The highlights of the 2024 online art challenges
Our Featured Artist Artist Nancie King Mertz talks to Pamela Comfort
Meet three of our wonderful Members!
Art
Ann Strutz On Multi-media painting with Pastels
Pastel Society of the West Coast
Volume 16, Issue 4
Join the most dynamic pastel group in the USA for less than 25c per day
You don’t have to live on the West Coast to become a member. With PSWC members located around the US, as well as international members, the Pastel Society of the West Coast offers a strong voice for expanding the presence of soft pastel as a major fine art painting medium.
PSWC was organized in 1984 to promote pastel artists and the medium of soft pastel. Today, we are one of the most recognized pastel societies in the country, with an ever-increasing international presence. Benefits include: Pastels USA Annual Exhibition | Members Only Online Competition | In-person and Virtual Workshops by Noted Pastel Artists | PSWC Magazine | PSWC Social Media Exposure Opportunities | We Talk Art Interview Series | Regional In-person Events | Online Demonstrations | Free Online Gallery | Membership in IAPS.
All levels of artists are welcome to join.
Our goal is to promote the art of pastels through education and competition and also to make it easier for you to become a well-connected, well-informed pastel artist. We look forward to including you on our Society’s roster!
Painting Challenge 2024
Selected Samples of work from the challenge in October 2024
Inaugural Fall Fest Our newest festival will become a tradition.
Featured Artist Nancie King Mertz talks to Pamela Comfort
Meet the Members
Lynn Attig, Mike Ishikawa, and Natalie Richards share their stories
We Talk Art Bonnie Griffith on her Chat series for PSWC
Regional Reps Find out what our Regional Reps are up to Art School Anne Strutz paints with passion and movement
Art Workshops Workshops Coming 13
Letter from the PSWC President From Pamela Comfort
Letter from the Editor From Sabrina Hill
News & Notes Happenings around the globe with PSWC
PSWC Housekeeping Here’s who’s new in the Society
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22 20 54 31 16
Dear Pastelists,
This will be the last time I create this magazine. In January, 2025, Francesca Droll will be assuming the title of Editor of the PSWC magazine.
The opportunity to publish a magazine came in 2017, when the editor of the newsletter could no longer do the newsletter. I felt like a refresh was needed, so armed with my InDesign software, I figured, “How hard could this be?” It was hard, but also so rewarding! I got to speak to dozens of artists and members about art, my favorite thing. I worked with other contributors who offered insights into art and life.
One of the actions that supports the Magazine is sharing story ideas. If you know someone who should be interviewed or have an idea for a specific topic, let Pam Comfort or Francesca Droll know.
In this issue, (my nineteenth!) we feature Nancie King Mertz. Her stunning work will be familiar to many of you because she has won so many awards in PSWC shows. An exceptional teacher, Nancie has in-person workshops in her art center in Rockford, Illinois. Please consider a trip for one of her classes. You won’t be sorry!
We are introducing three members who have dual membership with PSWC and the Pastel Society of Southern California. Lynn Attig, who cofounded PSSC, Mike Ishikawa, the 87 years young architect turned pastel artist, and Natalie Richards who paints with pastels and also with thread. Get to know more about them in the Meet the Members section.
Anne Strutz has contributed her article for the Art School on creating expressive art. She uses pastels and water mixable oils, and you will love her technique. The Ospreys are calling!
Bonnie Griffith has an exciting line up for We Talk Art, and Pam has the next series of Art Challenges lined up for 2025. We have exhibitions on the horizon, workshops coming, demos scheduled, and magazines to print. It’s going to be an exciting 2025.
A huge thank you is due to all the artists, writers, contributors, and proofreaders who have made every issue of these magazines possibl e.
A loud shout out to Pan Comfort who has made the last two years so much easier. She has written articles, done interviews, and come up with amazing ideas. You are my rock! It has been an honor work with everyone to show off the Art of the Pastel in these pages.
“Painting
is just another way of keeping a diary.”
- Pablo Picasso
And finally, a very special thank you to my sweet husband, David Hill who has encouraged me to pursue this endeavor and now encourages me to return to the easel, and to my two daughters who have read endless versions of the rough drafts and helped me get it right. To the easel I go! Happy Painting,
Pam Comfort, President PSWC - In addition to serving as President, Pam chairs the Scholarship Program. Her background is in the field of education. She earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Organizational Management, and retired from her position as Deputy Superintendent of Schools for Contra Costa County in 2018. Having only dabbled in art and music throughout her life, she discovered after retiring that she loved the immediacy and tactile satisfaction of working with pastels. Pam loves to travel and aspires to create art that communicates a strong sense of nature, culture and place. www.pamelacomfort. com
Bonnie Zahn Griffith PSWC, Secretary of the PSWC - is a current resident of southwestern Idaho and spends significant time in Montana and Utah painting throughout the year. She participates in numerous plein air events in the western US, judges competitions and offers workshops in pastel techniques, both studio and plein air. Her work is represented by galleries in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Collectors include corporate and private throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Bonnie’s work can be seen on her website www.bonniegriffith.com
Ann Walker Strutz is an artist in motion, pushing boundaries by infusing movement and energy into her paintings. For Anne painting begins with what you cannot see. A visual artist is like a magician. We tell a story by creating an illusion of space, feelings, dimension, a fleeting moment, for our viewers. Anne’s journey as an artist has been a fulfilling adventure, leading her from fashion designer in New York City, to teacher and developing art curricula for children in Philadelphia and Chicago. In 2013, Anne turned her focus to fine art and began passionately exploring the medium of pastel quickly earning recognition as a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America and Master Pastelist as recognized by the International Association of Pastel Artists (IAPS). With a desire to work on a larger scale, Anne began to paint in the oil medium. The experience of working in pastel exclusively for several years has influenced her approach to painting with oils following in the footsteps of the masters who often created a smaller scale pastel painting prior to moving to the large scale oil works. Anne’s work has been featured in the Pastel Journal, Pratique Des Arts and Strokes of Genius publications. Anne holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and currently lives in the foothills of South Carolina. www,annestrutzfineart.com
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
There’s always room for more. Let us know what you want to do, and we’ll find a spot for you!
