This is a sculpture in a local outdoor mall called Streets of Woodfield. I was intrigued by all the strong colors in this sunny scene. When I first started this painting, I thought the father and son would be the focal point. But as I worked on the painting, the sculpture seemed to demand to be the center of interest. After all, they were looking at the sculpture and so was I.

This painting was done exclusively with Cray-Pas Specialist oil pastels. This meant that it was a slightly different palette of color than I normally use. And because these oil pastel sticks have a harder consistency than the Senneliers, the paint layers are quite a bit thinner.

I’m pleased with the people and the sculpture but not with the background building. It doesn’t want to “fade into the background” and yet it is too large and devoid of detail to remain in the foreground. I will let this one sit for a while. Perhaps sometime later a solution will come to me. But even as it is, I still feel it turned out pretty well.