A century ago Picasso asked the Sennelier Art manufacturer in Paris to create something he
could use for drawing on canvas that wouldn't smudge or disintegrate into powder like
traditional soft pastels. Thus the birth of oil pastels with the pigment density of soft
pastels minus the dust. Most people who have heard of oil pastels use them primarily for
outdoor sketching, sometimes diluting them with paint thinner but more struggling to find a
way to mix or layer them. Louisville artist Susan Gorsen has used oil pastels as her primary
medium since 1980 and she's still discovering new ways this challenging material can be used
to achieve brilliant color intensity and surface textures alone or in combination with other
media.
This class is an introduction to working with oil pastels and will start with a 30-minute
gallery talk with Susan Gorsen, looking at her oil pastels in her exhibition "Phoenix Rising". Pre-registration required and payment of materials fee of $30 must be made by October 30. Registration confirmed ONLY after payment in full. Each participant will receive a set of materials to keep. Limited to 15 participants. Call 812-944-7336 for more information or come in to register (cash or check only, checks made out to New Albany-Floyd County Public Library).