Pastel Journal - January 2020

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AN ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PAINTING IN PARIS
ARTISTSNETWORK.COM
Landscape
Stories
How To Paint With More
10 Sttep
+
Building
Better
Meaning and Expression Paintings
p. 12
A MASTER OF NARRATIVE
Susan Grossman’s
Vignettes of City Life
FEBRUARY 2020
Richard McKinley
5 Ways to Bring a Scene to Life
-RWTMVI)HYGEXI'SRRIGX
From meditations in the studio to trending colors, urban sketchers and

Renaissance masters, Artists Network connects you with the artists, ideas,
inspiration,skills BOEUPPMT that encourage art makingBOEHSPXUI
Artistsnetwork.com
Contents FEBRUARY 2020
ISSUE NO. 126
18
Features Columns
18 40 2 EDITOR’S NOTE
BRINGING BEAUTY THE ARTIST AS ALCHEMIST 3 ART MATTERS
Susan Grossman deftly uses dry media
TO LIGHT
to create rainy-day reflections and the
5 5-MINUTE COACH
Sophie Amauger observes and paints
energy of daily life in a big city.
the momentary truths and changes 6
to be found in the French countryside. BY CYNTHIA CLOSE
PASTEL VOYAGES
BY ANI KODJABASHEVA
12 SKILL BUILDERS
48
26 NARRATIVES FOR NOW 72 THE SPARK
FROM PORTRAITS The everyday moments of life—and
TO LANDSCAPES the subtleties of modern-day relation- ON THE COVER: Berkeley Hills (detail; 11x14)
A pivotal world event was the impetus ships—are at the heart of Amanda Gress’ by Greg Barnes
Greg Barnes needed to launch his contemplative figures.
full-time artistic career and move BY ENID WOOD
from portraiture to landscapes.
BY MICHAEL CHESLEY JOHNSON
56
A RUSSIAN RENAISSANCE
34 Experimentation is key to Olga
Pastel Journal (ISSN #1524-9034) is published six times per year (February,
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ArtistsNetwork.com 1
Editor’s Note
A Story to Tell
S ometimes, when an artist
paints a landscape, there’s an
obvious narrative at work. This
is especially true when figures or
animals are present in the compo-
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Anne Hevener
SENIOR DESIGNER Brian Roeth
SENIOR EDITOR Beth Williams
ASSOCIATE EDITOR McKenzie Graham
sition—a horse and rider heading EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

into the distance, apple pickers Sylvie Cabal, Art du Pastel; Daniel E. Greene; Albert Handell; Liz Haywood-Sullivan;
in the trees, shell seekers at the Janie Hutchinson; Wolf Kahn; Isabelle V. Lim; Richard McKinley, IAPS; Rae Smith;
Duane Wakeham; Jimmy Wright, PSA
seashore. The story finds its center
in the experience of these players. ADVERTISING
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practically hear the horns honking. But a story can also
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“In every outthrust Very often, how- MEDIA SALES COORDINATOR Barb Prill
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ever, a landscape is
headland, in every not documentary PEAK MEDIA PROPERTIES
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inspiration lies not
every grain of sand in the scene’s “hap-
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penings” but in the

there is the story special quality of
VP, MAGAZINES John Phelan
VP, PRODUCT AND STRATEGY Josiah Klebaner

of the earth.” the light or the play CONTENT DIRECTOR Tricia Waddell
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— R ACHEL CARSON NEWSSTAND SALES Scott T. Hill
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2 Pastel Journal FEBRUARY 2020

Art atters
Shepherdess and Her Flock (black chalk and

pastel, 145⁄₁₆x1811⁄₁₆) by Jean-Francois Millet
Peasants in Pastel: THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES
Millet and the Pastel Revival at the Getty Museum

See the expansive show, including works by Camille Pissarro and
Giovanni Segantini, through May 10th.
I n much the same way that celebri-

ties “of the people” enjoy a specific
kind of loyal following today, the
artist Jean-Francois Millet was both
revered and scorned for his artistic
paysan paysan,” meaning “I am a
peasant’s peasant.”
During a time when portraits were
primarily reserved for Europe’s royalty
and wealthiest patrons, Millet was
Salon—to the shock of its critics.
Instead of biblical scenes and Greek
mythology, Millet used his grand-
scale paintings to bring the average
Frenchman to the glamorous world of
focus on the peasants of northern using the medium to paint pictures of 19th-century Parisian fine art.
France. His family was one of farm- life among agricultural laborers—and Eventually, the artist would turn
ers, and he once declared, “Je suis even displayed the works in Paris’ to pastel with the encouragement
Art Matters
of Alfred Sensier, an art dealer and

critic who provided Millet with mate-
rials and income, even though pastel
hadn’t been widely used since the
French Revolution.
Millet used the medium to portray
the same humble scenes and inspired
a later generation of artists to use
pastel for their accomplished works,
including Camille Pissarro, Alfred
Sisley, Giovanni Segantini and
Leon Lhermitte. One particularly
enthusiastic collector, Emile Gavet,
commissioned 90 pastels from the
artist, which were later sold at public
auction. The Salon designated a room
for pastel paintings in 1880.
“Peasants in Pastel: Millet and the
Pastel Revival,” at the Getty Museum
in Los Angeles, has works on display
from Pissarro, Sisley, Lhermitte,
Segantini, and others—and highlights
a critical time in the medium’s history. Man with a Hoe (black chalk and white chalk heightening, 111⁄₁₆x13¾) by Jean-Francois Millet
For more info, visit getty.edu. PJ THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES
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5-Minute Coach
The Lay of the Land(scape)

Finding the scene, deciding what to manipulate, figuring out how to best
express the initial vision—these are the regular tasks of the landscape artist.
Artist Richard McKinley offers these tips for managing these essentials.
KNOW YOUR HOOK camera—the tool will help

Deciding what to paint can you clarify a scene’s poten-
frustrate the most seasoned tial. Keep in mind that when
of artists. Should I do this? you’re wandering around
Should I do that? There are taking photographs you’re
limitless possibilities—even in composing all that time.
the most mundane location.
To help ground myself and RELAX, LOOK, ENJOY
find focus before committing When painting en plein
pigment to surface, I start air, first get comfortable.
with a simple question: What It becomes much easier
about this scene attracts my to find fascination in your
attention? It might be subject environment when you’re
matter (I like meandering relaxed. Instead of looking
streams and certain species for the “perfect” scene, find
of trees). It might also be the a good spot, give it time and
dramatic contrast of value,
color interactions, textural Paint Under the Sun let it speak to you. Analyze
the lay of the land, enjoy the
rhythms or another aspect While photography is a useful tool in our modern creative textural interplay of vegeta-
of design. Once I identify the lives, there’s nothing that can compare to the actual act tion, and become enamored
hook, I can begin to arrange of working from life. The interaction of subject, light and with color interactions and
the composition to better artist hones a critical eye that will inform the rest of your subtle variations between
communicate this concept. work. If you normally paint in the studio from photo warm and cool tempera-
GIFT OF CURT H. REISINGER; NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON, D.C.
A cautionary note: When reference material, realize that the time you spend in the tures. Any of these can
selecting a scene based on landscape makes you more sensitive. Go into the field become the muse you’re
subject matter, it’s critical now and then for a day of inspiration. searching for.
that you also analyze the
core visual elements: shape, Take a cue from Impressionists like Claude Monet whose joy in painting JUST DO IT
outdoors is captured in Monet Painting in His Garden (1873; oil on
value, color arrangement, canvas, 18x23½) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
As a last resort, just start
etc. Without a strong foun- painting. Sometimes, simply
dation of such elements, placing pastel onto surface
even the most attractive kick-starts the process and
subject will fall short. and values throughout the composition will never lead suddenly the painting is
composition. Keep it small and to a satisfying outcome. guiding the way. PJ
DO THUMBNAILS simple. If the sketch looks awk-
A quick thumbnail sketch ward, try altering elements USE A VIEWFINDER Hall of Fame artist Richard
is a great way to work out to strengthen the composi- Whatever kind you use—a McKinley (mckinleystudio.
the dimensions or format of tion. If it still isn’t working, handmade version, a com- com) is the President of the
your composition, and the don’t proceed. No matter how mercially made device International Association of
placement of major shapes much you like a scene, a poor or the viewfinder on your Pastel Societies.
Pastel Voyages
Always ask permission of the manager

or hostess before photographing for an
PARIS
interior painting, such as Waiter (9x12).
Then, take photos of the walls and
tables, too, so it doesn’t appear that
the people are your primary subject.
Is for (Art) Lovers

Creatives of all sorts flock to Paris to soak in the city’s je ne sais quoi,
and if painting an urban environment is your thing, the French
capital is a sure bet for artistic inspiration.
By Desmond O’Hagan

I ’ve visited Paris seven times, and
it’s my favorite city in the world.
In the late 1980s, when I made my
break from graphic designer at an
advertising agency to full-time fine
visit the world’s great museums,
Paris was an ideal destination.
Although we visited other European
cities as well, Paris was always a
starting point or final stop before
PACK SMART
Traveling light gives you
the flexibility to change
artist, my wife and I had more flexi- heading back to the U.S. directions and plans,
bility for travel. At the time, my wife These travels to Paris were essen- and hop easily on and
worked in the hotel industry and was tial in broadening my knowledge off trains. My equipment
able to get a complimentary room at of impressionism, expressionism,
list for a trip in which
any of the company’s international abstract expressionism, sculpture
hotels. As a young married couple, it —and French pastry. I took hundreds I don’t plan to paint
was an opportunity we couldn’t pass of reference photos, which inspired en plein air includes a
up. Because I was excited to explore many many paintings. I fell in love decent pair of walk-
the world of fine art and eager to with the light, the architecture, the
ing shoes plus a small
camera, a few large-
capacity image cards,
smartphone and an
iPad mini.
For plein air painting
trips, I add a portable
Edgmon easel. My
selection of dark-,
medium- and light-value
pastels fits inside the
easel, which fits inside
a carry-on bag. I pack
a Judson Outfitters
tripod in my checked
luggage. I also bring
a paper assortment
(Canson Mi-Teintes and
UART 600 in 8x10, 9x12
and 11x14), along with a
small drawing board cut
from Masonite.
It rained six of the seven days

my family and I were in Paris.
For me, I loved the resulting
reflections which created
unique abstract shapes as
seen in Early June, Paris
(12x9). Look for spontaneous
scenes such as these, and
take several quick photos,
because everything changes
so rapidly.
Pastel Voyages
“Inspiration can occur at any moment, so have your camera ready.”
streets, the cafe culture, the parks, was planned to open at my Denver circumstances. When planned with
the interiors, and ... have I mentioned studio and then move to the galleries like-minded friends or family, com-
the pastries? that represent my work. bining travel and art-making can be
Our seven days in Paris required a rewarding experience for all.
A Plan for Work and Play an itinerary that balanced sightsee-
Fast forward to 2016, our most ing with my need to gather reference Gathering Reference
recent trip to Paris, which this time material—in a limited time frame. I do enjoy plein air painting on some
included our 20-year-old daughter I knew that I specifically wanted to of my travels. When time and subject
and 15-year-old son. The trip was a capture images of Paris at dusk and matter allow, it’s a great way to
great family adventure as well as an nighttime for the show, so I tried to spend the day. But, because I enjoy
opportunity to gather more inspira- find times to slip away and photo- painting scenes at the times of day
tion and material for an upcoming graph as many scenes as possible when light is fleeting—at dusk, for
exhibit of my paintings that would at those times. Still, patient travel example, with people and traffic
focus on the City of Lights. The show companions are essential in such moving—setting up to paint on-site

I love the
architecture of the
bridges in Paris.
The key to painting
these scenes is to
simplify the detail,
and concentrate on
contrasts, strokes
and color, as seen
in Bridge at Night,
Central Paris
(9x12). By doing so,
you can avoid a
stiff architectural
rendering.
There was a lot

of activity in the
An Artist’s Guide to Paris

scene that inspired
The Blue Awning
(14½x23). It was
important to simplify Pastel Journal had a few more questions to put to O’Hagan about his
areas and leave out personal recommendations when visiting the City of Lights.
unnecessary detail.
You’ve checked into your hotel, the taxi is waiting. What’s your first stop?
My first stop would be the Pont Neuf bridge and the surrounding area. It’s very
central with much to see.
Circumstances have left you with only one hour

to spend in the Louvre. What room do you visit?
I’d probably view the rooms with the gigantic Napoleon
paintings. I have a love of history, and these paintings
are some of the best political marketing I’ve ever seen.
Cézanne, Pissarro and many other art heroes

walked these streets. What’s the best spot in Paris
for tuning in to artists past?
Even though it’s a bit touristy, Montmartre still has that
historic artistic vibe.
“Bonjour. Un café, s’il vous plaît.” What’s your

favorite street or neighborhood for soaking in
PIERO DAMIANI/GETTY IMAGES
cafe culture?
There are great cafes everywhere in Paris, many with outdoor seating facing the
busy streets. My favorite area is near the Seine in the 5th Arrondissement, also
where the Shakespeare and Company bookstore is located.
And, finally, to really important matters: eclair au chocolat or macaron?

Eclair au chocolat.
Pastel Voyages
Paris at dusk or nighttime is stunning.
Early Evening Traffic, Paris (9x12)
features one of the city’s major
boulevards near the Seine.
These scenes are fleeting, so you
have to be quick with your camera.
can be difficult. For this reason, and familiarity with an environment— candid photos that capture the vibe
in order to maximize what’s usually and especially when you don’t—some of a scene without alerting others to
limited travel time, I mostly choose advance research of the area you’re my presence.
to gather photographic reference for visiting will maximize your efforts
future studio paintings. and prevent wasted time. That being Avoid the postcard view. When it
Here are some of the lessons I’ve said, inspiration can occur at any comes to selecting a subject, I tend to
learned for getting the best references moment, so have your camera ready. avoid well-known landmarks, as I feel
when traveling. they’ve already been painted to death.
Blend in with the crowd. I’ve A bustling international city will offer
Do your research. I’ve learned found that my Nikon Coolpix digital a variety of unique scenes to inspire
enough from previous visits to Paris compact camera does an excellent you. If you do choose to include a well-
that I’ve fine-tuned the process for job, and it doesn’t attract the atten- known landmark, make it secondary
choosing what to take photos of tion that a big camera with a long in your composition to avoid that
and where, but even when you have lens might. So, I’m able to take more postcard look.

The scene that became Night
Lights, the 9th Arrondissement
(12x18) was difficult to capture with
my camera, as it grew dark quickly.
Back in the studio, I experimented
with pushing the color and contrast.
Take a photo of the sky. When

photographing urban scenes, in
particular, it’s a good idea to take
a second photo directly of the sky.
Many urban scenes appear dark,
so the camera adjusts and lightens,
which then washes out the sky. I find
it helpful to have a more accurate
record of the sky color.
Take a second shot (and perhaps

a third and a fourth). Because
traffic and people are always moving your schedule to concentrate instead approach to travel-painting that’s
in an urban scene, take a few photos. on interior scenes. both productive and enjoyable. PJ
This will provide you with additional
options when working out the final It’s a Process Award-winning artist Desmond O’Hagan
painting composition. Each time I travel, I always learn new (desmondohagan.com) is a Master Pastelist
ways to be more efficient. For details in the Pastel Society of America and an
Be flexibile. Weather can change on packing tips, see “Pack Smart” Eminent Pastelist in the International
your game plan, so be flexible. If bad (on page 7). Although I continue to Association of Pastel Societies. He teaches
weather is in the forecast, re-arrange fine-tune, I feel I’ve developed an national and international workshops.
Skill Builders
10 Steps to Better Paintings

Take the guesswork out of your creative process by following
this simple—and road-tested—map for more successful work.
By Diane Fechenbach
I followed the 10-step process

to create Openings (at left; 12x9).
The storyboard (below) shows the
compilation of Steps 1 through 3.

