The Pastel Journal Spring 2025

For his essay collection, The Book of Delights, poet Ross Gay committed to a practice of daily writing and put down words each day about a sight, experience, observation or gesture that he perceived as a delight. The idea was to take notice—to see joy in small moments that might be easily overlooked: the presence of birds winging about inside the Detroit airport, for example, or the pleasure of writing by hand with a brand-new pen. I bring up Gay's book because he notes that a big part of the delight comes not just in noticing these little joys or in writing about them, but in sharing them. And that, I think, is the magic of any sort of art. You can make a painting as a response to something…

As Europe's largest mountain range with snowy peaks and rock formations spanning eight countries—from France and Switzerland in the west to Austria and Slovenia in the east—the Alps have long captured the imagination of artists all around the world. Through April 27, a focused exhibition at The Getty Museum, in Los Angeles, highlights the different ways in which later 19th-century artists explored and depicted the Alps. Of particular note, the monumental pastel Study for La Vita, by Giovanni Segantini (Italian, 1858–99), is on display. The pastoral scene depicts the Alpine peaks that ringed Segantini's home in the Engadine Valley, in Switzerland, and demonstrates why Segantini is today regarded as one of the most important Italian artists of his generation. The mountains depicted in Study for La Vita catch the last…

The original Waldorf Astoria, depicted here by Joseph Pennell (American, 1857-1926), was the result of a merger between two adjacent luxury hotels in midtown Manhattan. The Waldorf Hotel opened on Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street in 1893, and the Astoria Hotel opened four years later on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. Both palatial structures were built by feuding members of the Astor family, who eventually reconciled and joined the hotels with a nearly 1,000-foot corridor called Peacock Alley. The Waldorf Astoria— the largest hotel of its time—was notable for its opulent interior, fine dining and prominent clientele. After the hotel's popularity flagged, the Astors sold the property to developers in 1929. The structure was promptly razed, and the Empire State Building was erected in its place. The…

All of us are traveling on our own personal artistic journey. Whether you're just starting out or are an established pastelist, consider the following a “hop-on/hop-off” excursion on which you can explore different concepts and techniques at your own pace. This seven-stop tour features some of my favorite paintings and the stops I took along the way to ensure their success. STOP 1: VISION Before beginning any trip, we have to ask ourselves where we want to go. In my art practice, I search for the vision or emotion that entices me to paint a piece. Whether it's simply the sunshine casting shadows or the memory of something that inspired me to approach the easel, I always try to keep my inspiration and destination in mind. In A Drop of…

EVERY YEAR, WE'RE DELIGHTED TO invite five distinguished pastel artists to serve as category jurors in the annual Pastel 100 Competition. Each brings their own experience and expertise to the task, as well as their own set of creative criteria. While the artists doing the jurying may change from year to year, there's one aspect of the experience that's common to all. Every year, our jurors tell us how challenging it is to select only five pastels in their category for awards. So, how did these five artist-jurors approach the challenge? And are there lessons to be found in their choices that might provide some helpful takeaways for those eager to catch a juror's eye? Read on for specific insights and advice. FIRST IMPRESSIONS Our Pastel 100 jurors considered a…

OREGON-BASED ARTIST Barbara Jaenicke's paintings are never really about landscape subjects such as rocks, trees or streams. Instead, they're about the light effects on those objects. It's these ephemeral, fleeting qualities that inspire the artist, driving her pursuit to embody an idea through keen perception and design dynamics. In her prizewinning Grassy Bank (opposite), Jaenicke masterfully communicates that concept. Brenda Boylan, Landscape & Interior category juror, says of the painting, “When I first saw the piece, my heart quietly sang. The subtle, harmonious warm and cool colors play together to tell of a quiet place worth notice. I also applaud the confidence and handling of the medium; the sensitive and emotional handling of mark-making told me this artist has mastery over the medium.” INSPIRATION & PREPARATION The location that inspired…