Why use oil pastels to achieve oil painting effects?
As a hobbyist interested in dabbling in oil pastels or painting, there's something I've been curious about. I initially posted this as a comment somewhere but thought it might be better to make a thread and get insights.
Many beautiful pieces of oil pastel work here look like oil paintings and they seem to be achieved by techniques such as cutting off chunks to mix on a palette to be applied with brushes, melting pieces to mix or drip, using solvents and brushes, etc.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the artwork and seeing the many ways artists get creative with oil pastels and what the medium is capable of in their hands.
But also, I thought the primary benefits of oil pastels were supposed to be that they're much easier to use, easier to transport, and quicker and simpler medium than, say, oil paint.
If I were to go through so much trouble (I know artists don't see it as "trouble", I mean making the extra effort and managing tools like solvents, palettes, brushes, knives) to achieve that level of blending, details, and textures with oil pastels, wouldn't just using paint be simpler and also better at achieving the desired oil painting-like results? I've never painted in oils so genuinly curious. Are there unique advantages to using oil pastels this way over using paint?