KEEP IN TOUCH & FOLLOW US!
Dear Fellow Artists,
As the year comes to a close, and we look to 2025, we here at PSWC are reflecting with appreciation on some of the accomplishments our volunteers have achieved and also enjoying the anticipation of what we have planned for the coming year.
When my oldest son was in secondary school, he was involved in improvisational theater and enjoyed teaching me about the concept of “yes, and” thinking. The idea was that an actor would accept whatever was offered, and build upon it, as a way of successfully moving the narrative forward. Lately I’ve been contemplating the many uses of “yes, and” thinking in everyday life, and particularly how it applies to our PSWC work.
Our long time members will recall that Sabrina Hill became the editor of the PSWC Newsletter in 2016 and transitioned the publication to the current PSWC Magazine in Spring of 2018. Over the past six years, with Sabrina at the helm, the magazine has been faithfully published one to three times each year, to rave reviews. She conducted many, many interviews, solicited educational articles from contributing writers, and continued to grow the magazine into a well-respected and polished publication that garners regular accolades from readers. She did this while continuing to work a full time job!
In an unsolicited letter from one of the early contributors, Laura Pollak wrote, “The gorgeous publication that [Sabrina] puts out is just top notch and I include it in my list of honors and in my CV.” Furthermore, when I have represented PSWC at the last two IAPS conventions on Fiesta Night, it is the issues of our beautiful magazine on display that has attracted the most attention from other attendees.
Now, Sabrina is deservingly ready to step down as editor in order to spend more time with her new grandchildren, to travel more, and importantly, to return to her easel. I can’t thank her enough for all she has done to bring the magazine this far. We have a beautiful, strong foundation upon which to build. In this month’s issue Sabrina will introduce you to our new editor, who is well-positioned to take the reins – Francesca Droll. Will Francesca and team maintain the beautiful, educational and entertaining publication we have all come to love? Yes, and … we will continue to improve and implement strategies to build on this strong foundation.
As long as we are talking about Sabrina’s contributions, we might as well turn our attention to how she was instrumental in bringing the society further along in terms of technology. She encouraged the creation of a membership database, and helped integrate our website with that database and other technological interfaces, when she transferred it to WordPress, among other things. The original PSWC website goes back to Spring 2001 and there have been several iterations since that time. The most recent update is thanks to our new webmaster, Delcee Comfort Fields, who Sabrina introduces you to in this issue.
It just so happens that I’ve known Delcee for a long time…since her birth, actually. So, I can definitely vouch for her (even though she did go through a whiny period at around the 23 month time frame). Delcee recently retired from her position as a Change Manager, so she is possessed of exactly the kind of “yes, and” mindset we want around here!
As I mentioned, Francesca will be taking over as magazine editor in 2025 and leaving her role as Pastels USA: 99 Voices Chair. However, we don’t have to worry because we have been fortunate enough to snag Lynn Attig to fill that role. Lynn comes to our board having already served in multiple, high-leverage positions for the Pastel Society of Southern California (a few of whose mutual members we feature this month). She has great experience, a great attitude and a great sense of humor - all of the characteristics I value most. Lynn and I have already had extensive conversations about the great work Francesca did with the 2024 show, and the things we learned along the way. In other words, we had a great “yes, and…” conversation about Pastels USA 2025 and Beyond. Read more about Lynn in the Meet the Members section.
Our MOOS show and our Pastels USA show have always been focused on promoting the traditional parameters of pastel exhibitions. Yes, they will continue to maintain the 80% pastel final layer rule. We want to remain true to that tradition. And … (see what I did there?) after being so inspired by the panel discussion we hosted with artists Judith Smith (shout out to Northwest Pastel Society for bringing her to our attention), Dawn Emerson, and Kelly Milukas, we also want to provide opportunities for artists who want to break that 80% rule and still be able to enter a show. So, in 2025 we offer our Inaugural Out of Bounds! The Show That Goes Beyond Tradition at Art Center Morro Bay, with Tony Allain as Judge.
We aren’t the first to break the rule – kudos to Central Massachusetts Pastel Society who started Pastels Plus in 2023. We hope that you will be as excited as we are to have this additional opportunity to explore and experiment, and perhaps, to share with a wider audience what happens when your studio becomes what Dawn, Judith, and Kelly refer to as their art “laboratory.”
Sharing our work is an intrinsic reward because the act of sharing can provide a personal sense of satisfaction that is separate from praise. Sharing can trigger feelings of connection. The PSWC is a large organization with many accomplished and award winning artists. The shows we sponsor can be competitive and not every one of our more than 600 members enter, or are accepted or win awards in those competitions. Yes, we want to have plenty of opportunities to share and showcase the amazing work of the artists who are regularly accepted and win awards. We all benefit from seeing those outstanding works.