Y ou’re ready to begin your next
painting, but your brain
freezes facing that blank
paper. Or, halfway into a painting,
you find that you don’t know what to
STEP 1: Define the Why
The why is sometimes called the
intent, or the concept, for your paint-
ing. It’s the starting point for the
story you invite your viewer to take
STEP 2: Make a Thumbnail
or Value Study
Make a small thumbnail (1x2 or 2x3
inches) or value study of your paint-
ing. This important step lets you see
do next. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a with you. Ask yourself why you’re compositional problems so you can
simple road map to guide your way? investing time and art supplies—and make corrections before you begin
The following considerations are possibly your ego—in this painting. the painting. Squint. Ignore details.
designed not only to keep you on Think back to what grabbed your Clump together shapes of similar
track but to make the journey fun. attention in the first place. What value. Simplify the painting into four
Steps 1 through 4 are important prompted you to stop in your tracks to six big shapes.
to a successful beginning. For Steps and say “wow” and made your heart
5 through 7, relax. Major decisions skip a beat? That’s your why. When STEP 3: Choose the Palette
have been made, allowing you to you recapture that moment, your I hate stopping in the middle of a
enjoy the painting experience. At painting will be off to a great start. painting to look for the right green.
Steps 8 and 9, step back and prepare It’s important to know, however, It takes up valuable time, causing me
for the finish in Step 10. that a painting can only have one to lose my momentum. To avoid this,
A note for abstract painters: Begin why. Think of it like going to the I select the pastels at the beginning.
with Step 4. When I start abstract airport: You can only board one When you’re working, first picture
work, I make a series of small plane at a time, going to a single the painting in your mind and find
sketches, select one as my reference destination. In the act of painting, those pastels. Set them out together
and then go back to Steps 1 to 3. we often encounter an amazing scene in front of the painting. Do all of the
containing two or colors work well together? Remove
three great subjects. and replace any that are the wrong
These other subjects color note or value.
should become other I usually have between 20 and
paintings. For this 30 pastels per painting and put them
painting, they’re in a tray that stays with the piece.
supporting cast to I create a quick color chart to confirm
the primary why. my color choices and to test drive
They either con- the group together. See the color
tribute to the why swatches in the photo (at left).
or draw attention
away from it. Don’t STEP 4: Create a Color Study
leave your viewer This step is optional. I use it with
confused by telling commissions so the buyer can see
more than one story. a visual of the concept. It’s also a
Keep in mind terrific tool for determining whether
that the why isn’t the painting should be predomi-
necessarily the focal nantly warm or cool. I make a quick
point. It could be a study of each version to decide. This
color or a mood. is a small (4x6 or 5x7) sketch. Avoid
The why in Openings detail. Plan on about 10 minutes.
(opposite) is the pat- Steps 1 through 3 (and/or 4) are
tern created by the essential to getting your painting
light spaces. off to a solid start. You now have a
The focal point is clear concept for the painting, have
the snow in the worked out value and composition,
lower left. and have laid out the pastels you’ll
Condense your use. Next, create a storyboard by
why into one or two securing the studies to a large piece
words and write of foamcore or cardboard. Clip that
them on a piece of storyboard to the easel or hang it
paper. Be sure to nearby. You’ll have an overview of
be completely clear what you plan to do. Now the fun
about your goal. really begins.
Art sts
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Skill Builders
Turn to page 16 to see
the 10 steps in action
STEP 5: Do the Block In STEP 7: Refine the Edges STEP 9: Add the Details
From your selected pastels, look and Shapes Refer back to your why. Your concept
for pastel values that correspond Work around the painting to clean should be obvious. Everything else acts
to your value study. Start anywhere, up the edges and correct the colors. as supporting cast. Add final details,
using the pastels to block in the Continue to refine the shapes. It’s putting in fewer than you think you
entire painting. This shouldn’t in this step that your painting comes might need.
take long since you’re blocking in into focus.
big shapes and forgoing detail. STEP 10: Bask in the Finish/
The values on the paper should STEP 8: Adjust the Colors Add Your Signature
resemble those in the thumbnail. You’re almost finished. This is the At last! When you’re satisfied with
time to consider whether you need your painting, add your signature.
STEP 6: Break Big Shapes to expand your selection of pastels to Congratulations! PJ
Into Smaller Shapes tweak colors and add accents. Stand
Your paper now has big, nonspecific back. Take a breath. Get a cup of tea. Diane Fechenbach (lightnshadow
value shapes on it. Using your cache Give your painting a critical look. studio.com) is an award-winning painter,
of pastels, begin breaking these value You might cycle back and repeat as well as a juror and instructor. She’s a
shapes into smaller shapes. Be sure Steps 7 and 8 for some areas. Take signature member of the Pastel Society
to work all over the painting, but your time. Hold off on details until of America, a Master Circle member of
don’t add details yet. You’ll go back all of the shapes and color nuances the International Association of Pastel
to these shapes and work on them are in place so you don’t risk having Societies and a Distinguished Pastelist
again in Step 7. to backtrack. with the Pastel Society of the West Coast.
Skill Builders
MAKE A PAINTING:
A Basic Road Map
1 Define
the why.
2 Make a thumbnail
or value study. 3 Choose the palette and
create a color chart.
5 Do the
block in.
4 Create a color study

and a storyboard.

6 Break the big shapes
into smaller shapes. 7 (detail): Refine the
edges and shapes.
8 (detail): Adjust
the colors.
9 (detail): Add
the details. 10 Bask in the finish and add your signature,
as I did for Flight of Angels (24x18). PJ
Bringing BEAUTY to LIGHT
WHILE SOME MIGHT LOOK AROUND AND SEE AN ORDINARY FIELD, TREE
OR FENCE ROW, FRENCH ARTIST SOPHIE AMAUGER LOOKS AT HER
LOCAL LANDSCAPE AND SEES NOTHING BUT POTENTIAL.
By Ani Kodjabasheva

S
ophie Amauger’s studio, located in the south an ever-changing palette; the previ-
of France, near Toulouse, is a converted barn ous year, for instance, the field was
with windows on all sides. Located near a hik- planted with sunflowers—“big yel-
ing trail, the studio also doubles as a gallery low flowers all around,” she says.
where visitors can stop by to see the artist’s Observing changes in the natural
ABOVE
L’Herbe bleue/Blue work. Step outside the studio into the garden, world is at the heart of Amauger’s
Grass (27½x27½) and you’ll find a small pond and an old French farmhouse. artistic practice, and she spends much
Beyond the picket fence stretch rolling hills covered in of her time walking or driving in the
OPPOSITE
Matin à Saillagol/ ripe, ochre-colored wheat. “Next week, they’ll turn the area in search of that perfect scene—
Morning in ground, and it will be all grays and violets,” Amauger says. the moment when, as she describes it,
Saillagol (27½x27½) Since the local crops rotate, the surrounding fields offer “the landscape jumps out to me.”
CLOCKWISE
Learning by Doing FROM ABOVE

Juillet à Roumieu/
July at Roumieu
Even though she attended a fine arts school, became The masters of art whom (7¾x11¾)
further specialized in graphic arts and worked in advertis- Amauger admires most—the French
ing for five years, Amauger maintains that her education Impressionists Camille Pissarro and Printemps Humide/
Wet Spring
was of no real use to her. “I didn’t learn how to be an artist Pierre Bonnard, for example, as well (19¾x19¾)
in art school,” she says. In her case, the real training came as British landscape painter John
outside of the classroom. Constable—are favorites because of Printemps Humide II/
Wet Spring II
Amauger started on her path as a pastelist almost the response their work produces. (19¾x19¾)
by chance, when she won a box of pastels as a prize in a “When you see Constable’s paintings,
competition. She’d painted in oil previously, but pastel the greens appear wet. I want to be
captivated her because of the spontaneity it allows. “I tried able to paint this—to show that the
them for the first time, on my own, and it was so won- green is wet. It’s why, when I see his
derful to have colors in a box—not waiting to be mixed. paintings, I’m touched. He was able
Everything is ready,” she says. “I immediately started to to create more than an image of the
paint nature. I never tried anything else.” landscape. He captures the essence of
Amauger believes that skill is acquired naturally the day.” Likewise, Amauger makes
through regular practice, and that focusing too much it her goal to paint that momentary
on technique can be counterproductive. In the courses truth, she says, “of the light, of the
she teaches in her studio, she advises her pupils to seek day, of the season, of the colors.”
that unmediated connection to the landscape. She shares
what she has learned over her 20 years of practice: “In
the beginning, I couldn’t find my subject in the land-
scape,” she says. “Now I know that my subject is the light.
I don’t want to paint a postcard. So, I concentrate on “When I paint a field, I am
noticing the light when I go outside.” When she finds
a lighting situation that pleases her, she wants to be able in the wheat. I am inside.
to speak about this light and the emotion it produces
when she’s there in the midst of it. I am in the grass.”
Becoming
an Artist
If technique comes naturally to
Amauger, what she has devoted
much of her effort to is structuring
her daily life to allow for moments
of artistic spontaneity. This has
involved significant life decisions, as
well as constant adjustments to her
schedule and working methods.
In her first decade as an artist,
Amauger worked part-time jobs to
help sustain her family of five, but
she continued to spend significant
amounts of time painting. Then, 10
years ago, she and her husband pur-
chased the farmhouse with the barn
that became her studio, and Amauger
was able to focus her efforts entirely
on her art.
Over time, she has devised effec-
tive methods for finding subjects
in the fields around her home and
developing them into finished works.
About three times per week, weather
permitting, she goes out in the morn-
ing to explore—with no particular
goal in mind. “Sometimes I’ll be out
for two or three hours, and at 11
o’clock, I’ve found nothing. Other
times, I find a nice subject directly,”
Amauger says. After decades of
practice, the artist is able to see
potential in an everyday scene that
may not at once appear interesting or
beautiful. “It could be just a big shade
tree—something very simple jumps
to my eyes,” she says. “The simplest
subjects, I see now, are better for me.”
Sometimes, Amauger may even
return to the subject of an earlier
work. Over two consecutive winters,
she painted a ditch running along a
row of trees in an empty field. One
painting was done in the morning
(see Printemps Humide or Wet Spring,
above), and the other in the after-
noon (see Printemps Humide II or Wet
Spring II, at left). She hadn’t planned
to revisit the scene, but one day, as
she was driving by, she was captured
by the familiar spot, and she knew
she had to paint it again. “My interest
is in how the color changes between
the morning and the afternoon,” she
explains. “It becomes orange. You can see that you can document how the light and colors CLOCKWISE
paint the same subject perhaps 10 times, and it’s never have changed. Although she has FROM BELOW
Verger à
the same.” the photos, she relies primarily on
Donneville/
It’s this talent—of seeing beauty in the familiar—that the field study she paints on the Donneville
her collectors appreciate. She magnifies the landscape spot. This is the key moment of her Orchard
that others may quickly walk by without interest. As a creative process—the point at which Springtime
client has told her, “With your eyes, we see it differently.” she develops what she thinks of as (11¾x11¾)
empathy for her subject. “When I Chaumes à
paint a field, I am in the wheat. I am Labruyère/
“I am in the Wheat” inside. I am in the grass,” she says.

Photographs offer support, but
Labruyère Culms
(7¾x11¾)
Le Viel Arbre Chez
When she has found a view she wants to paint, Amauger they’re a last resort for the artist Marcel/The Old
takes a photograph for reference before she begins. should a part of the preparatory study Tree at Marcel’s
She also takes one at the end of a plein air session, to be unclear. Once you have photos in (19¾x19¾)

front of you, Amauger says, “the dan-
ger is that you fall into the details,”
so she uses them only sparingly.
Amauger often returns to a
location more than once to make a
preparatory painting. “I prefer to go
on two separate days,” she says. “One
morning I go and I take my time to
mostly feel the subject. I start to
paint. When the light turns, perhaps
one hour later, I stop. Then I come
back the day after.” The maximum
time she paints outside is two hours,
and so returning to paint allows her
to use the time fully, because she has
already had the chance to connect
with the subject.
There’s a spontaneous nature to
those first paintings that requires
a selection process later. Amauger
discards about two out of every five
plein air pastels that she does. “Not
exactly half of my work, but I try not
to keep everything.” She says it’s not
hard to do it, as it helps her grow. The
pastels that are “good enough” for
her she then re-creates in a larger for-
mat, depicting trees more carefully
and enhancing some of the details.
LEARNING NEVER ENDS
No matter your experience
level, the opportunity for learn-
ing never ends. For Amauger,
she continues to learn during
her frequent travels and from
her friends, who spark ideas
and help her set new goals. An
83-year-old artist friend Marcel
Moulin, for example, showed her
around France’s Atlantic coast
in Brittany. For the first time,
Amauger started painting sand
dunes and the sea. Now, two or
three times each year, she and
Moulin rent a house in a quiet
area along that coast and work
together for a week. As a result,
seascapes have become a recur-
ring motif in her latest work.
Sophie Amauger (at left, bottom) and her friend, Oléron la Cotinière (19¾x19¾)
Marcel Moulin (at left, top) are seen here painting
in the Lot in southern France.
Accepting New Challenges

Although this approach has worked for the artist for some worked more closely with a photograph. Even though it’s
time, lately she has been challenging herself to paint not her favorite approach, she takes pride in mastering an
only outside, and to omit the studio stage altogether. She ambitious task and using her skills. “It’s a very difficult
hopes that, in this way, she can more directly capture “the color—green,” she says. “Normally, if you have another
essence of the day.” color, like the sky, you can balance the green. But with just
She’s especially proud of a painting she made as a grass alone … Painters are afraid of that.”
demonstration for students—a wheat field with boldly Amauger advises aspiring painters to persist in pursu-
mixed yellows and oranges, a dark grove in the middle ing their goals. She remembers one rainy day during an
ground, and a pale, distant mountain range (See Chaumes artist-in-residency when she could only stay indoors, in
à Labruyère on page 23). The painting contains a sweeping a cramped space with other painters. Being more accus-
open space and took just 30 minutes to complete. “It was tomed to moving freely in the landscape, she could only
very, very quick. No details, and nothing touched after- look at a small patch of the garden through a window. She
ward in my studio,” she says. was struggling to produce anything. “Really, my stomach
Amauger has learned that being open to new chal- hurt; it was painful. I thought I wasn’t going to be able
lenges is important. Take the precise rendering of grass to paint anything good in those conditions,” she recalls.
and ferns in Le Nez Dans l’Herbe (Nose in the Grass), on She challenged herself to keep trying, however, and even
the opposite page, that won her an honorable mention though it was an unpleasant experience, she painted a pas-
in the 20th Annual Pastel 100 last year. For it, the artist tel with which she was satisfied, and it sold immediately.

