ENVIRONMENT ART 'Tongariro Water-race' O'SULLIVAN

Phillip John O'Sullivan
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STUDIO SALE


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'Tongariro Water-race'
210 x 300mm
Oil Pastel on 140 gsm acid free archival paper.
2007 Signed
$270 dealer gallery price


A daylight blue- sky mood best utilises a light blue card for the base; clouds and wave caps, say, being created on top in lines and thicker strokes of dense white. This is the method used to create my New Zealand ocean surf and beach images on smoothe papers and card. Usually I buy a whole pack of coloured card. These are of the 140 to 250 gsm type (a measure of paper or card thickness or weight). Generally blue and black cards make excellent backgrounds to start a seascape image, grey, brown, yellow, and even purple or red, make for my landscape possibilities. My backgrounds help launch such an image into being.
OUTSIDE AIRS
Out on location unzipped from a flat nylon case is a rounded, 6mm thick backing board. It appears like an oversized tray. On top of this firm little tabletop propped on rocks or on my knees, is placed the chosen card. Card emerges to from the zipper case. The oil pastel sticks are kept in a small clipped kitchen container within a zip case pocket. These are opened quickly for an immediate start.
Even my crumbs from some previous seascape can be rubbed into the paper to begin the image. My oily thumbs do get things going. Skies are particularly freewheeling in this regard, as the sky changes so often. Almost anything can be lightly laid down in the ground base. This provides visual resistance for the later, more considered, work. Thus are artistic accidents encouraged to happen happily. This adds much to the liveliness of the finished piece. These early probing can explore drawing delicate outlines of the main subject.
These hints and suggestions are boldly filled in. This is a 'desert road' image. My final image can vary much as to colour from the underlying coloration of the selected sheet.