Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2022 i The Pastel Journal

This special issue is primarily a celebration of the hard work, talent and ingenuity of the artists behind the works that make up the 23rd Annual Pastel 100. As a showcase of exceptional pastel painting, the issue supplies oodles of inspiration, but it’s so much more than a beautiful “look book.” I’ve learned over the years that conversations with artists always unearth new insights, valuable bits of advice and interesting ideas. “An artist’s duty is rather to stay ... in a state where he can receive information and inspiration. You always have to be ready for that little artistic epiphany.”—NICK CAVE I might be tempted to think that, after being on the magazine for 15 years, I’d have heard just about everything there is to hear, but without exception I…

Julian Alden Weir (1852–1919) was born into a family of artists in West Point, N.Y. Weir’s father taught drawing at the U.S. Military Academy, and one of his brothers was the first director of the Yale School of Fine Arts. Julian Weir’s education was consistent with the family’s demanding standards; he first studied at the National Academy of Design, in New York, then at the École des Beaux-Arts, in Paris, where he was a star pupil. In 1877, he returned to New York City, established himself as a painter of figures and still life, and taught at the newly formed Art Students League. Though Weir trained as an academic artist, he eventually became one of this country’s most prominent impressionist painters. “Weir employed a delicacy that suggests an affectionate response…

“The ability to make a significant stroke of color at the end that lies on the surface so beautifully is a wonderful quality of pastel.”— MARCIA HOLMES MARCIA HOLMES’ PRIZE-WINNING PAINTING, Charade, offers a gloriously open, sensual, richly colored and deeply satisfying experience to the viewer. Hovering somewhere between abstraction and representation, the painting presents an image of water lilies floating on a watery surface that reflects a sky of drifting clouds and blue spaces. Layers of paint and inks overlaid with soft shapes and sprightly lines in pastel give clues to the various elements but avoid any pedestrian attempt at full definition. Instead we’re invited to drift free amongst layers of color, punctuated by lively marks delivered with a sure touch. “A great standout painting like this one beckons…

FIRST PLACE SUSAN KUZNITSKY In Garden Beauty (left) by Susan Kuznitsky (susankuznitsky.com), a young woman in a flower garden glances back over her shoulder with an easy smile. A heavy shawl slides off her skin as full brown curls cascade down her back. The woman has just turned away from the roses to address a companion outside of the picture plane. “The model’s name is Taija, and I guess you can call her my muse,” Kuznitsky says. The sense of comfortable intimacy reflects a years-long relationship between painter and model. After the artist’s son introduced Kuznitsky to Taija, a friendly relationship blossomed between the two women. They habitually visit gardens and flower fields around Portland, Ore., to do modeling photo shoots. Kuznitsky likes to capture Taija’s unselfconscious beauty. Usually, the…

Whether the artist’s triumph was expressed in painterly realism, total abstraction or something in between—and whether the inspiration sprang from the beauty of nature, the human figure or the artist’s own imagination—the prizewinning pastels in this year’s competition stand as a testament to the power of the medium to captivate our minds and stir our emotions. In the special coverage on the following pages, we invite you to revel in the remarkable talent, creativity and visual storytelling on display in these 100 examples of pastel achievement.…

IN ART, JUST AS IN WRITING, SKILLFUL EDITING CAN ELEVATE A PAINTING FROM GOOD TO AWARD-WINNING. That’s exactly what happened on Barbara Jaenicke’s journey to create Riverside Glimmer at Dusk (right) this year’s winner of the Pastel Journal Award of Excellence. Jaenicke’s wintry pastel landscape was inspired by the luminosity of the day’s last light and its effects on the snow and water. Her reference photo, which was taken at a park along the Deschutes River, near her home in Bend, Ore., provided wonderful contrasts of values, temperatures, edges and textures. As she often does, the artist explored the subject with a few different versions in order to push herself. “As I continued to study, I began to develop an appreciation for artists who could edit their subject to eliminate…

“TIMELESS AND HEARTFELT, IT COMES TOGETHER TO TOUCH THE HEART,” says Portrait & Figure juror Alain Picard of Jody Martin’s prizewinning pastel, Just Like Dad (opposite). “This portrait is so striking—the gaze of the boy, the interlocking shapes of the hat, face and collared uniform, the beautiful textured edges, the color palette of the skin. It’s a beautiful painting in its simplicity.” That heartwarming simplicity is what initially drew the Texas artist to the subject. “Danny Diaz was one of my art students who was participating in the school’s annual ‘Living Museum’ event,” Martin explains. “He was there among the Abraham Lincolns, Harriet Tubmans and all the other pint-sized legends lining the halls. Danny, however, was dressed as his hero—his dad, a Navy man turned firefighter.” Martin was touched by…

FIRST PLACE CHERI GINSBURG Cheri Ginsburg (cheriginsburg.com) says color was key to amplifying the drama in her award-winning painting, Red Dawn (left). “The red sky and the foreground in the way of reflections are bold and pivotal to heightening the impact of the painting,” she says. With a background in sculpture, and known for her highly detailed pen and ink pieces, Ginsburg is no stranger to making bold, irrevocable decisions in her artwork. “I may take more chances with color and value than most,” she says, “but I truly enjoy the challenge of reinterpreting my three-dimensional ideas into two-dimensional expression by pushing color, textures and value.” Animal & Wildlife juror Dawn Emerson was struck by the painting’s powerful design. “Through unusual use of color, the artist creates a unique story…

My favorite high school English teacher taught us to read an assigned book three times. The first reading is done to absorb all that the book offers—for the pure enjoyment. The second reading is a chance to search for specific ideas that have personal meaning. The third time allows a reader to dig deeper for universal themes that resonate with wider audiences. I often follow a similar process for a painting. When I was out hiking, for instance, and came across this scene (see photo, right), at first, I just took it in. Later on, when I decided to reference the photo for a painting, I chose to focus on a few key factors—the qualities that had attracted my initial interest: the rich, complex textures and dappled light. I eliminated…