LEFT
Le Nez Dans l’Herbe/
Nose in the Grass
(27½x27½)
BOTTOM
Vert Avril/Green April
(23½x23½)
“Always tell yourself that you can

do it,” Amauger suggests. “And you
will do it. Even if it’s difficult. I’m not
saying that it’s not difficult … and
perhaps you won’t paint your best
work, but those challenges always
help you grow.” (See “Learning Never
Ends” on page 24.)
Amauger values the humility that
comes along with trying new things.
“It’s not good to be happy with your
work,” she says. “I tell my pupils this
all the time: Don’t frame your work
right away. Wait, wait, wait. I know
you’re very happy, but wait, because
if you’re happy with what you paint,
you can’t progress anymore.”
The potential for discovery is there
again each morning. “You don’t know
everything when you’re a painter,”
she says. “You’re always a pupil in
front of the landscape.” PJ
Ani Kodjabasheva is a freelance writer

living in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Artist Sophie Amauger (sophieamauger.

com) lives in the countryside of southern
France. She earned a degree in fine
art at Beaux Arts of Rennes, followed
by coursework at the Brassart Graphic
Arts at Tours. A member of the French
Pastel Society, Pastel Arts in France
and the Italian Pastel Society, her work
is represented in France by galleries
in Bordeaux and Saint Émilion, and
in Hooghalen, in the Netherlands. Her
pastels have been exhibited at the Mall
Galleries in London, and in many venues
across France, including the annual
Pastellistes de France Exhibition, in Feytiat.
FROM PORTR AITS TO
L ANDSCAPES
MOVED BY A PIVOTAL WORLD EVENT,
GREG BARNES FOUND THE COURAGE
TO PURSUE A FULFILLING ARTISTIC CAREER.
By Michael Chesley Johnson
T
he destruction of the World Trade Center on September
11, 2001, abruptly changed many lives. When the next day
dawned, it brought with it a new sense of urgency for many
individuals. For Greg Barnes, it meant getting serious about
his life—and his art.
Barnes had majored in art with a minor in biology at
Wake Forest University, graduating in 1985, but found that
he had no firm direction in his life. He worked first for a quick-printing
company and then as a technical illustrator. When computers entered
the business mainstream, he turned to computer graphics, producing
computer-based training software for a textile machinery manufacturer.
“When that job ended,” he says, “I bounced around for a couple more years
trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”
Married with two young children, Barnes believed that he was at an
important crossroads. “Then 9/11 happened,” he says. “It brought the real-
ization that life is short, and I’d better do what I was meant to do.” With his
wife’s encouragement, he took the brave step of becoming a full-time artist.
FIRST THINGS FIRST

“I was pretty good at drawing portraits, so I let everyone know I was doing
that,” Barnes says. First, he made charcoal portraits of his two children
and used the works as samples. Over time, he built a portfolio and entered
local art shows and festivals. Commissions began to come his way. “One of
the first large portraits I did was of a man at my church who had recently
passed away,” he says. “He’d been the choir director for many years and
had been very well known and respected. I gifted the portrait to the
church, as this whole art thing was a total leap of faith. I basically dedi-
cated my ‘first fruits’ to the Lord.”
During that first year, Barnes’ success with portraiture kept him moti-
vated. As people began to request color portraits, he began to explore pastel,
which today is his mainstay. Still, the sales weren’t enough to
Dede’s View make a living, so he resorted to taking odd jobs to make ends
(24x24) meet. “But,” he says, “I never lost focus on my goal of being
LEFT
Aspen Way
(12x16)
BELOW
Berkeley Hills
(11x14)
self-sustaining, and I just kept draw- As he returned to the same events over the years,
ing, painting and reading about art.” he began to build a contact list and set up impromptu
During this uneasy time, he one- or two-day workshops nearby. He has found that
acquired a copy of Harley Brown’s art festivals are an especially good way to develop
Eternal Truths for Every Artist, which a contact list. “It’s old-fashioned compared to social
not only offered excellent advice but media,” the artist says, “but it’s very effective when
the inspiration to develop a looser you’re connecting with real people and having face-
pastel style. “That book became my to-face conversations.”
‘go to’ whenever I wanted to recharge Barnes’ approach of combining teaching with art
and learn more,” the artist says. sales provided him with enough income to continue
It wasn’t long before Barnes was as a full-time painter. Today, this successful artist and
taking workshops with master painters teacher is represented by galleries in Miami; Hilton
such as Kevin Beck and Albert Handell, Head, S.C.; Crested Butte, Colo.; and Lahaina, Hawaii.
which helped to boost his knowledge
and confidence. Fortified, he began
to enter competitions and apply to MATERIAL MATTERS
art festivals farther from home in Although Barnes has done a great deal of plein air
an effort to increase his exposure. painting, most of his work is done in the studio.
At these events, he found that Confessing that his studio is a jumble, he jokingly
people were interested in learning claims it’s really just “organized chaos.” With two or
his own painting methods. “The seed three studio easels occupying the work area, illumi-
was planted to try teaching,” Barnes nated by both natural light and overhead fluorescent
says. “At that point, I was paint- lamps, he surrounds himself with boxes and drawers
ing outdoors almost every day, so I filled with pastels.
began pretending that I was teach- Next to his primary easel, which can hold a painting
ing a workshop. I’d just start talking up to 36x48 inches, he uses a large rolling toolbox as a
to myself, explaining how I came to taboret to set pastels on as he works. Over the years,
choose the scene, what I wanted to he has collected all of the small bits of pastel from his
focus on, why I used a certain color.” travel box—a homemade box that can hold hundreds
Barnes believes that narrating while of sticks—and separates them by color in drawers.
painting is an important way to teach “When I’m working on a large piece,” he says, “I’ll pull
because it facilitates learning. out the drawers featuring the colors I need and keep

them nearby.” He notes that, for a painters find that the 400-grit tooth even bigger painting, he just tapes
pastel artist, figuring out a system fills too easily, Barnes circumvents the paper to the studio wall.
for storing pastels is a real challenge. that by using a light touch for layer- Like most pastel painters, Barnes
“I’ve found that this system of drawing. When working in the studio, fills his studio with a large assort-
ers that can be pulled out and put he also prefers a large format, such ment of pastels of different brands.
away easily is the best way to go.” as 24x36, 30x40 and 36x48 inches. Most often, however, he uses Mount
Barnes likes UART 400 paper as Large sheets of Gator Board provide Vision pastels, preferring them for
a painting support for its consis- a sturdy foundation against which to their size and the slight grittiness
tency and durability. Although some work. If the artist is working on an they possess. “I also like dealing with
FRAME FRESH
When participating in an art festival or plein air painting event, Barnes frames his own
work. He uses ready-made frame “kits” that either he or his framer has prepared in
advance. “Basically, it’s an assembled frame with glass and foam board backing,”
the artist says. “To frame a new painting, all I need to do is remove the backing, tape
the painting to the back of the mat—or place the painting on the spacers if I’m not
using a mat—replace the backing and then put a wire on it.”
Barnes is still undecided on the best way to frame a pastel—with or without a mat.
In college, he was taught that a white or off-white mat was classic and “sets” the art-
work. “I’ve always stuck to that thinking,” he says, but he’ll frame either way.
When he uses a mat, he prefers a double mat or a mat with a groove cut to give
an extra line. For glazing, he uses Tru-Vue Ultra View, which has the anti-reflective
properties of museum glass but not the UV protection. Explaining his choice, he says,
“It’s less expensive than museum glass and does the same job. UV protection isn’t
mandatory for pastels since the pigments are lightfast, like those used in oil paint.”
ABOVE
Glorious
Appearing (36x48)
LEFT
Mother’s Day
Morning (8x10)

Karl Kelly, the owner of the com- paints. As much as he loves variety Because Barnes is primarily
pany,” he says, adding that he has and experimentation, though, he has a landscape painter, he establishes
visited the Mount Vision warehouse developed one approach that works the horizon line first, which he then
several times while doing art shows really well for him: basing large follows with a handful of quick
near Tampa, Fla. “I was taken by studio paintings on smaller plein air scribbles. Next, he blocks in the dark-
the color assortment and the home- studies. “Having explored the subject est shapes, avoiding black but making
grown nature of his operation.” and worked out design problems in extensive use of dark greens, purples,
Working with Kelly, Barnes has the field frees me to be more expres- blues and browns.
created a 25-stick set that he takes sive in the studio,” he says. Moving on to the mid-values and
to workshops for students to try He begins most paintings with finally to the lightest areas, Barnes
out or purchase. a quick pencil or charcoal sketch of applies minimal pressure to keep this
the major shapes. Sometimes, he’ll initial layer thin. “I vary the strokes
use pastel with rubbing alcohol and from up and down to side to side,
VARIETY IS THE SPICE a chip brush—a brush made with creating jagged edges and interest-
OF THE ARTIST’S LIFE natural China bristles that can with- ing shapes,” the artist says. “Once
Barnes doesn’t have a tried-and-true stand solvents—to create a colorful the piece is blocked in, I smudge
process that he follows every time he underpainting first. the dark areas using a paper towel,
concentrating more on pressing the pigment into the
paper than wiping it off. At this point, the painting
is a mass of shapes and values, awaiting detail in the
areas that I choose.”
MAKING CONNECTIONS
A devout Christian, Barnes says, “My beliefs and
values can’t help but seep into my artwork, mostly RIGHT
in the form of serene and colorful scenes.” When he San Blas Dunes
paints, he hopes to create engaging beauty that will (12x24)
connect with the viewer. “When a painting expresses BELOW
a mood or a feeling, it has more potential to connect, Knapp Whitewater
(16x12)
as opposed to a painting that’s more

of an illustration or generic scene.”
Barnes believes that details play
an important part in creating mood,
which require getting shapes and
values right. “Color has very little
to do with it,” he says. “Drawing, on
the other hand, does have a lot to do
with it, but a small light shape on top
of a darker shape can easily read as
a detailed highlight if the placement
and shape are right.”
For example, Barnes may portray
a grassy area with just a handful of
light marks over a dark passage. “By
placing the large, undetailed masses
first and following with just a few
flicks of contrasting color, you create
detail.” He encourages painters not

“HAVING EXPLORED THE SUBJECT AND WORKED OUT DESIGN PROBLEMS
IN THE FIELD FREES ME TO BE MORE EXPRESSIVE IN THE STUDIO.”
to draw every leaf on the tree, but In the studio, he’ll keep a painting Greg Barnes
instead focus on a few to represent going for several days, even though (barnesstudios.
along the edges of contrasting values. the actual working time may only be com), of
Charlotte, N.C.,
“I may be oversimplifying, but look for a few hours, taking the time to evalu- has a bachelor’s
the combination of large value masses ate the work while engaged in other degree in art
and smaller marks that create defini- tasks. “I like to let a piece breathe and a minor
tion in most impressionist paintings.” before deciding it’s finished. My in biology from
main criterion for calling a painting Wake Forest
finished is for it to have a feeling of University. He
travels regularly around the United States
FINAL MATTERS spontaneity or freshness.” PJ to participate in fine art festivals and
A benefit of painting in pastel is that plein air events and to teach workshops.
it’s easy to rework a piece. “One thing Pastelist Michael Chesley Johnson An award-winning landscape painter, he
I’ve learned through trial and error is (mchesleyjohnson.com) is the author of still does portrait commissions from time
that you really can’t mess up a pastel Outdoor Study to Studio: Take Your Plein Air to time. Barnes is a member of the Plein
painting,” Barnes says. If the color Painting to the Next Level and other books, Air Painters of the Southeast. His work is
represented by Grove Gallery & Interiors,
gets muddy, he just brushes off as and is a painting instructor who’s featured
in Miami; Karis Art Gallery, in Hilton Head,
much of the muddied area as possible in Artists Network TV videos (artistsnet S.C.; Oh Be Joyful, in Crested Butte, Colo.;
and then lays fresh color into it. “With work.com/store). He teaches workshops and Village Galleries, in Lahaina, Hawaii.
practice, it can be done quite easily.” throughout the United States.
SEEING “S
panish is my mother tongue, and pastel is my
mother medium,” says landscape artist Alejandra
Gos. She loves pastels because they “feel like an
the
extension of me. My hand, arm, fingers and the pigment
are all one.” This is a feeling singular to pastel, and Gos
appreciates the vibrancy and immediacy the medium
offers, which allows for “fast painting and bold mark-
LIGHT making—two main characteristics of my work.”
LEARNING FROM THE PROS

Gos’ first introduction to pastel was a set of Nupastels that
ALEJANDRA GOS WEAVES HER was gifted to her mother when she visited the United States
LOVE FOR NATURE, LEARNING in 1968 from their home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Gos
still has those pastels, calling them a “true relic.” She didn’t
AND THE LANDSCAPE INTO begin painting with pastels until 2011, however, when
SCENES OF THE NORTHWEST she started following the work of instructor and award-
winning artist Marla Baggetta. Gos loved Baggetta’s pastel
THAT CONVEY A SENSE OF PLACE. landscapes and knew she wanted to use the medium for her
own pieces, so she attended her first three pastel workshops
By Rebecca Dvorak with Baggetta in Milwaukie, Ore.

Although Gos, a software engineer with a background the moment I saw the light,” she says. Subsequently, she
in computer science and math, doesn’t have a formal was accepted into an International Association of Pastel
degree in fine art, she has honed her craft by attend- Societies exhibition, and her career took off. Most of her
ing workshops like these around her home in the Pacific pieces that make their way into major pastel exhibitions
Northwest. It’s through these studies that she has met are done en plein air.
some of the mentors, like Baggetta, who have guided her
artistic growth. “Many have left their mark,” she says,
“and continue to do so—in my art career.” EMBRACING NATURE
Gos took weekend classes with pastel artist Janet Gos’ love of plein air painting is complemented by a love
Hamilton and then discovered the Dakota Art Center, in of nature. “Nature is a constant source of inspiration for
Mount Vernon, close to her home in Bothell, Wash. “All of me,” the artist says. “I’ve tried other subjects, but I don’t
a sudden, I had these great opportunities to learn from the stray very far. The landscape is like a calling to me. It has
best pastelists in the country and abroad just a 90-minute taught me a lot about color, atmosphere and the need to
drive from my home,” she says. hurry up and capture that moment before the sun goes
The biggest turning point in Gos’ artistic journey, down—or the rain pours all over my pastel box.” Living
however, came when she took her first pastel class with close to Seattle, she has a wealth of stunning scenery from
Richard McKinley in 2016. She participated in a one-week which to choose.
mentorship class for more experienced artists and was She usually drives at least an hour away from her home
introduced to plein air painting. “Richard has influenced to reach more remote locations, where there are no houses
and helped many artists, and I’m no exception,” Gos says. or buildings in view. Because nature is her inspiration, she
“It was my first time painting outside, has learned to value it in a new way. “Even if I don’t have
OPPOSITE and it was a mental struggle.” But my painting supplies with me, it feeds me,” she says.
Secluded (16x20) McKinley’s constructive feedback and Gos has painted other subjects—including birds, which
Gos’ strong work ethic combined to often sell quickly and are very popular—but these subjects
BELOW
The Golden Hour overcome the unknown. “That was don’t fulfill her in the same way that the landscape does.
(9x12)
CONNECTING TO VIEWERS
When it comes to the specific elements of the landscape, resonates with the viewers by showing them the locations
water and paths that stretch into the distance are common where I’ve taken my easel throughout my life.”
subjects throughout Gos’ work. She says she feels a mag- If Gos is in the field, she’ll first scout the area without
netic pull to water reflections but has tried to push her her equipment and select a spot based on an interesting
paintings beyond this subject, thinking they often lack the arrangement of shapes and a sense of distance. “I look for
distance and depth that take her work to the next level. something in the foreground, middle and distance,” she says.
Gos’ individual pieces often don’t have a specific story In the studio, she tends to choose closeups from refer-
behind them. “They do have an intention as a whole, ence photos such as an “interesting tree shape next to a
though,” she says, “ and that’s to show the viewers a place winding creek, or a beam of light that casts a compelling
where they’d like to be or that might mean something combination of darks and lights, and warm and cools,
special to them. I’m trying to present scenery that across a field or a country road.”

RIGHT
Across the River
(8x10)
BELOW
Desert
Superstitions
(12x15)
Gos’ love of plein air painting

complements her love for nature.
She travels to remote locations
for uninterrupted views.
RELYING ON
THE ANALYTICAL
Although Gos’ first three years of
painting involved constant change
as she honed her craft, her aesthetic
and subject matter have remained
consistent. What has changed, how-
ever, is her process. In particular, she
has worked on how to study a subject,
adjust more carefully and produce
work that looks more finished. “It’s
the same bold, fresh look,” she says, Her method is consistent no matter where she is or
“but now it’s more professional.” what materials she’s using. First, she decides what she
Gos always begins with a robust wants to paint based on an idea, whether referencing a
planning stage, which is her favorite photo or the view in front of her in the field. She starts
part of the process. She deeply values with a small three-value sketch. In this stage, she can try
the analytical and disciplined nature out every possibility. “If the sketch has what I think will
of her craft. “I’ve always had steps result in a well-composed painting,” Gos says, “I go for it;
and processes for everything,” the otherwise, I adjust and adjust until I get it right.”
artist says. “Painting is no different. She has learned that it’s worth the effort to spend time
I tend to stick to the things that work up front with the sketch because once she starts moving
and that give me good results. I don’t into the next stage, the possibilities narrow, and it’s too
think it’s my engineering background late to change fundamental aspects without starting over.
that influences my art, but my per- “I never start a painting without knowing where my pat-
sonality and the way I was raised that terns of light and shadow are and what their proportions
influence both.” are in the scene,” the artist says. “I tried starting without
LEFT
Glowing by
the Road (12x9)
BELOW
Emerald
Fascination (12x16)
a sketch once and that just confirmed my suspicion: No an underpainting using rubbing alcohol and Nupastels in
planning means a disaster waiting to happen.” three different colors and values.
Gos will then block in the entire painting, applying
pastel softly to save the tooth, working the piece until
STAYING TRUE TO THE SKETCH things begin to come together. That’s the point at which
Once Gos is happy with her composition and arrangement she’ll stop and put the painting aside for at least a week,
of shapes, she’ll draw her subject on the paper. If she plans “somewhere at home where I can see it in different light
to do an underpainting, she lays out the drawing using vine conditions and from different angles,” she says. “This helps
charcoal; however, if she’s working on toned paper, she uses me see how much information is already there and pre-
a hard Nupastel dark shade to draw the shapes. She then vents me from overworking the piece when I bring it back
covers the darkest areas and values using that same stick. to the easel for finishing touches.”
She tries to stay true to her sketch without diving too Like many artists, Gos’ biggest struggle is knowing
deep into the details. She has found that if a painting when to stop. “I used to rework my pieces so much, almost
isn’t working, it’s usually because there’s a big discrep- without thinking,” she says. “Then I realized what I have
ancy between the sketch and the painting. She’ll create to do is to slow down. I have to change my speed from