And … we also want to provide opportunities for the many emerging artists among us to see their work shared and represented. This is one of the reasons we began publishing some of the images from our painting challenges in the magazine. The challenges are a great way to improve our painting practice, a low-stakes way to get feedback and to encourage one another, an easy way to focus on a “series” in order to hone particular skills, etc. They also provide an opportunity for us to share our work with the community. Our Meet the Members series is another way we showcase additional artists. Sharing images from our Regional Activities gives us another way to provide exposure for members. We will continue to look for ways to expand these opportunities.
Similarly, when we are scheduling artists for our We Talk Art series or Demonstrations, of course we want to have wellknown top name artists for our members. And we also want to bring in some of the artists with whom you may be less familiar, but who may have ideas, strategies, techniques and points of view that you might want to learn more about.
When I am talking about the concept of “yes, and” thinking, I’m talking about the type that is related to building upon ideas and collaborating. Collaboration is exactly what we are all about. Without collaboration, nothing happens here. If you think you would like to join the good people who are working together to achieve the goals of the Pastel Society of the West Coast. Please reach out. We are waiting to hear from you.
Honestly, I’m pretty excited about what we have planned for 2025, and I’m hoping you share my sense of anticipation. When all else fails, we can joyfully rally around art.
Whatever you celebrate this season, I’m wishing you warmth, love and laughter.
P.S. Word to the wise. If you ever happen to find yourself cruising down the Danube at the end of November, don’t forget to pack your gloves. Brrrrrr. (Photos from a recent river cruise.)
There are always things happening with the PSWC membership! We have expanded our painting challenges to four per year. It is wonderful to see the entries each day on Facebook and Instagram. We have some very talented artists in our midst!
Barbara is teaching two separate “Landscape & Light” workshops there: April 2224 (3-day oil) and April 25-26 (2-day pastel). The discounts are offered at checkout on the Bluebird Studios website until Dec. 31: For new students, enter EARLYBIRD50 for $50 off; For returning students, enter IMBACK10 for 10% off.
Pastel Classes - All Levels
Zoom Classes
2/19/2025 - 3/12/20259:30 am –Wednesdays 10:00 - 12:30 PST
Skill level: Beginner to advance
Price: $275.00
No matter the season or the subject, it is the light that draws us in. Whether you are a landscape painter or figurative painter you will benefit from this highly popular virtual class. I will demonstrate a variety of subjects. Paint along from the same image or work from your own reference material. Just watch and paint later. This class is appropriate for all levels of skill. www.susankuznitsky.com
Check www.pswc.ws Events Calendar regularly for updates
We Talk Art (Additional dates may be added)
Sunday, January 19 - Anne Strutz
Wednesday, February 12 - Alain Picard
Workshops
February - Lynn Diefenbach
April - Tony Allain
Saturday, March 15 - Geoff Ludwig June - Jeri Greenberg
Sunday, May 18 - Richard McKinley
Saturday, July 19 - Jen Evenhus
Sunday, September 21 - Eve Miller
Saturday, November 15 - Sandra Burshell
July - Laura Pollak
August - Colette Odya Smith
September - Anne Strutz
(Additional demonstrations may be added)
Saturday, February 15 - Anne Strutz
Sunday, April 6 - Corey Pitkin
Saturday, June 21 - Bethany Fields
Sunday, August 17 - Avon Waters
Saturday, October 18 - Glen Maxion
Sunday, December 14 - Carol Hall and Member Status Celebration
Painting Challenges 2025
February, April, July, October, and December
PSWC Shows
Members Only Online Show (MOOS)
Open for Entries 12/6/24 Deadline 01/6/25
MOOS goes live 01/23/25 with online presentation by Judge Richard McKinley Out of Bounds!
The Pastel Show That Goes Beyond Tradition
Open for Entries 01/24/25 Deadline 02/27/25
Show opens at Art Center Morro Bay 04/03/25
On-location workshop with Judge Tony Allain 04/16-18/25
Awards Reception 04/19/25 Show Closes 05/11/25
Pastels USA: 99 Voices in Pastel
Open for Entries 05/29/25 Deadline 07/10/25 Show Closes 11/29/25
Opening Reception at Hilbert Museum 08/23/25
On-location workshop with Judge Colette Odya Smith (TBA)
New Webmaster - Delcee Comfort Fields - We have a new member of our Technology Team! Delcee Fields was coaxed out of retirement by an admiring sister (Pam Comfort) to “help” with the website update. And now she is our Webmaster! This unsung job is critical to the success of the Society as it is our main source of contact and communication.
Delcee has a background in Customer Relations and technology support and an appetite for implementing new technology. With her knowledge and experience in Wordpress, she was a perfect fit for revamping the website. Now that the website has been reconfigured, Delcee will be staying on to help the Society keep it up-to-date. By reorganizing the overall structure of the site, she has made it easier to navigate and locate the information visitors look for most.
When choosing the new web design , Delcee looked
for something with true ease of use. She found the current template through Wordpress and chose it because it offered clear, clean, visual blocks that were simple to maintain and made sense to new website viewers. The result is visually beautiful and so easy to use. One of her favorite parts of the project was choosing art from all our archived shows to use on various pages.
When she is not keeping the PSWC “viewer-ready,“ Delcee, who thought she retired, is an avid camper and hiker. Traveling in her own vehicle, she and sister Pam travel and camp throughout the United States. They also travel together to Europe (though not in their vans). She also enjoys gardening and hiking with her son.
We are thrilled that Delcee has joined our ranks and put her expertise into the website.
Meet our new PSWC Magazine Editor! Francesca Droll has stepped into the role of Editor for the PSWC Magazine. She has an impressive background in graphic design, having owned her own company with her husband, John R. Webster for many years. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, but she now resides in Bigfork, Montana. An avid fan of the landscape and plein air painting, Francesca is an acclaimed pastel artist in her own right. PSWC has lured her out of retirement to carry our Magazine forward.
