Leading by Example

This is a fun piece. A warm image of teaching, learning, growing. A bright, colorful, symbolic lesson. There are words "engraved" in the oil pastel in the lower right corner that read, "Seek out the best teachers." Because life is a learning experience and we surround ourselves with teachers either intentionally or without thought. Paying attention to the folks I "study under" has been a difficult challenge for me. For many many years I accepted every teacher that came along and wasted a great deal of time learning lessons I wish I had avoided. Now I look and listen and wait for the teachers that are actually meant for me.

I am hopeful this playful drawing will brighten the home of some fellow student of life. Someone who also knows the value of a real teacher.

How this piece was created..... Oil pastels are a bit tricky to work with. Some colors cover others, some remove the layer below them, and some mix with the colors below. So it takes lots of experience to learn the ins and outs of layering oil pastel colors. As I often do, I laid down a VERY bright underpainting and then used a straight-edged razor blade to strip that off, leaving behind colorful stains on the mat board. Next, I built up layers and layers of colors from darker colors to lighter ones. And I finished with some key highlights and lowlights.

(How Leading by Example might look in a standard-sized 8" x 10" frame.)

This drawing was created on an acid-free mat board. It has been sprayed with fixative, but oil pastels are always a bit soft. You will want to frame this piece in order to protect the relatively fragile surface. It can be framed at a savings if you pick out a frame at your favorite home store and then bring that frame and your new drawing together to the local custom framer and ask them to mat the drawing to fit the frame.