Over the years, I’ve come to believe that creativity can move freely from one medium to another. The impulse to create remains the same — it simply learns a new language through different materials.
For most of my career, I’ve painted large-scale abstract works using acrylics: bold colour, dynamic brushstrokes, movement and energy layered onto canvas. But over the last year or so, I’ve noticed my palette slowly shifting. Softer tones have been finding their way into my work. More muted colours. More subtle transitions. And this week, I took another step into unfamiliar territory: oil sticks.
I have wanted to try them for years.
There is something deeply tactile about them that immediately drew me in. The softness of the colour, the way tones blend directly on the canvas, the physicality of dragging pigment across a surface with your hands — it feels intimate somehow. You can truly see the artist’s hand in the work. Every mark feels present and alive.
At the moment, I am very much a student of this medium.
I decided to experiment with several different brands to better understand how each one behaves. Oil sticks are expensive, so I limited myself to just a few colours from each line to begin with. So far, I’ve been exploring sticks from Sennelier and R&F Handmade Paints, both of which seem to be highly respected among painters working in oils. I also inherited a few old Shiva paint sticks from my late mother, which adds another layer of meaning to this exploration.
One of the first things I’m learning is patience.
These materials dry very, very slowly.
Back in early March, I made a small trial piece on paper, simply to experiment and get a feel for the sticks. We are now in the third week of May, and the surface still feels tacky to the touch. That has opened up a whole new set of questions for me. How long do they actually take to dry? How thick is too thick? How do different brands compare? What surfaces work best? What happens when linseed oil or solvent enters the equation?
I’ve been reaching out wherever I can for guidance. I contacted both Sennelier and R&F directly with questions about their products. I joined a free online workshop hosted by R&F this week, and I’ve also been turning to the online artistic community, which I continue to find incredibly generous and supportive.
One of the things I love most about artists is how willing many are to share what they’ve learned.
So now I’m opening the conversation here, too.
If you work with oil sticks, oil paint sticks, or oils in general, I would genuinely love to hear your advice. What surprised you when you first started? What mistakes helped you learn? Do you have favourite surfaces, mediums, drying tricks, or habits that changed your process?
I’m learning as I go, and I suspect this medium will teach me a great deal — not only technically, but creatively as well.
There is something refreshing about being a beginner again.
I’ll continue sharing what I discover along the way, both the successes and the frustrations. For now, I’m simply enjoying the process of slowing down, experimenting, and getting to know these beautiful new materials one layer at a time.