Space To Explore...

It can be all too easy for us, especially those of us who are creative, to feel that experimenting is a challenging thing to do. As artists, we know we should be experimenting. Experimentation can lead to growth and creative expansion within our selected fields, but to get to a place where we are relaxed enough to invite that type of freedom of expression can be difficult.  

If I become too familiar with how a medium is used, it can fall into the regrettable position of being taken for granted. As artists, our chosen mediums are unique, nuanced and specific - but if we become set in our ways with their use, we can unintentionally halt the exploration process. 

A few months ago, I was wondering the aisles of my local art store and stopped at the oil pigment sticks display (I am not affiliated with this brand in any way, I just love these sticks!). I had passed them a number of times before over the years, but on that specific day I decided to get a few. Once I was back in my studio, I was certain I had an old batch because these sticks seemed stale, or old - there was a hard, plastic seal around all three of them. After reading up on them in, I learned that each stick might have a dried seal that needs to be cut away before use.  

After that seal was cut away, I began moving them around on paper. My ignorance about how to use them naturally lead me to experiment freely because there was no prior use or expectation. The type of oil stick I was using is thick and rounded, encouraging a gestural expression.  I loved the vibrant output with each color and the creaminess was divine! It is recommended that you use gloves while using them, but I LOVED the feel of moving the color around with just my fingers!  

My usual medium is watercolor, so beautiful layers and soft and watery color merging is characteristic of that medium. But I loved the messiness, vibrancy and sheen of this medium. There is no overlap between oil pigment sticks and watercolor, and I think that it is a good thing. What I was familiar with has been turned on its head and I was challenged to figure out how to operate with something new.  

Sometimes making the time and space to explore begins with curiosity, "I wonder how you use these things...",.  This curiosity was enough for me to want to seek answers through exploration.