Francesca says: “Pastels are my medium. Working with the little sticks is like an extension of my fingers. They offer me a lot of flexibility in how I use them to achieve the effects I’m looking for. From bold, expressive strokes to subtle blending, they are the perfect medium to convey the mood and motion of the scene before me. I’m an avid plein air painter. Being outdoors to paint can be challenging at times, but more often the energy of being in nature has me enthralled. Once I find my inspiration, I’m excited to capture it on my painting surface.
I know many people share my love of a beautiful landscape. It can take them to a place of peace and comfort as it does me. If my art provides a reminder of a feeling of tranquility ... then I’ve managed to create a connection with that person and myself. Art often brings people together in unexpected and delightful ways.” www.francescadroll
Out of Bounds! is the first open juried exhibition offered by the Pastel Society of the West Coast for works in pastel (and other media) going beyond the traditional use of the pastel medium. Breaking the 80% rule for traditional pastel exhibits, this competition is one that requires the entries to be at a maximum 50% (30% minimum) pastel, in combination with one or more other media, creating two dimensional works of art. If you are an artist who relishes experimental art and thinking in terms outside of the usual boundaries of pastel competitions, this show should be a consideration for you to enter. PSWC is happy to be able to offer this unique exhibit at the beautiful venue in Morro Bay, California – Art Center Morro Bay.
Wed-Fri, Apr 16-18, 2025 Tony Allain Workshop at Art Center Morro Bay Registration opens January 15 for Members, January 18 for non -Members at www.pswc.ws
OPEN FOR ENTRIES: Friday, January 24, 2025
DEADLINE: Thursday, February 27, 2025
We Talk Art is the quarterly Zoom presentation for members of the PSWC. Bonnie Zahn Griffith chats with well known artists in an informal virtual setting.
What a year I have had being able to interview some of my favorite artists on our Zoom series We Talk Art (WTA). I am grateful for the time the artist guests gave me to share their stories, paintings, techniques and more - as well as those members who have Zoomed in for these sessions! As a reminder, these interviews are available to be viewed on our YouTube channel in case you missed the live session. So, a huge thanks to my guests Bek Watkins, Dawn Emerson, Judith Smith, Kelly Milukas, Lyn Diefenbach, Mark Ivan Cole, Doug Dawson, Albert Handell, Bethany Fields, and Tom Christopher for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit with me in 2024!
For the most part WTA is live on alternating Saturdays and Sundays bimonthly apart from Alain’s visit with me on a midweek day early evening.
On the PSWC website section for We Talk Art you can read a brief biography or artist statement about these accomplished artists, and find the link to the recorded interview which is available on our YouTube channel a few days after the live interview.
Thank you to all who join in the live sessions, and I hope you continue to enjoy the chats in 2025. Here’s
to all our members - wishing you the happiest of holidays and much success in 2025!
Schedule 2025
In 2025, we have another super line up of guests:
January 19th, 12:00 Noon PST - Anne Strutz, February 12th, 5:00 pm PST - Alain Picard
March 15th, Time TBD - Geoff Ludwig
May 18th, Time TBD - Richard McKinley.
July 19th,Time TBD - Jennifer Evenhus.
September 21st, Time TBD Eve Miller.
November 15th, Time TBD - Sandra Burshell
I am grateful for these folks agreeing to chat with me and bring their story to our members.
The Pastel Society of the West Coast Regional Representatives are artists who have volunteered to promote art and art education in their communities. They organize a variety of activities in their geographic areas that might include paintouts, paint-ins, critiques, museum visits, local shows, open studios, and social gatherings. Because the PSWC has members throughout California, the West Coast, across the country and internationally, the Regional Representative Program is one way that we strive to engage some members in a more personal way with one another.
Currently, Regional Representatives are located in five different regions of California, as well as in Arizona and Idaho. We are always looking for additional representatives. The role is very flexible, depending upon time available, the climate of the area, and types of activities that can be supported by the region. Activities are open to members and non-members, and advertising for upcoming events is provided by PSWC on social media and through emails to our members. Reporting on past events gives members an opportunity to have their activities and artworks shared with the larger PSWC community.
Most recently, we are pleased to add Bonnie Kenaley (pictured above) as the newest member of the Regional Representative team. Relocating
to Boise 17 years ago from her native east coast, Bonnie retired in 2021 as a Boise State University professor, providing her the opportunity to initiate her painting endeavors. Initially, she focused on watercolor as a medium of choice. Yet, after attending a pastel workshop in 2023, she fell in love with pastels, enjoying the instant gratification provided by their brilliant colors and buttery feel.
A naturalist, birder, avid cyclist, and tent camper, Bonnie connects with and appreciates the outdoors across the United States and Europe, providing her Plein Air and photography opportunities. Bonnie is a member of the Idaho Watercolor Society and the Plein Air Painters of Idaho (PAPI). We can thank PSWC Secretary, Bonnie Griffith for recruiting Bonnie Kenaley for us! Thanks, Bonnies! Bonnie covers the Idaho, Montana and Wyoming region.