“I’ve tried other subjects, but I don’t stray very far.
The landscape is like a calling to me.”
Alejandra Gos
(alejandragos.
com), of
Bothell, Wash.,
is a software
engineer and an
award-winning
landscape artist.
She’s a signature
member of the Pastel Society of America,
the Northwest Pastel Society and the
Pastel Society of the West Coast. She’s
also a member of Plein Air Washington
Artists and the Pastel Society of Colorado.
Her work can be found at Christopher
Framing and Fine Art, in Edmonds, Wash.,
and Scott Milo Gallery, in Anacortes, Wash.
When she’s not working on-site, Gos can be

found in her home-based studio.
beginning to end. The closer I am to the finish line, the the artist says. As for pastels, she favors Giraults for their
slower I have to take it.” consistency and Unisons for their color and value range,
especially the golden greens that she hasn’t found in
other brands.
LEARNING AND Gos enjoys always having something new to learn in her
EXPERIMENTING work. It’s what keeps her motivated and interested. For
Although Gos never tires of her subject matter, she does example, she studies the works of the masters to perfect
experiment with paper and media to keep her work fresh. her own technique and revisits art books when she needs
She tries not to become too reliant on one brand of pastel inspiration or just wants to figure out the technicalities of
or paper, but she does have her favorites, particularly cer- “making the mountain face east.”
tain papers that help her “get there” in an easier way. She “Looking at masterpieces when I’m lacking motivation,”
loves UART when doing an underpainting using rubbing she says, “gives me that almost-immediate boost to get
alcohol over dry pastel. She also likes PastelMat, which back to the easel.” PJ
has a soft touch but can hold a lot of pastel. “I’m a heavy-
handed painter, so PastelMat and I work well together,” Rebecca Dvorak, of New York City, is an arts writer and editor.
The
ARTIST as
ALCHEMIST
SUSAN GROSSMAN MASTERS
THE ART OF NARRATIVE
IN HER MONOCHROMATIC
INTERPRETATIONS OF FLEETING
SCENES IN THE BIG APPLE.
By Cynthia Close
I
n her large-scale painterly
pastels, Brooklyn-based
artist Susan Grossman
practices the magical art of
transforming the appearance
of matter. Like a medieval
alchemist working to trans-
form base metals into gold,
she manipulates dry pastel
in many of her cityscapes
to replicate rain-soaked pavement that
appears so wet it fairly drips off the paper.
Through her work featuring everyday
people navigating their way through New
York City scenes, Grossman demonstrates
a nuanced, clearly observed knowledge of
city life.
DOING THE WORK

Born in New Jersey, not far from Asbury
Park, the budding artist grew up in the
television age and loved the drama she
found in the darkened movie theater, being
particularly drawn to the stark edginess of
film noir. Grossman took drawing lessons
early on, leaving little doubt that a career
as an artist was in her future.
In the 1980s, Grossman studied painting
at free-spirited Bennington College, in rural
Vermont, where “there was a great appre-
ciation for collaboration,” she says. “I was
blessed to be there at a beautiful time when
we were learning about abstract expression-
ism. I was learning how to control color.”
After receiving a BA in painting from
Bennington, she returned to her preferred
urban environment, where she earned an
MFA from Brooklyn College, in 1988.
Today, Grossman spends most of her
time painting. When the hard-working
artist is in her studio, she doesn’t sit like
a mystic waiting for the creative muse to
strike. “The romance of the artist’s life is
Await (charcoal and pastel, 45x55)
a myth,” she says. “You go to work every day. I’m in the Island Sound, a famous haunt for generations of New York
studio from nine in the morning until six at night. Most City artists when they felt the need to escape the towering
days, something will be made.” steel, stone and glass caverns of the city that never sleeps.
The windswept sky and open roads in those unpopulated
PLACING CHARACTERS landscapes provide a release from the brick buildings,
asphalt streets and concrete sidewalks of the artist’s
ON STAGE Brooklyn neighborhood. Although beautifully executed
It’s a deeply empathetic and psychological connection to with a fresh spontaneity, they lack the urgency of the
the essential, geometric structure of New York City that moment depicted in her cityscapes.
suffuses Grossman’s work. Her simultaneous love of place
and deep immersion in the anonymity of life in a bustling USING COLOR FOR
metropolis reach a satisfying balance in works in which
she takes on the role of director, using figures placed like VISUAL STORYTELLING
characters in a play. The city itself is the stage upon which Acknowledging her penchant for a minimal palette of
they act out their daily lives. black, gray and white that gives a classic film noir feel
Grossman’s vignettes of city life are interspersed with to her work, Grossman tends to shy away from broad
an occasional landscape from the south shore of Long swaths of color. “I’m not a colorist,” she says.

CLOCKWISE
FROM LEFT
Breakaway (charcoal and pastel, 24x30)
Veiled (charcoal and pastel, 26x30)
Gleaming (charcoal and pastel, 45x55)
When she does use color, she

does so sparingly—and with great
effect—to direct the eye through
the composition, as in Breakaway
(opposite). The addition of color adds
drama to the visual narrative. First
we notice the cerulean blue and violet
parkas on the backs of the children.
We presume the girls are walking
home from school on a brisk winter
day. The play of bare tree branches
against the wedge of ice blue sky seen
at the far end of the street convinces
us the air is crisp. One child dashes
off to the left, breaking away from
View From Within (charcoal and pastel, 29¾x39¾)
her three friends. We assume they’re friends, but we have After hanging several sheets of Canson paper in various
no way of knowing for sure. The composition triggers a sizes on the wall, she works on several images simultane-
detailed narrative, prompting viewers to imagine what ously, moving from the larger to smaller pieces. “It’s sort
the relationships are among the girls. of like stream of consciousness,” she says. “I ask myself,
‘What am I looking for? What am I in the mood for? What
SEARCHING FOR do I want to make today?’ Drawing is important; it has
immediacy. I start out with a grid, like renaissance paint-
THE NARRATIVE ers used to work. It has to feel right. The composition
Grossman is, in fact, a master of narrative. She prowls the should move all around. The scenes—banal moments—
city streets, camera in hand, taking literally thousands of are a narrative of the city. For example, a car obstructs the
photos to capture elusive moments. She goes to a nearby movement of a solitary woman wearing a white coat. It’s
pharmacy and has prints made of her favorites, taking a little drama that intrigues me.”
them back to her spacious Brooklyn studio where she pins
the photos to the wall and assesses the day’s (or some- USING MOVEMENT TO
times evening’s) experience. No single photo is used as
a source, however. Grossman takes elements from several ADVANCE THE STORY
to create the composite tale she wants to tell. “Some artists may depend on high-minded titles to dictate
what the work is about, but I’m against using titles as a
crutch,” Grossman says. She prefers no titles at all, or only
the most ambiguous-sounding ones.
Veiled (on page 43), a full-color pastel and charcoal from
2019, seems to be one of the few exceptions. In today’s
“I believe in world, that title is charged. The central image is of two
young women partially concealed by their umbrellas.
depicting what Although they’re seen from the back and are shielded
you know.” from our view, we surmise that they’re young based on

REFLECTING ON RAIN
In Lucent (top)
and City Crossings
(bottom)—two recent
pastel and charcoal
pieces from her 2019
exhibition at the Kim
Eagles-Smith Gallery,
in San Francisco—the
umbrella-touting
pedestrians give the
obvious clues about
the weather. But
beyond the umbrel-
las, it’s the artist’s skill
in handling pastel
that allows us to see
the wet light reflect-
ing off the pavement.
We unconsciously
pull back to avoid
the splash.
“I’m drawn to
wet pavement,”
Grossman says.
“The wonderous
reflections never fail
to stop me.” When
asked to reveal her
trade secrets in
achieving those lumi-
nous effects of rain
on hard surfaces, she
confesses to using
her fingers.
Perhaps it’s her
sense of touch that
creates such glisten-
ing light, as well as
the Diane Townsend
pastels that the artist
so admires. The addi-
tion of pumice to the
pastel powder may
help to create that
sense of flow, espe-
cially when depicting
a wet surface or any
atmospheric effect.
TOP
Lucent (charcoal
and pastel, 35x45)
BOTTOM
City Crossings
(charcoal and pastel,
45x55)
“I hope everything
subtle cues of posture and dress. Are we projecting too
much by thinking the title has political overtones and I do has a story.”
is referencing the subjugation of women?
Grossman believes the viewer should be free to inter-
pret the action and, as in cinema, movement is essential
to the meaning of her image-making. These two women
standing together in the rain under their umbrellas aren’t
stationary. They’re poised to move, about to cross an
intersection on their way to an undetermined destination.
“I hope everything I do has a story,” the artist says. Grossman has painted portraits
and specific individuals in the past,
HIGHLIGHTING AN but she doesn’t like the “precious-
ness” a realist approach seems to
ORDINARY MOMENT evoke. “I think of the work in a more
Grossman’s human subjects are always seen from the abstract sense,” she says. “I seek the
back or side. Even in a more intimate interior scene such atmosphere in film noir, like Woody
OPPOSITE
as View From Within (on page 44), the standing figure is Allen filming in Paris or New York Overlooking
looking down, her hair completely hiding her face, while City. You take that mundane moment (charcoal and
the seated figure has her back to the viewer and is staring and blow it up. That moment has pastel, 60x80)
out through the window. There’s a Hopper-esque feeling immediacy. I’m more concerned with BELOW
of isolation that permeates this image and many others in the movement of a swirl of a coat or Entrance
which figures appear. the tilt of a head.” (charcoal and
pastel, 45x55)

INTIMATING AN
ELEMENT OF DANGER
Surprisingly, Grossman doesn’t reject the idea of
infusing an element of danger into some of her works.
Fear is more prevalent when we walk city streets at night.
Perhaps that fear is more overtly courted in a night
scene such as Entrance (opposite). Viewers’ experiences
of big city life will greatly influence how they perceive
Grossman’s scenarios.
Those unfamiliar with the incessant pace and the
constant demand to protect one’s personal space while
dodging vehicles—particularly in the dark—may feel a
little uneasy. Urbanites will likely appreciate the intrigue,
complexity and luminosity as individuals own their space Susan Grossman (susangrossman.net), of Brooklyn,
24/7 in a city on the move. “I believe in depicting what you N.Y., graduated with a BA from Bennington College and
know,” she says. received an MFA from Brooklyn College. She juggles her time
In her urban scenes, Grossman spins her magic, telling between the studio and the classroom and has taught at
engaging yet unresolved narratives in which the viewers Wesleyan University and The City College of New York. She’s
project how the stories will end. PJ represented by the Jerald Melberg Gallery, in Charlotte, N.C.
Her work can be found in numerous public and private
collections throughout the United States.
Cynthia Close (cynthiaclose.com), of Burlington, Vt., earned an MFA
from Boston University and worked in various art-related roles before
becoming a writer and editor.
Narratives for
NOW
AMANDA GRESS’ FIGURES AND PORTRAITS ARE INSPIRED
BY THE WORK OF MASTERS PAST, BUT REFLECT THE UNIQUE
TRIUMPHS AND TRIALS OF MODERN-DAY RELATIONSHIPS.
By Enid Wood
“I LIKE EVERY MEDIUM,

AND PASTEL IS A FAVORITE,”
confides Amanda Gress, a Colorado artist who was initially
trained in oil painting and sculpture. She fell in love with
pastel during her MFA studies, looking for a medium that
combined her love of drawing with her love of color. Her
mentor, Sharon Allicotti, recommended pastel as a good fit.
Her father, a watercolorist, gave her a beautiful wooden
box of Rembrandt pastels that he had used in art school in
the 1960s. “Pastels don’t go bad,” she notes, gratefully.
Her paintings begin with an idea and the question—
“What medium will represent it best?” After a few tips from
Allicotti, known for her figurative pastels, Gress went to
work. Her first pastel painting was the large-scale Vision (at
left). The artist loved being able to blend with her fingers,
without having a brush in the way. She painted a series of
seven narrative pastel paintings over the course of two
years, with as many as 100 hours invested in some of them.
Gress confesses to being “obsessed with art history,”
and owning “a million” art books. These books are influ-
ential as references that sometimes seed future paintings.
“Images form when I’m driving,” she says. “On the highway,
I don’t listen to the radio. I want it to be silent. My mind
has a chance to contemplate. When I zone out, I get ideas.” Vision (36x34)
Taking Time The idea for a painting may not be clear to Gress
The artist says her goal for each painting is to depict initially. “It starts foggy, in a generalized way,” she says.
a story or narrative. “My overarching theme is the “Then, I think about who would be good models among
mundane, quiet moment,” she says, “the moments that people I know, and I ask them if they’d be willing.” That’s
we don’t think of as important, but they are; those are when she becomes a stage director. The photo shoot
the in-between times and the transitional. My works are might last several hours. She stages the room and directs
pause time.” Gress wants to counter the fast culture of our the models where to sit, how to move and what to wear.
modern world where everyone is distracted and nobody After she adds still life objects, the models go through the
stops or pauses to think. “I don’t want to be that way,” she motions of what she has imagined in her narrative. The
continues. “I’m not dependent on social media, although models are actually acting, not posing.
I use it for marketing—reluctantly. I’m about relation- Gress then shoots hundreds of photos. “Most are hor-
ships, about interacting with other humans, caring about rible,” she laughs. “In-between gestures, I find what I’m
other humans. When looking at my paintings, I want looking for.” Gress says models aren’t as natural when
people to take time. Stop. Breathe. Contemplate.” they’re posing. “I have them tell me a story, perhaps about
Gress will often use the same model, sometimes in the their childhood. Models act most naturally when they talk
same painting, as in Silent Departure (below), in which to me, and that way I get more natural expressions. I don’t
the twin sisters represented in the work are actually the want to paint from a posed photo.”
same person, experiencing two different ways of coping
with the fragility of life. “I look for fascinating faces,” says
Gress. “People, in general, inspire me—people I know Compose, Sketch, Paint
and have a relationship with.” In creating the more After a photo shoot, Gress spends hours going through
recent painting, Outside Within (opposite, top), Gress photos. She might choose image number 110 combined
invites viewers to add their stories. “I want people to with a model’s gesture from image 5. Then she makes
interact with the piece.” pencil sketches on paper and composes the painting in
her sketchbook. “I’m not super
organized with my sketch-
books,” she admits. “These are
merely thumbnails to work
out shapes. I compose using
armatures and guidelines, like
the rule of thirds. I like to use
geometry to figure out points
of interest along a diagonal. I’m
always thinking of composi-
tional rules when I’m working
out my design. My sketches are
tiny, loose, abstract.”
From her final sketch, once
the design is resolved, Gress
starts on what she calls “the
big one,” working on a roll
of white Stonehenge paper,
the artist’s favorite. It’s a
printmaking paper—durable
and spongy. For her first few
large figurative paintings, she
CLOCKWISE
FROM LEFT
Silent Departure
(44x50)
Outside Within
(27x38)
Lost Guidance
(34½x57)

