"Winter Scene" is my second painting using oil paint sticks exclusively. The painting is based on a 19th century painting by Alfred Sisley, the great but relatively unknown impressionist painter who died in poverty in 1899. Sisley lived in France and was close friends with Monet and Renoir.
Winter Scene, 2014. Oil paint sticks on acrylic pumice. Barry Scanlan.
I am drawn to how Sisley laid paint on a canvas with thick broad strokes and heavy splotches. When I saw his painting Snow at Louveciennes (1878) I immediately wanted to paint in that style. I especially liked how his painting seemed to use only grays, whites, and browns. Since I only had five colors of oil paint sticks, I felt I would try to make my own "Sisley."
I used a 22 x 28 canvas that was thick with acrylic pumice. When I applied the oil sticks on the pumice, the pumice tore the color off the sticks, giving the painting a very textured look and feel.
I look forward to experimenting more with this medium. Please let me know your own experience using oil sticks.