Clark Mitchell represents the Sebastopol, Napa and Sonoma region. Although the only requirement for being a Regional Representative is a willingness to organize a few activities each year and engage with other artists, Clark happens to come with some serious artistic bona fides. He has been designated a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America a Distinguished Pastelist by the Pastel Society of the West Coast, and a Signature Member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters of America. He has received numerous awards in local as well as national competitions and has oil and pastel paintings included in art collections internationally. Check out Clark’s recent work at www.cgmitchell.com
Not only is she our Workshop Chairperson, but as a Regional Representative, Jean Vineyard Myers covers the Southern California, Ventura County region. Jean grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri with animals and nature in abundance. Summers were spent riding horses, swimming and yearly trips to a
cottage on an island in Ontario, Canada. Her varied and visually rich experiences shaped her desire to express herself as an artist. In 2018, Jean achieved her Signature Artist status with the Pastel Society of the West Coast. In addition to painting, she plays a 34 string harp! See her work at www.jmyerspaintings. com
Bobbye West-Thompson covers the California Central Coast, San Luis Obispo County region and she is a multipotentialite. Bobbye is an award winning artist whose artistic endeavors only began after retiring from a career in education. She works in watercolor and pastel. Bobbye has a knack for organizing plein air excursions throughout San Luis Obispo County, including to historic ranches, farmland, old Victorians and private homes along California’s central coast. Bobbye has written and illustrated children’s books, enjoys SCUBA diving adventures, hiking, gardening, and photography. She is a member of the Pastel Society of America, Pastel Society of Southern California, Pastel Society of the West Coast, and San Luis Obispo Museum of Art and volunteers at Pacific Wildlife Care, in Morro Bay, California. See Bobbye’s work at www. bobbyewestthompson.com
Jan Prisco is our gal in the San Francisco Bay Area and Peninsula. She is a pastel and oil painter who focuses on paintings of the San Francisco peninsula to Big Sur. Most of her paintings are begun plein air. In addition to exhibiting her work at Portola Art Gallery in Menlo Park, California, Jan teaches pastel painting, both studio and plein air, on an ongoing basis at Pacific Art League and has taught at University Art Store (UART) in Redwood City, California and for Atherton Arts Foundation. She is also fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach plein air workshops at Filoli Historic House and Garden as well as Allied Arts Guild. Images of her work were selected by Filoli for reproduction and can be found in offerings at Filoli Garden Shop. She also mentors other pastel painters and regularly teaches small plein air groups on the San Francisco Peninsula. See Jan’s work at www.janprisco.com
Our Regional Representative in Santa Barbara County is Carol Talley. She tells us that her artmaking journey started young; drawing on the walls
of her house with a crayon, imitating Harold and his purple crayon, and getting scolded for it. Besides obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Carol studied with Albert Handell, Kim Lordier, Terri Ford and Debora Stewart. Carol has been working in pastels for over 25 years. Collectors of Carol’s paintings include the Casa Barranca Retreat Center, Ojai, California, The Tynan Group, Santa Barbara, California, and actor John Cleese. Carol is a member of the Pastel Society of America and a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast. See Carol’s work at www.caroltalley.com
Beverly Carlson-Bradshaw lives in the Arizona region. Beverly found pastels when she was in her late 20’s after working in oil and watercolor. The immediacy and the feel of both drawing and painting kept her working in that medium. After moving to AZ, she started painting full-time in 2019 and taking as many workshops as she could, trying to catch up for all the years she was unable to paint. Now she enjoys painting the landscape and animals of the desert. Beverly is also a member of the Arizona Pastel Artists Association. See Beverly’s work at www.beverlybradshawart.com
If you think you would like to be a Regional Representative, please contact us to learn more and talk about your ideas.
Our final Painting Challenge of the year encouraged daily practice, setting aside perfection, and plenty of camaraderie. Since the October Challenge is the longest one, lasting a full 21 days, it was a stalwart group that stayed with it until the end. Kelly Ann Hine served as our Challenge Cheerleader keeping everyone inspired and on track.
Our 21-day challenge participant winners who were randomly selected to win the three $100 cash prizes were Olga Symonenko, Anne Spivey and Barbara Archer-Baldwin. Of course, anyone who participates wins, because daily practice is the key to ongoing success. Here are some of the comments made by participants, and some of the paintings posted during the challenge. Congrats to the winners and everyone for producing such wonderful work. Keep painting!
COMMENTS:
“I feel like I’ve made new friends. Many thanks to everyone.”
“It was a fun challenge!”
“Awesome work everyone!! Congratulations to all three winners!”
Members Only
Any subject
Any size – though we recommend 6”x6” to 9”x12” for the sake of speed
Mostly pastels
Must post every day to be entered into prize-drawing
Quick studies are OK
New work only
Posting Rules:
• Please post on our PSWC Facebook Page with a commentary about the painting (a paragraph is plenty)
• Include Hashtag at end of post #PSWC10in10 or #PSWC21in21
• You may comment on other artists’ paintings, but this is not a critique. No negative comments.
Suggestions for process:
• Limit painting time- We suggest 30-45 minutes.
• Limit palette- Try a limited palette. Experiment with temperature and hue
• Try different pastels- Work with hard instead of soft or soft pastels instead of hard. Try pastel pencils.
• Change subject matter- If you paint plein air, try a still life or a portrait. Try Abstract.
• Experiment with underpainting- Try a wet underpainting with water or denatured alcohol. One artist in our society underpaints with splashes of ink.