Outside My Window
(40x33)
at home, and from this discovery

came another way of working. She
painted Outside My Window (at
left), Ending Memories (opposite)
and Passing (on page 54) using this
technique. She blocks in her basic
midtone colors in gouache and
then renders shapes and subjects
with pastel on top.
Admiring the dramatic darks
and lights she had seen in the
work of Caravaggio, Gress makes
a strong charcoal underlayer for
shadows, using the white of the
paper to achieve an extreme chiar-
oscuro. The gouache layer isn’t
added to the skin tones—those
parts remain simply rendered
charcoal with pure pastel color on
top. The gray of the charcoal helps
cool down and neutralize the
brighter skin tones.
Family Influence
Gress grew up with an artist
father. She remembers hanging
out in the studio and going
with him to art shows. He was
a watercolorist who did mainly
landscapes. She recalls one
moment, while drawing in the stu-
dio, when she suddenly and clearly
made a choice to be an artist and
teacher. “It was decided with a
child’s mind, and not painted by
expectations of the world and
life,” she says.
drew the composition on drafting vellum so she could Her father, who had been educated in Los Angeles,
erase as needed, and then transferred the drawing to took her to California to look at art colleges. Looking for
the Stonehenge roll, using pastel on the back of the vel- figurative training, Gress chose Laguna College of Art and
lum. In later paintings, like Lost Guidance (on page 51), Design. Prior to returning to Laguna for her MFA, she
Gress applied Colourfix Pastel Primer in elephant gray to traveled to Israel and Italy. The churches in Rome were
Stonehenge paper. She discovered that she could skip the filled with paintings by Caravaggio, Michelangelo and
step of drawing on vellum, since an eraser doesn’t hurt Raphael, and she took it all in.
pastel primer. She still does thumbnails but makes her Gress’ experience could be distilled into two words: more
final drawing directly on her coated paper, using vine char- color. The artist perceived color differently after visiting
coal or charcoal pencil. “Colors pop on that dark gray,” she Italy. Her colors in Passing are Raphael’s. “In his painting
says. “They’re vivid and bright due to the dark midtone.” Transfiguration, Raphael used primary colors, all placed in a
strategic way to help guide the viewer’s eye to move around
the composition. In my painting, I made the throw pillows
Master-minded cadmium red, when they were actually olive green.” The
Gress noticed that an Edgar Degas pastel drawing of model had been holding a white T-shirt, but because
dancers, at the Getty Center in California, featured an Raphael had used yellow effectively for fabric in his painting,
interesting texture that came from a gouache underpaint- Gress decided to try it. The rug was really navy blue, but
ing with a pastel top layer. Gress had a stash of gouache Gress chose a brighter blue for her painting, instead.

demonstration Making Ending Memories
Step 1: Working on white
Stonehenge paper,
I sketch the complete
composition using vine
charcoal, focusing on
shape and proportion.
Step 2: Once the

composition is set,
I render figures and
surrounding objects
with their full tones, using 1 2
vine and compressed
charcoal to capture a
chiaroscuro effect.
Step 3: I block in large,

basic color fields using
watered-down gouache.
I cover the background,
still life objects and
clothing with a gen-
eral dark to mid-tone
layer of gouache so
that the white of the 3 4
paper is covered. I leave
the figural subjects as
charcoal so that the
cool temperature of the
underdrawing will neu-
tralize the warmer skin
tones rendered in pastel.
Step 4: I complete the

gouache underpainting
and begin to block in
pastel for the portraits.
I layer pastel dark to
light, following the light
and shadows developed
in the underdrawing and
gouache. Eventually,
pastel will cover the
entire underpainting,
transforming the
scene with full color,
texture and tone. I use
Rembrandt and Nupastel
for drawing and
CarbOthello and Conté
pencils for details.
Step 5: Ending
Memories (36x53)
is complete.
The artist also admires Flemish painters, especially then sit again. I make another list. Once I have no list,
van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, for their little I sign the piece.”
devotional scenes filled with symbolism. “It’s interest- Gress now has her own atelier in conjunction with her
ing,” she muses. “Art back then was like a movie. It told home studio. She encourages students to paint from dark
a story. The stories educated the people. It was entertain- to light, and from general to specific. Because pastels are
ment, and also powerful.” so vivid, students need to learn the best way to approach
color. Gress believes that in order to emphasize color,
artists need to tone down
Make a List some colors with their
When is a painting finished? “It’s finished when the complements to make Gress’ favorite brands
details are there,” states Gress. “I stand back. I sit in others shine more brightly. of pastel are Rembrandt
front of the picture for 15 or 20 minutes, and then write Her students make master and Nupastel’s firmer
a list of things that bother me and make a checklist: copies in pastel, including sticks for details. She
for instance, that place on the subject’s ankle looks like parts of the Sistine Chapel likes Sennelier for color,
a bruise rather than a form shadow, or tone down the ceiling. “Fresco painting has and CarbOthello and
color here or there for better movement. I ask myself, that nice, soft finish that’s Conté pencils for fine
‘Where is the eye getting stuck?’ I execute the list and similar to pastel,” she says. detail work—mainly eyes.

CLOCKWISE
FROM LEFT
Passing (40x50)
Pale Succulent
(8x8)
Sidney (11½x10½)
Since she had her two little boys,

Gress does smaller pieces, such as
Pale Succulent (at left). “I’m also a
gardener,” she confides. She has
discovered that raising a family has
sapped her energy for the big, nar-
rative pieces she loved, but she can
still draw and paint her garden plants
without spending emotional energy
that’s needed elsewhere. She’s now
starting to get back into figurative
work and has completed a portrait of
her 4-year-old son, Sidney (below).
“When I had babies, I had to
change the way I worked in the
studio,” says Gress. “I started working
at night when the kids went to bed.
Even though I was exhausted, I made
a cup of coffee and told myself it was
time to paint. I had to teach myself to
be content with the limited time I had
to create and to be grateful for any
painting I was able to complete.”
Gress’ working style may have
changed, but her admiration for the
old masters has remained steady,
as seen in the chiarascuro effect of
Sidney and her son’s direct gaze.
Gress’ focus on her own narrative will
surely inform her eventual return to
the genre, making the stories told
there all the more meaningful. PJ
Enid Wood is a Texas-based pastelist,

teacher, writer and violinist.
Amanda Gress
(amandagress.
com) is a
contemporary
figurative
artist working
in Colorado.
Raised in
Loveland, an
artist colony
north of Denver, she earned a BFA and an
MFA at Laguna College of Art and Design.
She has completed artist residencies in
Japan and Italy, and has returned to her
hometown to raise her children. Gress has
taught art to young people and adults
in academic settings and now teaches
through an atelier out of her home.
A Russian RENAISSANCE
RUSSIAN PASTELIST OLGA ABRAMOVA IS CLEARLY HAVING A MOMENT, AS SHE
WORKS TO ENERGIZE THE PASTEL COMMUNITY IN HER HOME COUNTRY AND
CAPTURES TWO MAJOR INTERNATIONAL AWARDS FOR HER WORK ALONG THE WAY.
By Isabelle V. Lim

O
ver the past decade, the pastel happily at the convention and mar-
community has cast a wide net to veled at her winning still life, Winter
reach and recognize international Breakfast (opposite).
artists, but few Russians had A few weeks later, Abramova’s
surfaced for recognition—until still life, Crystal Pink (below), re-
last summer. That’s when Olga ceived the prestigious Le Coup de
Abramova, who has already made Coeur de la Ville de Feytiat Award
her fame at home and built a large in France at the 19th International
internet fan base, broke onto the Pastel Festival Feytiat.
OPPOSITE
international scene. She earned the Gold Award in the The artist’s still life and floral Winter Breakfast
juried exhibition at the International Association of Pastel paintings have an ethereal quality, (27½x27½)
Societies’ Thirteenth Biennial Convention in Albuquerque, featuring wispy, yet decisive, strokes
BELOW
N.M., last June. The pastel crowd welcomed Abramova of subtle color that draw in viewers. Crystal Pink
(27½x27½)
Expressing One’s Roots
“It can be difficult to define an artist’s style,” Abramova filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky
says. “I think that the culture of the country in which [1932–1986], who explored spiritual
an artist has grown up is always reflected in his or her and metaphysical themes,” the artist
work in some way. I believe that my painting style has says. “I enjoy using a limited palette
CLOCKWISE
shifted from what it was years ago. in my paintings, focusing on just one FROM OPPOSITE
“Some might say that my paintings feature too many color, but then I find myself getting Old Cherry Trees
details and conspicuous lines,” she continues, “while carried away with color.” in Kolomenskoye
others may say I haven’t really ‘finished’ my pieces. Still Abramova says that abstract art (27½x27½)
others consider my works as abstract paintings in a is, in fact, filled with the reality and Summer Green
limited palette.” Her interpretive palette is based on truth of this world. “It’s not only (27½x27½)
a cinematic influence. “I like the films of late Russian the essence of an imagination taken Windows Into
the Sky (39½x39½)

TOOLKIT
Abramova preps her own paper
surface as time permits, including
watercolor paper that she primes
with transparent grounds. As for
pastel paper, she prefers working
on Canson Mi-Teintes Touch or
Art Spectrum. Although she occa-
sionally works on small surfaces,
her preferred painting surface is
27½x27½, 40x40 or larger.
Abramova’s go-to pastels are
Schmincke, particularly the subtle
blue and pale pink shades that
she uses frequently. She also relies
on Caran d’Ache for its heather
hues, Unison for its subtle tur-
quoise blues and Terry Ludwig
for a wide variety of colors.
from the visual perspective of an art-

ist, but from the depth of that artist’s
inner soul,” she says. “The result is a
sincere trust of one’s own feelings—
and the ability to express them.”
Getting Started
Art has played a major role in
Abramova’s life since she was a child.
“I was born in 1976 near Moscow,
into the family of an artist,” she says.
“As a young girl, my interest was in
sports, and I trained as a gymnast,
but in the evenings, I colored with
pencils or posed as a model for my
father’s drawings.” At the age of 10,
she switched her focus and entered
a school that emphasized art.
Abramova went on to graduate
with a bachelor’s degree in textile
design from Moscow Academy of
Design and Applied Arts in 1996
and then earned a master’s degree
in graphic design from Moscow
State Open Pedagogical University
in 2000. “I was lucky to meet a
wonderful professor of painting
in my first institute who preferred sculpture and painting,” she says. “You some areas of color that define its
graphics to painting,” the artist says, work on a flat surface, but touch it arrangement. An artist who begins
“yet she allowed me to work with with your fingers and create volume.” with a drawing and then adds color
soft pastels in our painting lessons, to the lines will never reach a strong,
which was not common practice in convincing color impact.”
Russia at that time.” It was to become Basking in Color She was also drawn to the still life
Abramova’s medium of choice. As a student, Abramova wanted to arrangements of Giorgio Morandi
“I had found an old box of my understand the principles of color (Italian, 1890–1964), in which he
father’s pastels and added some clearly. “The most compelling sub- exhibited a new approach of elevating
pastel strokes to a watercolor jects I saw for color were flowers and objects beyond the everyday. In his
study—and in one moment, I fell still life subjects, because they offer works featuring ceramic vessels, he
in love with the medium,” she says. a lot of different colors and pos- explored space and form using subtle
“The pure pigment transformed sibilities. I experimented with color tonal colors. His work influenced
my work, adding a brightening combinations and toned surfaces, in Abramova’s approach to rearranging
effect, and I’ve been hooked on particular. I remember the words of her own still life and floral composi-
this brilliant medium ever since.” Johannes Itten [Swiss, 1888–1967]: tions and colors.
Abramova originally had wanted ‘Color doesn’t have borders.’ ” “I love to use the same subject in
to become a sculptor, but the year she Abramova considers herself a different ways,” the artist says. By
entered university, there weren’t any colorist. “If the primary means of changing the light, color or com-
sculpture faculty members on staff. expression is color,” she continues, position, she creates a new scene.
“Pastel, for me, is a combination of “then composition should start with “Experimentation is a must because
An Evening in a Garden
(27½x27½)
CREATING
FROM WITHIN
Abramova is drawn to masterful
works and colorists. “When I was
a student, I was impressed by the
paintings of Edgar Degas [French,
1834–1917]. I spent a lot of time at the
Pushkin Museum in Moscow in front
of his Blue Dancers.
“Later, I fell in love with the pas-
tel works of Jean-Baptiste Siméon
Chardin [French, 1699–1779] and
Toulouse-Lautrec [French, 1864–1901],
but not only pastels attract my
attention. I also admire the colors
and brushstrokes of Andrew Wyeth
[American, 1917–2009] and the subtle
coloring and delicacy of Vilhelm
Hammershøi [Danish, 1864–1916].”
Abramova adapts what she has
seen and read into her experimenta-
tion with pastels. “One can spend a
lot of time in museums poring over
great paintings,” the artist says, “but
I believe in a diligent studio practice
to discover and create an individual
artist from within.”

demonstration The Door Into Summer
1 2
Step 1: I always plan well ahead before
starting a piece so that there’s enough
time to ponder every step carefully.
After creating the charcoal drawing
based on a sketch, I brushed pastel
ground over the lines. This is the most
enjoyable part in painting for me.
I love creating backlighting because
it changes the nuance of color.
Step 2: There are two subjects in this

painting—the bouquet and the door
leading to the garden—which is why the
bouquet isn’t placed in the center of the
composition. The scene revealed by the
open door depicts how bright the day is.
The perspective creates depth without
being segmented. The composition and
the light give the painting a deeper sen-
sation that reflects my inner thoughts
without having to express too much.
Step 3: I remind myself to stick to the

original idea during the painting pro-
cess—especially when fine-tuning the
details of the objects and the atmo-
spheric representation. I subtly define
the left door frame and accentuate
some parts of the floral bouquet in
The Door Into Summer (39½x39½). 3
—Olga Abramova
“EXPERIMENTATION IS A MUST BECAUSE IT BRINGS LIFE TO THE ENTIRE
PAINTING PROCESS, WHICH THEN SPEAKS VOLUMES TO VIEWERS.”
ABOVE
it brings life to the entire painting process, which then I’d like to try storytelling about real- Old House, the
Apples (27½x27½)
speaks volumes to viewers,” she says. ity in an abstract way.”
Like most artists, Abramova finds that her greatest OPPOSITE
struggle is knowing when a painting is finished. Intuitive Lime (27½x27½)
logic always competes with the refusal to add more to the Finding a Subject
painting surface. Her underpaintings, done in waterme- Abramova thinks painting en plein
dia, are at times so powerful that the abstract image that air is important, because you can
emerges calls to be a finished work, tempting Abramova to observe and study nature and its
leave it as it is. “I can’t refuse form and volume just yet, but vibrant colors. Being outdoors gives
I’ll likely become an intuitive abstract artist in the future. her a sense of freedom to explore

opportunities for its members and
attract interest and recognition
through national exhibitions.
Looking to
the Future
Abramova, who has traveled
extensively over the past two years,
is working on her five-year plan,
which includes writing a book,
selecting international exhibitions
in which to participate and attend,
leading pastel workshops across the
globe and furthering the National
Pastel Society. PJ
Isabelle V. Lim (isabelleart.com), of

Hong Kong, is a Master Pastelist in the
Pastel Society of America, a Master Circle
member of the International Association of
Pastel Societies and a Master Pastelist with
the Société des Pastellistes de France. She
writes frequently about international artists
in the pastel and watercolor communities.
a broader perspective of life on location, such as beauti-

ful blooms, and the fluctuations of light and color. These
experiences, along with her personal perception, help her
set up a still life’s angle, view and light in the studio.
Abramova captures these images as sketches, all of
which she keeps for future paintings. “I always have some
subject I want to depict,” she says. “These captured ideas
can wait for a long time until the moment when I feel like
working with them. If I have a sketch, I’ll get to it sooner
or later. I don’t start work unless I ‘feel’ the subject, color
and composition. Sometimes I feel it straightaway and
can start very quickly, but sometimes I need more time.”
Elevating the Art

