Pastel painting is just represented by very few entries in contemporary art exhibitions today. Pastel paintings are done using premium Rembrandt pastels on museum grade, archival pastel paper and include an information sheet on framing and care. The surface of an oil pastel painting is therefore less powdery, but more difficult to protect with a fixative. While other mediums, such as oil painting, involve mixing colors first, then applying them to canvas, one of the exciting things about pastel painting is simply that mixing occurs right on the paper. Pastel painting is a gift that I have re-embraced at mid-life.