Celebrating the humble oil pastel as a medium in its own right
Gallery owner and artist Holly Saunders is celebrating an art medium which is rarely given the credit it deserves by using it solely in her latest exhibition.
Passionate about the qualities of the oil pastel and oil bar, Holly will be showing over 20 vibrant landscapes of Dursley and surrounding areas at her shop, Kendrick Street Gallery in Stroud.
“Many artists use the oil pastel as mixed media, but very few use it in its own right, partly because there are no resources on what you can do with it,” explains Holly.
“I love the strong colours and the immediacy oil pastels can create; they are very physical and I find it frees up my work.”
Holly, who trained as a fine artist at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and Kingston University, has been proprietor of Kendrick Street Gallery for the past 11 years. As a painter, she regularly exhibits distinct bold bright oil compositions which capture the atmosphere of rural countryside. But for her latest show, she has swapped the oil paint for the oil pastel.
In recent years she has taught and held many workshops, including showing fellow artists - beginners and professionals - the different ways of working with oil pastels.
“I don’t think oil pastels have had the press they deserve. People don’t realise you can use turps, scratch into it and use stencils to get various effects. They are so versatile and can be applied to all sorts of surfaces,” adds Holly, who is hoping to publish a handbook on how to use oil pastels and oil bars.
Her impressive new body of work which portrays her passion for the surrounding landscape, and depicts a unifying radiant blue hue background is on show at Kendrick Street Gallery from May 7 to May 21, 2016.
Kendrick Street Gallery, 20 Kendrick Street, Stroud, GL5 1AA, tel: 01453 756936, www.kendrickstgallery.co.uk