CHALLENGE ONE: DONE!! February 1st - 10th, 2024: Animal Instincts 10-day challenge
CHALLENGE TWO: DONE!! April 1st – 10th, 2024: Complementary Colors 10-day challenge
CHALLENGE THREE: DONE!! July 1st - 10th, 2024: Sunshine and Shadows 10-day challenge
CHALLENGE FOUR: DONE!!October 1st - 21st, 2024: The Big Challenge, 21 paintings in 21 days
by Pam Comfort
As October was wrapping up, one glance at the PSWC activities calendar revealed a shocking problem –there was NOTHING planned for November! This was unacceptable, so naturally, we jumped into action and planned a pop-up Fall Fest, complete with Quick-Draw Demonstrations with Study Give-aways, Contests and prizes, a special flipped We Talk Art interview, and a culminating full-blown Sunday demonstration. The activities took place from November 12 through November 17.
The Fest kicked off with a special flipped “She” Talks Art with President, Pam Comfort interviewing our usual host, Bonnie Griffith. Pam and Bonnie discussed Bonnie’s early life, growing up on a cattle ranch with artist parents. She explained how she spent years exploring the landscape from the back of a horse, and painting from life. But she didn’t major in art. If you don’t know and missed the interview, you will want to watch the recording on our YouTube channel to find out more about Bonnie’s fascinating career and more.
respective processes and tips for how they achieve their award winning results. At the end of each demonstration, the artist drew names from those watching live and one lucky winner was chosen to receive the original study painting! Unfortunately, Jeri Greenberg experienced a power outage just as she was getting started, so her demonstration was rescheduled for Saturday, December 14. It was a wonderful demonstration and has now been added to our YouTube channel.
Throughout the week, on our Facebook page, website hunt questions were posed for members to solve. The questions required members to go to our newly refurbished PSWC website and find the information, and send the answer using the “contact us” feature available on the website. Members who submitted the correct answer were entered into a random drawing and the winner received a full year free subscription to Plein Air Magazine donated by our friends at Streamline Publishing.
The next four days had Quick-Draw Demonstrations scheduled by Mark Ivan Cole, Bonnie Griffith, Dug Waggoner and Jeri Greenberg. The demonstrations by Mark, Bonnie and Dug are on our YouTube channel and each offers insights into their
Finally, the crowning event of the Fall Fest was a wonderful workshop/demonstration by Eve Miller. Eve’s session was full of so much information and so many wonderful tips! Eve shared her approach to painting, emphasizing the importance of texture, color, and technique, and demonstrated her process using various tools and materials. She also discussed her use of references, value scales, and color wheels to guide her work, and the significance
of contrast and emotional impact in her art. The conversation ended with discussions on the use of texture, the importance of trusting one’s instincts, and the role of technology in enhancing the painting’s impact. If you missed it, or want to review, be sure to visit our YouTube channel to see the recording.
The Fall Fest received many positive responses, so don’t be surprised if you see it return in 2025!
About Nancie: She was named Distinguished Artist of 2024 by the Rockford Area Arts Council. She was awarded the Eminent Pastelist by the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), and is a Master Signature member of Pastel Society of America (PSA), Degas Pastel Society & Chicago Pastel Painters. She has been a member of The Palette & Chisel of Fine Arts since 1988 and helped found the Plein Air Painters of Chicago.
Nancie juries, demonstrates and teaches across the US, Italy, France and Croatia. She is on the faculty for the Plein Air Convention, Plein Air South, and the IAPS Convention. IAPS awarded her the Prix de Pastel in 2018. She was the lead juror for the 2019 IAPS Masters’ Show, and juried the 2022 PSA Enduring Brilliance Exhibition.
Her work has been featured in Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, American Artist, French & Chinese magazines, as well as the cover and several articles in Pastel Journal. Nancie was a three year instructor of Art at Eastern Illinois University and currently serves on their Graduate Advisory Board and received their Distinguished Alum Award as well as their Distinguished Graduate Alum Award.
Nancie’s pastels are included in exhibits in museums in the US, China and Europe. She was the Guest of Honor of Art Du Pastel en France with a workshop
and show of her work in Giverny in May, 2022. You may find her work occasionally on set on TV shows and commercials. She was twice named “Chicago Artist of the Year.”
Also about Nancie: When we speak over Zoom, I can see sunshine and trees all around her through floor to ceiling windows, as she sits in her gorgeous studio at home, which will be 100 years old next year. It is a
beautiful setting for a warm, virtual conversation with a well-respected and accomplished artist who genuinely wonders why anyone would want to write about her.
Pam: I’ve read that you began engaging with art at the age of six. Did you always consider yourself an artist? Were your parents influential in your pursuit of art?
Nancie: Not sure at what age I started—my parents always joked that my first sentence was “I want an easel!” We lived in a very small town in central Illinois and they drove me to the next very small town that had a children’s art instructor. My parents provided us with lots of art supplies and lessons as children. My sister could sing. She was really good, and my brother thought he was going to study architecture but got more into communications. He’s a television producer. My parents never discouraged me from declaring myself as a “Painting Major” when I entered the University of Illinois. My parents were not artists,
but they had a good eye. We had a very cool house that everybody loved to come to because it was old, but remodeled into a really cool space.
Pam: Who or what else has had a strong influence on your work?
Nancie: In college, my fellow students were focused on abstract expressionism while I was painting representationally: figures, architecture, landscape (plein air before I knew that was a “thing”), and from photos that I took or pulled from magazines, before I knew that was forbidden! It wasn’t until I started grad school at Eastern Illinois University, just after undergrad that I felt I was getting guidance from instructors who truly appreciated my efforts and encouraged me to continue in the representational direction.
In the late 1980’s, my husband and I moved to Chicago, where I was asked to join the Palette & Chisel by the President, Richard Schmid. His work,
along with his group of young followers like Scott Burdick, Sue Lyon, Nancy Guzik, Rose Frantzen and Daniel Gurhard, who we lovingly called “The Schmidlings,” opened my eyes to contemporary Impressionist painting, which I feel is where my work has settled. You think that kind of thing is going to last forever. You don’t realize that somebody is going to move on, but Richard was just there for a couple of years after I joined and then he and Nancy moved west, and then to Connecticut.
