The Pastel Journal Winter 2024

One of the talents that painters and poets have in common is a special ability to take notice. It’s not that non-artists and non-poets don’t see and recognize beauty in the world, but poets and painters are able to shine a spotlight on it. This response—whether it be in words or pigment—conveys what many can feel, but not express. This is why we often hear the word “poetic” used to describe a painting that seems especially oriented to beauty— and that possesses a quality that goes beyond accuracy and likeness to capture something more ineffable, but real. When thinking about a “poetic” approach to landscape, Kim Lordier is an artist who quickly comes to mind. In the feature, “Dreaming the American West” (page 50), Lordier confesses to worrying sometimes about…

The Pastel Society of America (PSA) named renowned pastelist Jimmy Wright as the organization’s 2023 Hall of Fame Honoree—the highest honor the PSA can bestow upon an artist. The award was presented at a celebratory ceremony and banquet, which took place on October 1, and closed out the society’s 51st annual “Enduring Brilliance” exhibition. The prestigious award caps off what has been a sensational year for the artist. In the fall, Wright’s work was featured in a two-person alumni exhibition at the Sharp Museum, Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale, I11., and in an exhibition of three artists at the Wonnerth Dejaco Gallery, in Vienna, Austria. In April, Chicago’s Corbett Vs Dempsey Gallery hosted a solo exhibition, “Down Home,” showcasing a series of monotypes and an artist book inspired by early…

The Pastel Society of America’s “Enduring Brilliance” international juried exhibition acknowledges the artistic excellence of participating artists and helps promote the finest examples of pastel art to the general public, the professional art world, art students and collectors. This year’s awards juror of selection, Diana Thompson, along with jurors Richard McKinley, Sandra Burshell and Susan M. Story reviewed 1,510 entries submitted by 604 PSA members from around the world. The society was thrilled to bestow its top four awards to the following artists ……

Before you make any summer plans, be sure to mark your calendar for the next International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) biennial convention, which is set to take place June 11th—16th, 2024, in Albuquerque, N.M. This will be the association’s 15th gathering, and the event continues to deliver all kinds of artistic excitement. Inspiring art exhibition? Check. Workshops and classes with worldclass instructors? Check. A chance to meet vendors and stock up on your favorite supplies? Check. An opportunity to learn, share and celebrate creative success in the company of other passionate pastelists? Check. Check. Check. Whether you’ve always wanted to go but somehow never have, or you never ever miss it, you can find all the information you need to start your plans at iapspastel.org.…

One of the earliest pieces of artistic advice I was given was to work in a series. I was told, “If there’s a subject you love painting, then paint 20 of them.” At first, I thought I’d get incredibly bored with the process and not put much effort into the final pieces just to get through the exercise. But it turned out to be sage advice and has resulted in a practice that I return to time after time. I now pass the worthwhile concept on to my own students. WHY? The more you paint a subject, the more familiar you become with it. You learn the lexicon of the topic. The more you do, the more you see. You discover nuances, subtleties of light, correctness of line and shifts…

I’m currently enamored of a very specific beach in southern Rhode Island. I’ve been fortunate to grab some amazing reference images of that seascape, and those photos inspire me endlessly. I’ve undertaken a series of paintings to explore the possibilities, as seen here. The images, at both sunrise and sunset, focus on the waves and their relationship to the beach and some rocky outcroppings.…