In addition to her painting practice, Abramova teaches
landscape drawing at a design school in Moscow. The
course, which she wrote and designed herself, covers her
decade-long experience based on her love of plants and For more than 20 years, Olga Abramova (olgaabramova.art)
gardens. She also offers online pastel courses and blogs has worked with and taught the use of graphic materials, with
about her painting process. particular emphasis on pastel, charcoal and mixed-media
Most recently, Abramova was one of six co-founders drawing. In 1996, she graduated with a BFA in textile design
of the National Pastel Society of Russia, organized in from the Moscow Academy of Design and Applied Arts, and
2018. It currently serves 240 members, with membership in 2000, she earned an MFA in graphic design from the Moscow
State Open Pedagogical University. She has earned recognition
growing rapidly. Many are professional artists, while in various exhibitions around the world. She’s a member of the
others are hobbyists who ardently support the art International Art Foundation and the Pastel Society of Italy, and
of pastel. As president, Abramova strives to provide is the president of the National Pastel Society of Russia.
Artists Marketplace
March 25-27, 2020, Boca Grande, Florida. October 8-10, 2020, Amanda Houston.
Workshops Loosen Up!, Boca Grande Art Center.
Contact: www.bocagrandeartcenter.org
October 14-17, 2020, Margaret Evans.
Contact: 17873 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Pastel Journal accepts advertisements for workshops, but May 6-13, 2020, Florence, Italy. 888/345-0067 ext 5, info@dakotapastels.com or
does not endorse or recommend any workshops listed. Artists www.dakotapastels.com
Plein Air + Studio.
considering participating in any workshop are encouraged to
Contact: Debra, idzamperla@gmail.com or
conduct their own investigations.
www.artensity.org
Doug Dawson, PSA, Master Pastelist,
PSA Hall of Fame
Jacob Aguiar May 16-18, 2020, Cleveland, Ohio.
Demos, personal help about color and composition and much
Jacob’s workshops include studio and plein air painting Trees/Skies/Water, Susan Porges Studio.
Contact: Susan, susanporges@gmail.com more. Workshop loaded with useful observations, principles,
focused on the foundations of successful landscape painting. and techniques. Open to all levels. Workshop contains the
Each day includes a demonstration, discussion, and individual June 30 - July 2, 2020, Providence, Rhode Island.
information for a master class, but presented in a way that
time at the easel. Jacob creates a fun and challenging Loosen Up! Providence Art Club.
anyone can understand. Ask someone who has taken a
environment in which to explore the creative process in Contact: Angel, angel@providenceartclub.org Dawson workshop.
pastels! For more information, contact Jacob at 415/444-6937, July 17-19, 2020, Portland, Oregon. Contact: Doug Dawson, 8622 W. 44th Place,
jacob.aguiar@gmail.com, www.jacobaguiar.com or Plein Air City + Country. Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033
www.facebook.com/jacob.aguiar.7 Contact: Marla, support@lessonswithmarla.com 303/421-4584; or dougdawson8@aol.com
Instagram as jacobaguiarpastelpainter August 1-3, 2020, Sonoma, California. January 27-29, 2020, Bonita Springs, Florida.
Visit www.patreon.com and search for Jacob Aguiar Fine Art. Loosen Up! Pastel Society of the West Coast. Bonita Springs Art Center.
Come learn with me virtually. I’ll have regular demos, Q&A’s, Contact: Carolyn, carolyn@creativeescapeworkshops.com Contact: Donna Delseni, 239/495-8989
and mentorship programs! September 14-16, 2020, Redondo Beach, California. May 14-16, 2020, Ingram Texas. Hill Country Arts Foundation.
2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Loosen Up!, Pastel Society of Southern California. Contact: Roseanne Thrall, 830/367-5120
Plein Air Convention and Australia! Contact: Mauryne, mgennell343@gmail.com August 30 - September 4, 2020, Lac du Flambeau,
November 14-16, 2020, Bethel, Connecticut. Wisconsin.
Marla Baggetta, PSA, IAPS MC, OPA Color Confidence, Connecticut Pastel Society. Contant: Stephanie or Tod, 715/588-3143
Are you looking for a looser, bolder approach to pastels? Contact: ctpastelsociety.org Stephanie@dillmans.com
Do you want new strategies for creating dynamic, eye November 20-22, 2020, Goshen, New Jersey. 2020, Saratoga, New York. Dates Pending.
catching compositions? Marla’s workshops will change Loosen Up!, Sperlak Pastel Workshops.
the way you see painting in pastel, providing a strong base Contact: Stan, sperlakpastelworkshops@gmail.com
Alan Flattmann, PSA Hall of Fame,
of the fundamentals while injecting a fresh creative spark IAPS Eminent Pastelist
with her engaging teaching style. Learn to create winning Dakota Art Pastels March 27-29, 2020, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Art Guild of
compositions by capturing elusive patterns of light and 2020 Pastel Workshops at Dakota Pastels ‘your pastel Louisiana. Painting Impressionistic Landscapes in Pastels
shadow. Discover the key to seamlessly incorporating specialist’. Spacious working facilities in a beautiful & Oils. The workshop will concentrate on painting in an
landscape! impressionistic manner using broken color and loose brush
structures and figures into your work. Join a nationally
February 7-8, 2020, Amanda Houston. strokes.
recognized painter author and educator, known for her
March 12-14, 2020, Steve Hill. Contact: Dee Dee Wilbert, 225/954-3754
insightful and encouraging guidance. Marla provides every
deedeewilbert@gmail.com or www.artguildlouisiana.org
student with focused, individual attention. All levels welcome, March 26-28, 2020, Mitch Albala.
June 15-19, 2020, Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Cloudcroft Art
beginners to advanced. To find out more about Marla’s April 2-4, 2020, Christine Camilleri.
Workshops. Painting Impressionistic Landscapes in Pastels
exciting live workshops visit www.marlabaggetta.com April 15-18, 2020, Diana Sanford. & Oils. The workshop will concentrate on painting in an
and visit www.paintinglessonswithmarla.com for free April 29 - May 2, 2020, Tony Allain. impressionistic manner using broken color and loose brush
minilessons and to learn about her online lessons and May 7-9, 2020, Barbara Jaenicke. strokes. The cool mountain village of Cloudcroft in Southern
workshops. Use the coupon code: pjfriends to receive $23 off May 27-30, 2020, Susan Ogilvie. New Mexico has hosted summer workshops for over 60 years.
your first online order. June 11-13, 2020, Teresa Saia. Contact: Cloudcroft Art Workshops, 915/490-5071
Contact: Marla, support@lessonswithmarla.com June 23-27, 2020, Dawn Emerson. cawregistrar@gmail.com or www.cloudcroftart.com
Accepting bookings for 2021 and beyond. July 15-17, 2020, Liz Haywood-Sullivan. October 10-17, 2020, Venice, Italy. Plein Air Pastel &
February 4-6, 2020, Leesburg, Florida. August 3-8, 2020, Richard McKinley. Watercolor in Venice. Join Alan for seven exciting days of
Loosen Up!, Pastel Society of Central Florida. August 20-22, 2020, Aaron Schuerr. painting, sketching and exploring in Venice, Italy. Daily
Contact: pastelsocietyofcentralflorida.com or September 17-19, 2020, Steve Hill. painting and instruction will be combined with a walking art
drshlelley@earthlink.net September 24-26, 2020, Teresa Saia. tour of Venice, visit to the outer islands in the lagoon, evening
Master Pastelist
Richard McKinley & Hall of Fame
Honoree, PSA
Transform the
landscape from
Prosaic to Poetic by
capturing a piece of the
spontaneous dance of
light across the palette
of nature with pastel.
Join me and escape

winter in San Miguel
de Allende, Mexico!
January, 2020.
Please visit
mckinleystudio.com
for 2020 workshop
information.

Artists Marketplace
activities such as a visit to San Marco where the orchestras at your easel are hallmarks of Liz’s teaching. Plus lively why we “play” music but do art “work”? Come and practice
play and studio time to work on compositions you started on discussions on wide-ranging topics from the latest in improvising in this playful, interactive workshop. Loosen Up.
location. Lodging will be at a renovated convent with double materials, to the business of being a working artist. Learn the art of letting go. The ability to be spontaneous,
or single rooms with ensuite bathrooms and showers. Daily Contact: liz@haywood-sullivan.com or receptive and in the moment is vital in our creative process. In
Venetian breakfasts and 5 dinners with wine are included in www.lizhaywoodsullivan.com this workshop, through carefully structured exercises, you’ll
the workshop cost. For details and to sign up, January 17-19, 2020, New York City. The Expressive Tree. train your brain to readily engage the spontaneous mode,
Contact: Linda Mironti, 800/990-3506 Pastel Society of America National Arts Club, NYC. strengthening it to become an equal partner in your art
linda@ilchiostro.com or www.ilchiostro.com Contact: psaoffice@pastelsocietyofamerica.org making. This is a fun, interactive and intense workshop open
For more details, contact Alan Flattmann, 985/809-6332 February 21-23, 2020, Georgetown, Texas. to all with basic comfort with the materials. Full of movement,
art@alanflattmann.com or www.alanflattmann.com Brilliant Skies and Water in Pastel. Central Texas Pastel Society. fun and lots of creativity.
Contact: Jan Frazier, jfrazier10@msn.com Contact: amandahouston.com
Terri Ford IAPS Eminent Pastelist, March 20-22, 2020, Marshfield Hills, Massachusetts.
PSA Master Pastelist October 1-3, 2020, Mt Vernon, Washington.
Focus on the Landscape Sky. North River Arts Society.
Contact: Barbara Chaisson, northriverarts@gmail.com Under the Surfaces- Dakota Pastels. The class will
Terri’s workshops focus on creating luminous paintings
with deeper, darker, richer under paintings and vibrant pure May 2-6, 2020, Denver, Colorado. encouraging you to explore different techniques on
pigment light. Plein Air Convention. Pastel Instructor. different pastel surfaces to create unique effects.
March 23-25, 2020, Fort Mill, South Carolina. Contact: www.pleinairconvention.com Contact: 888/345-0067, dakotapastels.com
April 29 - May 1, 2020, Northwest Pastel Society. May 28-30, 2020, Charlotte, North Carolina.
May 2-6, 2020, PACE20. Painting the Landscape in Pastel.
Christine Ivers, PSA-MP, IAPS/MC
September 12-14, 2020, Carmel Visual Arts. Award Winning Artist Workshops. Explore the world of pure pigment on handmade boards that
September 28-30, 2020, Pastel Society of America. Contact: https://awardwinningartistworkshops.com make painting an exhilarating experience for any pastelist!
October 3-9, 2020, Domaine du Haut Baran, July 15-17, 2020 and July 20-22, 2020, Mt. Vernon, Workshops are available for students of all levels. Enjoy
Southern France. Washington. Inside/Outside: The Best of Both! painting and learning in a relaxed atmosphere with demos
Terri also offers private instruction by appointment. Dakota Pastel Workshops. and critiques included and an emphasis on composition,
Contact: Terri, tford@terrifordart.com Contact: info@dakotapastels.com drawing and color temperature. Chris will also share over 40
or check her website http://www.terrifordart.com September 7-17, 2020, Skopelos, Greece. years of art direction experience to teach you how to take
Greece En Plein Air Art Retreat. Artable Art Retreats. better reference photos to work from or to submit for digital
Albert Handell Contact: Gillian Grove, https://artable.com.au/art-retreats competition entry. Work on your own surface or Chris’s hand
Workshops and Mentoring Programs. October 4-10, 2020, Little Compton, Rhode Island. made boards which will be for sale at the workshops for
January 16-18, 2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pastel Workshop/ Retreat: Seaside, Sky and Farm. nominal fees. Find complete info about workshops at:
January 27-30, 2020, Palm Springs Indian Gardens, Kelly Milukas Artist Workshops. www.christineivers.com or call 203/645-6779.
California. Contact: Kelly Milukas, http://kellymilukas.com/events January 18-29, 2020, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
February 20-23, 2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Nine-Night DayScape/NightScape Painting Retreat.
March 19-22, 2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Amanda Houston, For complete information
April 2-5, 2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico. IAPS-MC, PSA, AIS, AWA Contact: Michele Wells, 314/583-1299 US Central Time
May 2-6, 2020, Denver, Colorado. Plein Air Convention. January 10-12, 2020, Edmonds, Washington. wellsart@sbcglobal.net
May 27-30, 2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Language of Trees, ArtWorks. February 8-9, 2020, Tampa Bay, Florida.
June 24-27, 2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Contact: ColeArtstudio.com
Two-Day NightScape Workshop.
July 29-31, 2020, Highland, North Carolina. February 7-8, 2020, Mt Vernon, Washington.
Bird Portraits in Pastel on copper - Dakota Pastels. Sponsored by Pastel Society of Tampa Bay.
August 10-14, 2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Contact: 888/345-0067, dakotapastels.com Contact: Shawn Dell Joyce, 845/728-4001
September 14-19, 2020, Annual Taos Mentoring Program.
October 6-9, 2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico. March 6-8, 2020, Edmonds, Washington. shawndelljoyce@gmail.com
Contact: 505/983-8373, alberthandell@msn.com or Bird Portraits in Pastel on copper (2 day). ArtWorks. Ongoing Classes, New Canaan, Connecticut.
www.alberthandell.com Contact: ColeArtStudio.com Sponsored by Silvermine School of Art. Tuesdays, 1-4 pm.
June 5-7, 2020, Edmonds, Washington. Contact: Anne Connell, 203/966-9700
Liz Haywood-Sullivan, PSA-MP, IAPS/MC Illuminating Skies and Light - ArtWorks. https://silvermineart.org/about/contact
2020 Workshop Schedule. Looking to break through to the Contact: ColeArtstudio.com Ongoing Classes, Meriden, Connecticut.
next level with your landscape painting? Liz’s instruction July 17-19, 2020, Oregon City, Oregon. Ivers’ Home Studio, Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 am - noon.
is designed to help you achieve your painting goals. Daily JAM Session co-teaching with Diana Sanford Carrie Moore Contact: Chris Ivers, 203/645-6779 US Eastern Time
demonstrations and plenty of individualized instruction Studios. Debuting our co-instructing workshop! Ever wonder Christine_ivers@yahoo.com
Doug Dawson PSA - MASTER PASTELIST

AND HALL OF FAME
Workshops 2020
Florida
Texas
Wisconsin
New York (Pending)
Part of 2 man show with John Axton
Opening July 26
Ventana Gallery Santa Fe, New Mexico
S EE W ORKSHOP LIST
FOR DETAILS
For more information:

303-421-4584
Winter Flurries 11” x 14” Pastel www.dougdawsonartist.com
Artists Marketplace
Barbara Jaenicke,
PSA-MP, IAPS-EP, AIS, OPA
Barbara’s workshops focus on simplifying the landscape
into a concise, well edited visual message, with emphasis on
strong composition, color palette and mark making. Some of
these workshops may have a more specific topic indicated. All
workshops include demonstrations and lots of individual help
at the easel. All are studio workshops unless plein air is noted.
February 22-24, 2020, Bend, Oregon.
SageBrushers Art Society.
The Light-filled Snow Scene (Pastel & Oil).
Contact: Nancy Misek, nancym2010@bendbroadband.com
www.sagebrushersartofbend.com
May 7-9, 2020, Mt. Vernon, Washington.
Dakota Art. Landscape & Light (Pastel).
Contact: 888/345-0067, info@dakotapastels.com
www.dakotapastels.com
June 25-27, 2020, Franklin, Tennessee.
OnTrack Studios. (Pastel & Oil).
Contact: Brenda Coldwell, 615/579-6214
brenda@on-track-studios.com or www.on-track-studios.com
September 15-17, 2020, Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Arts Council of York County. Skies, Trees & Water (Pastel & Oil).
Contact: Marcia Kort Buike, valuent@comporium.net
www.fortmillartguild.com
October 5-7, 2020, Grapevine, Texas.
Pastel Society of the Southwest.
Painting the Poetic Landscape (Pastel).
Contact: Vicki Guess, 817/917-3249, vickikguess@gmail.com
November 10-13, 2020, Santa Barbara, California.
Landscape & Light (Pastel & Oil, Studio w/some Plein Air).
Contact: Kris Buck, mbuck18@cox.net
For details and updates, visit www.barbarajaenicke.com
Rita Kirkman, PSA, IAPS-EP

Rita’s classic Pastel Workshop focuses on painting small
and often to rapidly improve your skills and expand your
knowledge. Learn to capture light and loosen up with Rita’s
innovative under-painting technique with textured primers.
Instruction emphasizes composition and techniques for
a small format, value and temperature control, how to
creatively interpret your photos and how to stay productive
with your art within a busy lifestyle. Grow your grasp of values,
temperature, color and composition in a relaxed and fun
atmosphere! All workshops for beginner to advanced.
January 18-19, 2020, Georgetown, Texas.
Rita’s classic pastel workshop, with the Cordovan Art School,
Georgetown, Texas. Explore pastel with helpful hints and tips
from Rita’s 40+ years of experience! Beginner to advanced.
Contact: Donna Staten, donna@cordovanartschool.com
/L]+D\ZRRG6XOOLYDQ
September 9-13, 2020, Caloundra, Australia.
Rita is honored and excited to be an invited international
guest tutor for the 2020 Australian Pastel Expo on the
Sunshine Coast! Three single-day targeted workshops and a
demo will be available. More information at
Pastel Society of America Master Pastelist, IAPS Master Circle www.australianpastelexpo.com.au
October 30 - November 1, 2020, Keene, New Hampshire.
Rita’s classic pastel workshop, at the Monadnock Area
Artist Assoc. Strengthen your skills and improve your pastel
technique by working small.
Contact: Carol, bagel@tpdi.biz
November 6-8, 2020, Richmond, Virginia.
With the MidAtlantic Pastel Society. Learn to capture light
and loosen up with Rita’s textured under-painting technique.
Contact: Joan Dreicer, jdreicer54@gmail.com
November 12-14, 2020, Raleigh, North Carolina. Rita’s classic
pastel workshop, with the Pastel Society of North Carolina.
Contact: Barbara, bksartist@aol.com
Richard McKinley, PSA Master Pastelist