Pam: You began working with oils and worked en plein air for many years. What inspired your move to pastels?
Nancie: In high school, I began painting in oils, and still do in my studio. In the early 2000’s, a group of us from the Palette & Chisel started the Chicago Plein Air Painters and would go out every Saturday yearround to paint (ski pants, hot packs in our gloves and boots, etc). At that time I was using oil for plein air and pastel in my studio. As I began traveling for plein air, I realized how much easier it was to pack
my pastel gear and how much faster I could produce paintings in pastel. And there were so many great oil instructors but not as many teaching pastel back when I decided to share what I had learned.
Pam: Has your process for creating a pastel painting changed much over the years?
Nancie: At first when pastel painting in my studio, I would dilute dried oil paint on my palette with turpentine, and use that to do my underpainting. When I began more pastel plein air work, I couldn’t use the old oil paint approach, and started packing denatured alcohol to use as the wetting agent. I apply the darks only with soft pastel, wash them in with the alcohol, then start developing the painting with mid-tone values, saving the lights for last.
Pam: What is it that draws you so strongly to the urban landscape?
Nancie: I’ve always loved organization, and I seem to find that in architecture, especially the urban scene. As an undergraduate, I was very fortunate
to take a full year of architectural drafting. Those skills have stayed with me over the years and greatly influenced my work. I love to share perspective principles with my students, who tend to shy away from linear perspective, and watch the “light bulb” turn on!
Pam: Well, as someone who has taken your workshop, and learned about perspective from you, I can confirm your skill at turning on that lightbulb! You also teach a method for simplifying the suggestion of windows in buildings that is unique and made such a difference in my paintings. What inspired you to begin teaching? What have been the challenges?
Nancie: Public speaking was always a very scary thing for me, so I avoided teaching for years. I always felt I knew how I did what I did, I just never felt I could effectively explain my process to others. And I was not the best Art History sponge in college which could be a huge challenge as an instructor. All of those names and examples don’t just roll off my tongue like they do for someone like Richard McKinley. I admire that so much, it’s just not me. After many requests to teach, I began slowly teaching.
so I didn’t want to sign many year-out contracts in case she needed us. I joke now that immediately after she passed in 2016, it was like she was in heaven yelling, “Give her a call!” because I was flooded with requests to teach, and often do 15-18 workshops annually.
Pam: What is the biggest challenge you have overcome as an artist?
Nancie: Public speaking was probably my biggest challenge. Early on I would tremble and have stomach pains — all that. Now it brings me so much joy to share what I know and interact with other artists and learn from them as well.
Pam: The artist Ian Roberts said that “Our artistic growth is an evolution just as our personal growth is.” Do you feel that attention to your creative process has helped you to learn more about yourself in general?
Nancie: I think so, definitely. I love to be around people, to share with each other and to be creative in many different ways.
My husband and I owned a gallery in Chicago and the space next to us became available. So we doubled our size in 2008. And that’s when the economy was really bad. So I thought, well, I’ll use some of this space to teach. I had weekly classes, and it was so frustrating because people would sign up for the class and then, last minute they wouldn’t show up. I realized I didn’t like this weekly class teaching thing. I needed to do workshops compressed into 3 or 4 days, and people have maybe traveled to take the workshop. So they’re committed. That way, they’re not going to decide they’d rather do something else. So I started doing travel-teaching.
My husband and I were also helping with my Mom,
Pam: You teach immersive, in-person workshops at your studio, across the country and abroad; you teach online workshops and give demonstrations; you have written articles; you own a frame shop and you sell curated sets of pastels, easels, and other materials; you are regularly featured in major art magazines, in major exhibitions, and you win top awards everywhere… what kinds of goals keep you motivated these days?
Nancie: When we first moved to Chicago in the late 80’s, I started traveling internationally for painting inspiration. It was a bit of a gutsy move because we didn’t really have the funds to do this, but I would select a country in the Spring, and book a venue for Fall in Chicago to host a show of my work based on
the theme of my destination. On the trip, I would do as much plein air painting as I could while trying to see the bulk of the country in 10-14 days, and return home to essentially isolate myself in my studio to produce 60-70 paintings for the Fall show from reference photos. Restaurants and hotels hosted my shows to start, then most often, these one-person shows were scheduled annually at the Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art in Chicago. They became a popular themed event, as I would prepare food from those countries for the opening, and it would draw a large art-buying crowd. I would sell well enough that I could begin planning for a painting trip to the next country of choice for the following year. A few times I went on my own to keep expenses down, but then my husband was able to join me as we realized this model was working well! Structuring shows this way enabled me to visit 25 countries or more, repeat some, and have my “bestie” (my husband) come along on many adventures.
In later years, after teaching in immersive environments around the country where we would meet for breakfast and lunch, paint all day and discuss our work over dinner, I realized that this was a dream I would love to make happen in my world. My husband and I owned a gallery and frame shop in Chicago that was open seven days a week for 19 years. He produced prints and cards of my work for the shop, and I was the sole artist and framer, along with wonderful framing employees. We loved it … until the pandemic. At that time, I started looking online for property in Rockford, Illinois, where we could offer immersive workshops in our home, because the Chicagoland real estate market was cost prohibitive.
