-tulip-stems-oil-pastel/. Hope you enjoy ~
Oil Pastels by Mary 
I love this one! They look like they’re alive and dancing.
Thank you so much Charissa!
B’ful & shy tulips 🙂 A lovely painting!
I love the colours used Mary! 🙂
Thanks Colorences for your nice comment!
Hello, Mary…your tulip has been catching my eye each time I visit Prospero’ s blog, the tulip being my favorite flower. Then, I visit here and I see your orange tulips on blue, my favorite complementaries! I am a poet, and not much of a painter, though I love watercolor and have taught myself a bit of that, especially with flowers. I’m hitting the “follow”, I so much like what I see here!
Hi Cynthia, gosh such a beautiful comment – thank you very much. Thank you very much for visiting and now following, it’s a real pleasure to meet you!
So beautiful, Mary!
Thanks Violet!
Materials make such a difference, hence the lovely completed tulips. But it is exciting to experiment and make something that was at one time frustrating, work! Great Mary!
Thanks Elena, you know exactly what I mean. Your experiments are fabulous, and mine – are always a work in progress, lol – but, one day I’ll get extra relaxed at doing them and go with the flow.
Coy dancing tulips allowed to see the light 🙂 and beautiful it is indeed Mary ..
Thanks Poppy. Dancing tulips have all the rhythm, don’t they?
Gorgeous. Love the movement and vibrancy. Oddly enough Sennelier always gave me grief because they are too buttery. But I do love their color. Out of curiosity what brand did you not like? Probably just what I’m looking for. 🙂
Hi Mona, thanks. I got really turned off by Senneliers when I first started painting in OPs, tried them once and set them aside. Then for some reason I painted with them several months ago on this paper (Mi-Teintes) and wow, I was like “where have you been all my life.” I can lay neopastels and mungyo gallery’s over then with no problem on this paper. I love using the razor to scrape down the Senneliers, makes for a very clean scrape. What I don’t like using on this surface is Holbeins, oh my I fight like mad every time I use them on this.
Snort. Holbeins are my favorite. Maybe it’s all about the substrate huh? But then I love mark making and you do a lot of smooth silky blending. I do use senniliers for some color. They have glorious rich color.
Ah, I understand – although I do use Holbeins pretty regularly in my seascapes and landscapes when I paint on hardboard and canvas board. Some of the colors are so beautiful and rich like Magenta and Indigo. But I understand what you mean about mark making, and someday I hope to get a bit more heavy-handed in laying down the OPs just so I can get the marks more distinguished like you achieve. For me, it may come more easily with experience and confidence. Thanks Mona, your work has always been inspirational for me.
My three favorite colors! I love your 5 stems!
Thanks!
🙂
I love the contrast between the blue of the background and the green of the stems! 🙂
Thank you Francesca – there is some very light green streaks towards the bottom of the painting merging into the blue as they move up the surface, seems to have been a touch that worked in this case.
Beautiful, Mary. Nice complementary colors! And I thought the blue was just you transitioning out of the cold!
Thank you Prospero – it’s that combination of colors that attracted me to paint this piece. Oh, the coldness again . . . it will be warming up here pretty soon!
So beautiful 🙂
Thanks!
Like a tulips in thne wind…beautiful
Thanks Doron!
I love it!! The tulips look like ballet dancers 🙂
Thanks Maria – I like your description, nice!
Thank you for this beautiful touch of spring! 🙂
Thank you Susan, it’s time to start thinking of warm and welcoming signs of Spring ~
Yes, yes it is!
Wonderful! I love tulips 🙂 Nice painting, Mary!
Thanks Calee ~ Spring is right around the corner!!!