& Hall of Fame Honoree,
PSWC Pastel Laureate
Learn to transform the landscape from Prosaic to Poetic
by capturing a piece of the spontaneous dance of light
across the palette of nature. Richard’s workshops include
daily demonstrations, personal advice at your easel, and
an abundance of artistic discussion. Having taught for over
45 years, Richard has a wealth of information to share, is
tireless in this pursuit and his intensity, focus and energy are
legendary. His Pastel Pointers book is a best seller and has
provided inspiration, as well as instruction, to a generation of
aspiring pastelists. For updated information visit:
www.mckinleystudio.com and click on the Workshop link or
email: mckinleyart@gmail.com.
2020 Workshop Listing:
January 19-28, 2020, San Miguel de Allende Pastel Painting
Retreat, Mexico. Escape winter on a nine-day panting
excursion to this historic location.
Contact: Michele Wells, 314/583-1299, wellsart@sbcglobal.net
March 20-21, 2020, Torrance/Los Angeles, California.
2-day Studio Pastel workshop focused on Fundamental
Landscape Techniques for the beginner. Sponsored by:
NEW 2020 Workshop Schedule !!! - See Classifieds or www.lizhaywoodsullivan.com Destination Art, www.destination-art.net
Contact: Suzanne Kuuskmae, 310/546-7872
Kuuskmae@me.com

Artists Marketplace
March 22-23, 2020, Torrance/Los Angeles, California. September 21-23, 2020, Florham Park, New Jersey. University of Illinois and her MA from Eastern IL University,
2-day Studio Oil Painting workshop focused on Landscape Underpainting and Texture for Exciting Pastel Landscapes. where she taught for 3 years.. She was awarded the Master
Techniques. Sponsored by: Destination Art, Sponsored by: Debarry Studio Ten. Circle by International Association of Pastel Societies, also
www.destination-art.net Contact: Christina Debarry, 973/525-2544 their Eminent Pastelist Distinction, and is a Master Signature
Contact: Suzanne Kuuskmae, 310/546-7872 debarrystudio@gmail.com Member of the Pastel Society of America and Chicago Pastel
Kuuskmae@me.com September 28 - October 2, 2020, Greenville, New York. Painters. Nancie teaches workshops across the country and
March 24-25, 2020, Torrance/Los Angeles, California. Pushing Pastels Creative Limits in the beautiful Hudson River abroad, and is on the faculty for the Plein Air Convention and
2-day Studio Pastel workshop focused on Advanced Pastel Valley. Sponsored by: Hudson River Valley Art Workshops, the IAPS Convention. While Nancie has traveled to nearly
Landscape Techniques. Sponsored by: Destination Art, www.artworkshops.com 20 countries and to cities around the country for plein air
www.destination-art.net Contact: Kim LaPolla, 518/966-5219, info@artworkshops.com inspiration, Chicago, her home, remains her favorite city to
Contact: Suzanne Kuuskmae, 310/546-7872 October 6-8, 2020, Medford, Oregon. explore and paint.
Kuuskmae@me.com The Expressive Nature of Pastel. A 3-day workshop in Study with a Master Pastelist in 2019/2020 - All levels are
March 29 - April 3, 2020, Santa Barbara, California. conjunction with the Pastel Artists of Oregon National welcome.
6-day Pastel and Oil Mentoring/Reunion workshop focused Exhibition. Sponsored by: Pastel Artists of Oregon, March 16-18, 2020, Talapoosa, Alabama. 3-day Pastel
on Pushing Your Creative Limits. Prior workshop with Richard http://pastelartistsoforegon.com Workshop. Sponsored by Talapoosa School of Art.
recommended. Contact: Judy Richardson, 541/326-6960, julyri1@charter.net March 20-29, 2020, Florida’s Forgotten Coast.
Contact: Kris Buck, 805/964-1464, mbuck18@cox.net October 12-16, 2020, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. 1-day Pastel Workshop on March 20.
May 2-6, 2020, Denver, Colorado. 5-day Taking Pastel to the Next Level workshop. Event and Demos on March 21-29.
Plein Air Convention – Faculty Artist Presenter. Sponsored by: Arkansas Pastel Society, www.arkpastel.com Invitational Plein air and demos in oil & pastel.
Contact: www.pleinairconvention.com Contact: Shirley Anderson, 501/915-2894 March 29 - April 3, 2020, Apalachicola, Florida.
June 2020, An Extended Art Adventure in France! sranderson0930@sbcglobal.net Plein Air South Faculty. Sponsored by Franklin’s Promise.
Two, 7-day workshops are being offered in the stunning Lot October 19-21, 2020, Overland Park, Kansas. April 20-23, 2020, New Harmony, Indiana.
River Valley along with optional additional 3-day creative 3-day Studio Pastel Landscape Adventure in conjunction 4-day Pastel Workshop. Sponsored by Hoosier Salon.
with the “Adventures in Pastel” National Show. Prospectus is
adventures that include Carcassonne and Albi. Sponsored by: May 2-6, 2020, Denver, Colorado.
available at the MAPS website. Sponsored by: MidAmerica
Domaine du Haut Baran, www.hautbaran.com Pastel demos, field instruction. Plein Air Convention Faculty.
Pastel Society, http://www.midamericapastel.com
Contact: William Haas, 513/533-0511 (USA) or May 25-31, 2020, Giverny, France. Guest of Honor exhibition &
Contact: Beverly Amundson, 913/593-7489
011-33-565-246324 (France), hautbaranfrance@gmail.com pastel workshop. Sponsored by Art Du Pastel En France.
amundson.artist@gmail.com
August 3-8, 2020, Mount Vernon, Washington. Dakota June 8-10, 2020, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 3-day Pastel
For workshop updates please Check website:
Pastels. 6-day Pastel Mentoring workshop focused on Pushing workshop. Sponsored by Lake Country Pastel Society.
www.mckinleystudio.com
Your Creativity to New Limits. Sponsored by: Dakota Art June 18-21, 2020, Cumberland, Maryland. Pastel demos and
Center (Dakota Art Pastels). www.dakotaartcenter.com Nancie King Mertz, juror. Sponsored by Mountain Maryland Plein Air.
Contact: April, 888/345-0067 ext 5 PSA-MP, CPP-MP, IAPS-MC, EP June 22-24, 2020, Old Lyme, Connecticut.
info@dakotaartcenter.com Concept - Whether you’re big city or small town, this 3-day Workshop. Sponsored by Connecticut Pastel Society.
August 24-28, 2020, Plein Air Retreat on stunning Madeline workshop will turn your favorite views of buildings and July 10-12, 2020, Portland, Oregon. 3-day Plein air pastel
Island, Wisconsin. “Pastel is Perfect for Plein Air Painting”, structures into dramatic, expressive paintings. Examine workshop. Sponsored by the Oregon Society of Artists.
come and explore the natural beauty of this very special space, perspective, and design through practical hands-on August 3, 2020, Wheaton, Illinois.
place while learning why pastel is such a ‘perfect’ medium lessons that aim to help you build confidence. Pastel Demo, 7pm. Sponsored by DuPage Art League.
for creative expression. Wonderful studio, inspiring locations, Experience - Whether Plein Air or studio, a short September 15-19, 2020, Ashville, North Carolina.
and the laid-back charm of Madeline Island, a perfect demonstration clarifying techniques and sharing pointers on 5-day Pastel Workshop & juror.
combination! Sponsored by: MISA-Madeline Island School of perspective and composing a scene will be offered to start Sponsored by the Appalachian Pastel Society.
the Arts, http://bit.ly/2Wtu0cL each day. From there, Nancie will assist students one-on-one. October 5-9, 2020, New Orleans. 5-day destination Pastel
Contact: 715/747-2054, misa@madelineschool.com Depending on your comfort and skill level, you can expect Workshop. Sponsored by Pastel Society of America.
September 11-13, 2020, Milwaukie, Oregon. to complete two or more paintings each day. Individual Signature Richeson Pastel Sets of 80 from Dakota & Judson’s:
Orchestrating the Design Elements of Pastel Landscape. attention will be stressed in this experience opposed to group “Nancie King Mertz Urban Landscape & Atmospheric
Sponsored by: Designs by Kathy Workshops. lecture. Open to all levels. Landscape”. Pastel DVDs “Urban Painting” from Streamline
Contact: Kathy Johnson, 503/794-3959 Instructor - Nancie King Mertz has spent her lifetime painting Publishing & Liliedahl.
kreativekkj@gmail.com (email contact preferred) in oil and pastel. She received her BFA in Painting from the Contact: www.NancieKingMertz.com
2020 WORKSHOPS:
PAINTING BY AMANDA HOUSTON

BLUE EARTH
ART SPECTRUM
MITCH ALBALA
CARAN D’ACHE
TONY ALLAIN CRETACOLOR
CHRISTINE CAMILLERI DALER-ROWNEY
DAWN EMERSON DIANE TOWNSEND
FABER-CASTELL
MARGARET EVANS
GIRAULT
STEVE HILL
your pastel specialist GREAT AMERICAN
AMANDA HOUSTON HOLBEIN
BARBARA JAENICKE MOUNT VISION
NUPASTEL
RICHARD MCKINLEY
PANPASTEL
SUSAN OGILVIE REMBRANDT
TERESA SAIA RICHESON
DIANA SANFORD SCHMINCKE
SENNELIER
AARON SCHUERR TERRY LUDWIG
LIZ HAYWOOD-SULLIVAN UNISON
888.345.0067
www.dakotapastels.com
Artists Marketplace
Nancy Nowak, IAPS-MC, PSA, AIS
Barbara
Now booking National and International Workshops! Taking
Your Pastels To The Next Level/Finding Your Voice. Learn
how to create stronger, masterful pastel paintings by using
Nancy’s step-by-step methods for interpreting your reference
Jaenicke
photos. This workshop will include an in-depth study of
composition and design, working with value studies, editing,
color temperature/harmony and creative underpainting
techniques. Discussions will also include methods of finding
PSA-MP, IAPS-EP, AIS, OPA your own unique artistic voice, pitfalls and how to avoid them,
and principles of successful paintings. Instruction is geared
to all levels which includes demos and plenty of personal
2020 easel time.
Creative Underpainting: Underpaintings fix the composition,
OR • WA • TN • SC • TX • CA establish accurate placement of lights and darks and
give volume and substance to the form. By using creative
underpainting techniques, with minimal effort, learn to
Videos & Online Lessons establish a strong foundation to enhance, inspire, and
illuminate your pastel painting.
www.barbarajaenicke.com Structures in the Landscape: Buildings and structures in the
landscape add interest, variety, and help tell a story. Nancy
shares how to compose, simplify, and seamlessly incorporate
structures using underpainting techniques, abstract shapes,
shadow and light patterns, texture, and perspective, to
enhance your landscape paintings.
Nancy, a national award winning artist, is known for her
inspirational and passionate teaching style. For more
information about Nancy Nowak’s workshops, contact
Nancy Nowak Fine Art, nancy@nancynowak.com and
visit Nancy’s website: nancynowak.com
February 24-26, 2020, Naples, Florida.
3 day workshop Taking Your Pastels to the Next Level.
Contact: Tammi Pittaro, 239/250-7730, tirp9999@gmail.com
February 27-28, 2020, Naples, Florida.
2 Day workshop- Structures in the Landscape.
Contact: Tammi Pittaro, 239/250-7730, tirp9999@gmail.com
March 14-15, 2020, Suwanee, Georgia.
The Magic of Light: 2 Day pastel workshop.
Contact: Nancy Nowak, 404/630-5563
nancy@nancynowak.com
April 2, 2020, Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia.
1 day plein air workshop.
Contact: Jim Thomas, 706/878-3300, jthomas@snca.org
May 6-7, 2020, Ellijay, Georgia.
Taking Your Painting to the Next Level. Gilmer Arts.
Contact: Debbi Friend, 706/635-5605, Debbi@gilmerarts.org
June 15-18, 2020, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
5 Day Workshop, Plein Air Simplified-- Studio Incamminati.
Contact: Andrew Yannelli, 215/592-7910
September 2021, Spain Workshop.
Desmond O’Hagan, IAPS Eminent
Pastelist, PSA-MP, IAPS-MC
My main focus in the workshop is to explore the art of
“Interpreting Light”. This approach can be explored in both
landscapes and urbanscapes as well as a variety of other
subject matter. I work individually with each student and
provide daily critiques and demos.
January 24-26, 2020, Denver, Colorado.
Desmond O’Hagan 3-Day Studio Workshop.
Contact: 303/895-6648, desmond@desmondohagan.com or
www.desmondohagan.com
March 27-28, 2020, Louisville, Colorado.
2-Day Workshop at the Louisville Art Association.
Contact: www.louisvilleart.org
April 3-5, 2020, Goshen, New Jersey.
3-Day Workshop at the Goshen School of Art.
Contact: stansperlak@comcast.net
May 1-3, 2020, Boise, Idaho.
3-Day Workshop at Steph Teeter Studio.
Contact: steph@endurance.net
June 27 - July 1, 2020, Greenville, New York.
3-Day Workshop at Hudson River Valley Art Workshops.
Contact: info@artworkshops.com
July 11, 2020, Denver, Colorado.
Desmond O’Hagan 1-Day Studio Workshop.
Contact: desmond@desmondohagan.com
August 7-9, 2020, Saint-Aulaye, France.
3-Day Workshop at Pastel en Perigord.
Contact: pastelenperigordphc@gmail.com
For information on hosting my workshops, please contact
desmond@desmondohagan.com or studio phone:
303/895-6648.
Pastel Society of America
PSA School for Pastels
S TAN S PERLAK PSA

National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South,
New York, NY 10003
Contact: 212/533-6931
psaoffice@pastelsocietyofamerica.org or
“Truth & Beauty in Pastel” www.pastelsocietyofamerica.org
Enrich your paintings and study with these masterful artists.
January 17-19, 2020, The Expressive Tree with Liz Haywood
For workshop info visit: Sullivan PSA-MP.
www.stansperlak.com
March 14, 2020, Using Memory and Color and Your Defining
Tools with Loriann Signori PSA.
March 20-22, 2020, Making Waves: Composing Vibrant,
Moving Seascapes with Jeanne Rosier Smith PSA.

Artists Marketplace
March 28-29, 2020, The Upside-Down Landscape with
Jacob
Isabelle Lim PSA-MP.
April 24-26, 2020, Chasing the Light with Tony Allain PSA.
May 2-3, 2020, (studio/sketching plein air) Color Notes. Fall in
Love with Your Abstract Pastel Colors with Casey Klahn PSA.
May 9, 2020, Through the Looking Glass, Telling a Story in
Aguiar
Reflections, Light, and Shadow with Jeri Greenberg PSA.
May 16-17, 2020, T is for Texture with Eve Miller PSA.
June 5-7, 2020, Joseph Albers’s Color Theory with Professor
Cynthia Dantzic, Professor of Art, LIU Brooklyn.
June 13, 2020, DIY Framing with Wennie Huang PSA.
September 28-30, 2020, (plein air/studio) A Deeper, Darker,
Richer Start for a Brilliant Finish with Terri Ford PSA-MP.
PSA, IAPS-MC
October 4-10, 2020, Plein Air Painting in New Orleans –
Destination workshop with Nancie King Mertz PSA-MP.
October 16-18, 2020, Pastel Innovations and Beyond! 2020 Workshops:
Dawn Emerson PSA.
CLASSES – ONGOING YEAR ROUND: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Tuesdays, 5:30pm-8:30pm, Introduction To Pastel Still Life and
Landscape with Janet A. Cook PSA-MP.
Wednesdays, 9am-12pm, Portraiture, Landscape and Still Life Join me in
with Diana DeSantis PSA-MP, HFH.
Wednesdays, 1pm-4pm, Flowers, Faces And Fabrics with
Australia in 2021!
Wennie Huang PSA.
Thursdays, 1pm-4pm, Color & Composition with Maceo
Mitchell PSA-MP. Come learn with me
Alain J. Picard, PSA, IAPS MC virtually on
Are you looking for opportunities to grow creatively? My
passion is to provide artists like you with exceptional value www.patreon.com.
through free video content, inspiring live and online workshop
experiences, breathtaking painting retreats and more. Just search Patreon for
Whether you love to paint the landscape, portrait or still life,
I’m committed to teaching you breakthrough techniques that Jacob Aguiar Fine Art.
will elevate your work to new heights. During my workshop
demonstrations and guided instruction, I’ll share everything
I’ve learned over the past 22 years as a professional artist… all Museum show opening at the
in a relaxed, fun and encouraging environment that helps you Brinton Museum in
grow. All levels are welcome, beginner to advanced. Wherever
your creative ambitions may lead you, I’d love to help you Big Horn, WY Sept 7th,
get there. Watch free video lessons and find out more about featuring pastels and
Alain’s inspiring workshops by contacting Picard Studio: oil paintings from the museum’s
203/297-1399; alain@picardstudio.com or visit artists in residence.
www.picardstudio.com
February 2020, Enrollment Begins. The Painterly Landscape
Online Course, Learn more at www.picardstudio.com www.jacobaguiar.com
March 4, 2020, Morro Bay, California. California Central
Coast Pastel Society. The Painterly Landscape, One-Day Check me out on Facebook. On Instagram as jacobaguiarpastelpainter.
Workshop, Wednesday 9:30am-4:30pm.
Contact: www.3cps.org
March 5-6, 2020, Morro Bay, California. California Central
Coast Pastel Society. The Painterly Landscape, Two-Day
Workshop, Thursday and Friday 9:30am-4:30pm. FULL.
March 7, 2020, Morro Bay, California. California Central
Coast Pastel Society. The Painterly Landscape, Plein-Air
Desmond
Workshop, Saturday 9:30am-4:30pm. FULL.
March 9-11, 2020, Sebastopol, California. Pastel Society
O’Hagan
of the West Coast. Capturing Light, Three-Day Workshop,
Monday-Wednesday 9:30am-4:30pm. IAPS Eminent Pastelist
Contact: www.creativeescapeworkshops.com
April 24-26, 2020, Kelowna, Canada. Ellis Art Studios. The IAPS Master Circle
Painterly Landscape, Three-Day Workshop, Friday-Sunday
10:00am-5:00pm.
Master Pastelist PSA
Contact: www.ellisartstudios.ca
May 11-12, 2020, Charlotte, North Carolina. Piedmont Pastel
Society. The Painterly Landscape, Two-Day Workshop,
Workshops
Monday-Tuesday 9:30am-4:30pm.
Contact: www.piedmontpastelsociety.org 303.895.6648
May 13-15, 2020, Charlotte, North Carolina. Piedmont Pastel
Society. The Painterly Landscape, Three-Day Workshop, desmond@desmondohagan.com
Wednesday-Friday 9:30am-4:30pm. www.desmondohagan.com
Contact: www.piedmontpastelsociety.org
June 18-20, 2020, La Palmyre, France. Salon International de
Pastel. The Painterly Portrait, Three-Day Workshop,
Thursday-Saturday.
Contact: www.picardstudio.com/workshops
June 23-25, 2020, La Palmyre, France. Salon International
de Pastel. The Painterly Landscape, Three-Day Workshop,
Tuesday-Thursday.
Contact: www.picardstudio.com/workshops
July 16-25, 2020, Dordogne, France. Painting Retreat in
Southern France.
Contact: www.picardstudio.com/france2020
August 17-19, 2020, Montpelier, Vermont. Vermont Pastel
Society. The Painterly Landscape, Three-Day Workshop,
Monday-Wednesday 9:30am-4:30pm.
Contact: www.vermontpastelsociety.com
August 20-21, 2020, Montpelier, Vermont. Vermont Pastel
Society. The Painterly Portrait, Two-Day Workshop,
Thursday-Friday 9:30am-4:30pm.
Contact: www.vermontpastelsociety.com
Jeanne Rosier Smith PSA, IAPS/MC
Jeanne’s workshops on Color Confidence, Loosening Up,
Workshops: TX, NYC, MA, Canada
Painting from Photos, and Plein Air & Studio Seascape and
Landscape provide personalized attention and a simple,
DVDs & Pastels
practical approach. Daily demos and critiques, attention to www.jeannerosiersmith.com
painting fundamentals, and plenty of easel time, all in a
Artists Marketplace
relaxed atmosphere. These workshops, open to all levels, are
designed to push your boundaries and boost your painting
SALLY
confidence.
March 7-8, 2020, Austin, Texas.
Making Waves, Austin Pastel Society.
Contact: Enidwood@mac.com
STRAND
March 20-22, 2020, New York, New York.
Making Waves, Pastel Society of America.
Contact: http://www.pastelsocietyofamerica.org/contact
June 8-10, 2020, Sudbury, Massachusetts. Color Confidence.
Contact: jeanne@jeannerosiersmith.com
Workshops June 22-24, 2020, Sudbury, Massachusetts. Seascapes.

Contact: jeanne@jeannerosiersmith.com
October 15-18, 2020, Ontario, Canada.
Prince Edward County Art Centre.
Master Pastelist & Contact: Joanne_Finegan2005@yahoo.com
Hall of Fame Honoree, PSA Stan Sperlak, PSA
A nationally recognized instructor, painter, author and
historian for all things Art, Stan will change the way you paint
www.sallystrand.com and make you see things in a whole new light. At his home
workshops, he teaches painting with pastels on the beaches,
dunes, marshes, fields and small towns of coastal Southern
New Jersey. (The receptions and serious indoor portions of
his classes are held in his Amish Barn/Studio at his farm in
Goshen, NJ) He also teaches plein air workshops all over the
United States and Canada, for May private groups and pastel
societies. He guides painting expeditions in Europe, New
Zealand and Australia. He is well known for his expressive
skies, wide range of moods and atmosphere, painterly
approach and quick rendering. Stan Sperlak is a signature
member of the Pastel Society of America who is often featured
in national magazines and books. The workshops welcome
beginner to advanced artists as everything from drawing,
painting, presentation, framing and innovative ways to work
will be covered. The classes are well attended. So consider
signing up early. All begin with an informal reception/social
the day before painting starts. Stan is a very motivational
teacher and mixes nature, history and art topics together with
nightly dinners and tours. Most classes are based on painting
the landscape from life and if weather is poor indoor options
are always available. His special first day boot camp has had
many attendees stating they wish they had that instruction
20 years ago! Watch for special events, and indoor classes
that are not on calendar. Limited nearby lodging available for
Goshen workshops.
March 20-22, 2020, Stan Sperlak’s indoor/outdoor 3 day
Pastel Workshop.
April 3-5, 2020, Desmond O’Hagan 3 day indoor workshop.
Streets, Interiors and People .
May 15-17, 2020, Stan Sperlak’s indoor/outdoor 3 day Pastel
Workshop.
August 7-9, 2020, Stan Sperlak’s indoor/outdoor 3 day Pastel
ENID WOOD Workshop.
September 18-20, 2020, Stan Sperlak’s indoor/outdoor 3 day
PanPastel® Workshops Pastel Workshop.
October 2020, Galway and Dingle Ireland.
www.enidwood.com November 2020, Marla Bagetta 3 day indoor workshop.
Poems Not Novels!
Contact: Stan, 609/463-4805
sperlakpastelworkshops@gmail.com
Sally Strand, PSA Hall Of Fame Honoree
See Art | Love Art | Share Art and Master Pastelist, IAPS Master Circle
SALLY STRAND WORKSHOPS. Sally is offering her signature
workshop, The Color of Light, and a new workshop,
Composition and Light, in 2020.
#myartistsnetwork
For more detailed information: 949/493-6892,
info@sallystrand.com or www.sallystrand.com
January 26, 2020, Riverside, California.
Riverside Art Museum. “Conversation with the Artist” Sally
has been invited as the first artist in a lecture/interview series
followed by a question/answer period and lunch with the
artist at the museum.
Contact: Riverside Art Museum, 951/684-7111
www.riversideartmuseum.org/PAARconversation
ALAN FLATTMANN February 20-23, 2020, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach.
PSA Hall of Fame Honoree NEW 2020 WORKSHOP! Composition and Light.
Composition is one of the most challenging elements of
creating a painting. Sally presents foundational elements
of composition and design on which great representational
paintings rest. Projects, demos, lectures and slide
presentations of classical and modern masterworks are
designed to help you achieve powerfully convincing paintings
that stand out.
Contact: Catherine Tatem/Arts Program and Outreach
Manager, Office: 904/280-0614 x1206
ctatem@ccpvb.org or www.ccpvb.org
April 21-24, 2020, Rockville, Maryland.
Maryland Pastel Society. Showcase the Color of Light!
Contact: Susan Van Eseltine, Workshop Coordinator
VENICE 410/312-5513, susan.ve@verizon.net or
https://marylandpastelsociety.com
Plein Air Pastel & Watercolor Workshop April 30 - May 2, 2020, Richmond, Virginia.
October 10-17, 2020 MidAtlantic Pastel Society. The Color of Light.
www.alanÀattmann.com Contact: Joan Dreicer, 216/533-0111, jdreicer54@gmail.com or
www.midatlanticpastelsociety.com

Artists Marketplace
October 17, 2020, Fallbrook California. Fallbrook Art
Association. Sally will conduct an open critique of members’
artwork and then demonstrate pastel painting in the morning.
The afternoon will be a mini-workshop for a select group.
Contact: Carol Reardon, 760/731-6677
Carol.reardon@sbcglobal.net or www.fallbrookartassn.org
Mentoring – Do you need help? In response to requests from
students, Sally is offering private one-on-one mentoring for
painting and career advancement. Email her for details.
Doug Tweddale
“Living the Dream Workshops” with Doug Tweddale
An experienced Plein Air painter and teacher, Doug has
studied for many years with Master Albert Handell. Workshops
include demos, critiques and help at the easel. Week-long
workshops also have a final critique of all works done during
the week. Plein Air painting will be done near public areas with
easy access. All media and experience levels welcome!
April 13-18, 2020, Sedona, Arizona. Sedona has brilliant red
and orange rock formations and slotted Oak Creek Canyon
vistas. Experience the mystical atmosphere while capturing its
unique breath-taking beauty. Cost: $475.
September 10-13, 2020, Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
This special workshop is exclusively for pastel artists and is
sponsored by UART Premium Pastel Papers. The workshop will
include many of the sights of the island: beautiful beaches,
Barnegat Light House and ships harbors, plus scenic marsh
areas. Long Beach Island Foundation will provide meeting
space for the workshop. Cost: $375.
Contact: U-Art Papers, Laura Heller, 845/875-6260
lheller@uneeda.com
Contact: Doug Tweddale, 215/908-0850
dtweddale@hotmail.com or www.dougtweddale.com
Enid Wood, PSA, PSNM
If you have been wanting to try PanPastels®, this is an
opportunity. Enid is an experienced and gentle teacher.
Classes are informal and supportive. All experience levels
welcome. PanPastels® and Pastelbord will be supplied. Please
bring your own subject matter, so that you will be painting
something that has meaning for you. You may bring your own
PanPastels® if desired. For more information, visit
www.enidwood.com
February 21, 2020, Bastrop, Texas. Bring your sense of
adventure to Lost Pines Art Center for a 3-hour workshop
using PanPastels® to create abstract paintings in a variety of
styles. Materials will be provided, but you may want to bring
a portable easel, along with a few pastel sticks and/or pastel
pencils.
Contact: http://www.lostpinesartcenter.org/classesclass-
sign-up/abstract-painting-in-panpastel-workshop
April 27, 2020, Houston, Texas. PanPastel® workshop 9:30am
to 2:30pm $30 for Houston Art Society Members. Participants
will learn how to apply, layer, and blend with PanPastels®.
PanPastels, Sofft Tools® and Pastelbords will be supplied.
Please bring your own subject matter. Optional: Students may
choose to bring a small travel kit of pastel sticks and a set of
pastel pencils, along with their own PanPastels if desired.
Marla Baggetta
Contact: www.houstonartsociety.com/events-calendar.html
PSA, IAPS MC, OPA
CALL
Call For Entries
DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 20, 2020
FOR
The Southeastern Pastel Society (SPS) 2020 International
Juried Exhibition is May 8 to June 21, 2020. Entries open at
noon EST January 3 and close noon EST February 20, 2020.
Up to three digital entries can be submitted, dry pastels and
ENTRIES
online only. The entry fees are $35 for SPS Members and $45
for non-members. The exhibition location is the Oglethorpe
University Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA. Approximately
$5,000 in cash and merchandise will be awarded. Judge
and Workshop leader will be Debora Stewart. Workshop
dates are May 29-31. The exhibition prospectus:
Pastel Society of America

http://southeasternpastel.org/downloads/prospectus.pdf
DEADLINE: APRIL 22, 2020
The Woodson Art Museum is accepting submissions
to the annual juried Birds in Art exhibition,
48th Annual Exhibition
September 12 - November 29, 2020. All works must
interpret birds and related subject matter. Processing fee:
$55 for one entry; $65 for two entries. Postmark and online
submission deadline for entry form, digital image, and
processing fee April 22, 2020. For prospectus/entry form, visit
www.lywam.org/2020-prospectus; call 715/845-7010;
email info@lywam.org or write 700 N 12th St., Wausau, WI
54403-5007.
DEADLINE: APRIL 26, 2020 2020
Over $40,000 in awards!
Pastel Society of the West Coast. Pastels USA 34th Annual
International Exhibition. Dry pastels only. Open for entries: FL, CA, Italy, OR
February 3, 2020. Judge: W. Truman Hosner. Jurors: Mary Aslin,
Brian Bailey, and Julie Freeman. Download prospectus at
www.showsubmit.com and www.pswc.ws. Open to members
Prospectus available OH, CT, NJ, RI
and non-members.
DEADLINE: JUNE 27, 2020
March 15, 2020 at For workshop listings see classified
9th Annual Square Foot Exhibit, August 4-28, 2020. Oil,
watercolor, acrylic, or mixed media. Canvases supplied with
www.ShowSubmit.com Online Lessons + Critiques
PaintingLessonswithMarla.com
pastelsocietyofamerica.com
Entry Fee: $25 for 1, $30 for 2 entries. Prospectus online at
www.bismarck-art.org. Phone 701/223-5986 or email
baga@midconetwork.com
The Spark
A Landscape “Warm-Up”
By Barbara Benedetti Newton
W e have many overcast days

in the Pacific Northwest,
and my work—which is
inspired primarily by my local land-
scape—can easily slip into a focus
on tonality. The reference photo for
this painting appears, at first glance,
almost to have been altered into a
grayscale for a value study, but in
fact, this was the actual setting on a
summer day at an annual picnic along
the Cedar River in Washington.
I was prepared to paint the scene
as shown, another picture of a typical
Northwest landscape, until I found
a large piece of ochre-gessoed Wallis
paper in my flat fi le. Then, I couldn’t
resist pushing the color away from
my usual cool palette to something
warmer and more lively.
I began with a value foundation in
charcoal, and then lifted the charcoal
in some detail spots such as the rocky
foreground using reusable adhesive
before adding color with pastel. PJ
Barbara Benedetti Newton (barbara

benedettinewton.com) is a Distinguished
Pastelist with the Northwest Pastel Society
and an IAPS Master Circle honoree.
The warmth of the color palette in Cedar River Picnic (25x18) is a big change from the color palette seen in the
reference photo. The other photo at right shows an early stage of the painting in which Newton used reusable
adhesive to strategically lift off color in certain areas.

ALBERT HANDELL
PSA MASTER PASTELIST and HALL OF FAME HONOREE
AMERICAN IMPRESSIONIST SOCIETY and
OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA Master Artist Category
Coastal Oaks by Albert Handell, Pastel, 16” x 24”
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & MENTORING PROGRAMS

Limited Enrollment
Oil Painting Workshops in the
Handell Studio, Santa Fe
January 16-18 (3 days) • February 20-23 (4 days)
March 19-22 (4 days) • April 2-5 (4 days)
Plein Air Pastel and Oil

Santa Fe, NM (Oil) - May 27-30
Santa Fe, NM (Oil) - June 24-27
Santa Fe, NM (Oil) - August 10-14
Santa Fe, NM (Oil) - October 6-9
Palm Springs Indian Gardens, CA - January 27-30

Summer in Santa Fe, Oil, 12” x 16” Plein Air Convention, Denver, CO - May 2-6
painted on location Highland, NC - July 29-31
Annual Taos Mentoring Program - September 14-19
Collector Inquiries &

Studio Visits Welcomed.
Visit Albert’s website for further details
and information.
To register for any program, contact the
Handell Studio via phone or email.
www.alberthandell.com • 505-983-8373 office • 505-603-1524 cell • alberthandell@msn.com

Pastel Journal - January 2020

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Pastel Journal - January 2020

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