December of 2020, we found the perfect historic home to make our dream a reality, using the “build it and they will come” approach, and took the plunge. Loving where we live, offering our gallery, frame shop and learning center all under one roof keeps us motivated and very grateful at this stage in our lives. Hosting 10-12 artists for three-day workshops in our home is a joy for both of us — I love teaching here and Ron is “Mr Clean,” keeping our home in order between meals we all share together. I love these kinds of workshops where we all kind of stay
together, and we paint all day and have meals together. That’s just my favorite, because you bond with people, and they form friendships within the group. I love that about this kind of teaching. We couldn’t do that in Chicago. Here we were able to double our space. When we have workshops, we are able to sleep eight people, and feed them seven meals.
My husband is the sous chef and he sets the table for the next meal. And it’s a lot of fun. In the winter I do studio classes, and then when the weather’s nice, we do plein air so we have our pick of different places around Rockford. There are 45 forest preserves, and we are a mile from the world renowned Anderson Japanese gardens. Down the hill is the Nicholas Rose Garden that goes on for about a mile. There are a lot of areas to paint, with lots of interesting architecture in town and an historic village.
And I’m continuing to do the framing part of the business. My husband continues to photograph my work and print cards and enter shows for me.
Pam: Looking back over your life and career, what advice would you give your 20 year old self?
Nancie: Stay focused, keep working through selfdoubts and rise above criticism.
I have always treated my career as a business since the late 70’s. I started selling my work in high school and began framing for others while in college into graduate school, which turned into a retail gallery and frame shop in 1979. I was diligent about capturing contacts to establish my database, and fortunately my husband was an early computer guy and helped streamline mailing lists and labels for mailings. However, it wasn’t until 2000 that we officially launched my website, and he photographed all my work as it was produced, and kept the website updated. He left the consulting world in 2000 and began publishing my work as Giclees and cards. We have worked together for 24 years!
Pam: What’s the one question you wish people would ask you about being an artist?
Nancie: May I buy your work?
Meet a few of the members of the PSWC
The PSWC is very fortunate to be established in a state (California) where there are several other pastel societies. One of these, the Pastel Society of Southern California, is located in Redondo Beach, California, but their membership extends throughout California as well. In fact, many of their members are also members of the PSWC! In this issue, we would like to introduce three members with dual membership, Lynn Attig, Mike Ishikawa, and Natalie Richards. Their commitment to the art of pastel is evident in all their work.
Lynn Attig was the co-founder of the Pastel Society of Southern California, and is a well-known and loved figure in the California pastel world. A regular participant in our exhibitions, Lynn has won many awards. Her distinctive style is vibrant, expressive and colorful. She will be the chairperson of our Premiere Exhibition, Pastels USA for 2025.
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During the pandemic, Lynn opened her backyard to neighborhood children to take art classes. With an abundance of supplies, she was able to train and encourage a new generation in artistic expression. Both her parents were artists and exposed her to the arts at an early age. Her dad, 92, is a retired surgeon who still paints, does ceramics, and cultivates bonsai trees. And now, Lynn is passing the torch to her granddaughter, Holly, who she is teaching to paint and create!
Q: Can you give a brief synopsis of your artistic beginnings?
A: I was fortunate to grow up in an artistic household where the fine arts — music, theatre, dance, and visual arts — were an integral part of daily life. From a young age, I was constantly drawing and creating. At 11 years old, I won a local newspaper art contest, which deepened my passion for art. Both of my parents were talented artists, and their enthusiasm greatly influenced me. Two decades ago they introduced me to the world of pastel, taking me on painting trips to Southwest France with Elizabeth Mowry and hosting workshops with esteemed instructors in our home. I also had the privilege of attending IAPS conventions, all of which nurtured my love for the medium. Inspired by their example, I co-founded the PSSC and remain committed to advancing my skills and contributing to the pastel community.
Q: How would you describe yourself as an artist (eg, impressionist, contemporary, realist, etc.)? Elaborate!
A: I began my artistic journey painting mostly plein air landscapes, due to my travels to France. I was drawn to capturing the essence and mood of a scene with loose pastel strokes and vibrant color. Over time, my style evolved into a more colorful painterly realism,
often with a touch of whimsy or narrative. Since acquiring a horse and cattle ranch, my work has naturally gravitated toward Western art, inspired by the stories, landscapes, and characters of ranch life. I aim to create narrative pieces that not only portray a moment in time but also evoke a deeper connection to the rich traditions and spirit of the California West. Today, I would describe myself as a painter of Vibrant Expressive Western Narratives. After all, I am painting The Still Wild West!
Q: What inspires you today? Does that differ from when you were a budding artist?
A: Other artists inspire me! I know much more now than I did as a budding artist, and I credit my advancement in the field of pastel to the camaraderie and generosity of other artists and workshop instructors who share their styles and techniques and knowledge. I am completely humbled by how many great artists are in my community, and how many new artist friends I have made over the years. If I could be only half as good as they are, I would be happy. It’s what keeps me striving as an artist. I am constantly challenging myself to meet a higher standard. Fortunately, the shows in which I exhibit keep raising the bar! So now I am reaching for new levels in my own art and seeking loftier goals. Being an art collector also inspires me: I own many of the artworks of artists I admire! Fortunately, I can study them every day on my walls!
Q: What role does experimentation have in your art?
A: Experimentation is really important. A new surface can open up all new possibilities. I used to paint just on Wallis or UArt, and then I discovered LuxArchival. These surfaces are very predictable and steadfast. I am constantly using these surfaces, but mixing up the way I approach an underpainting to fit the subject matter. Sometimes I use gouache or watercolor underpaintings, and I especially love the Dr. Ph Martins vibrant watercolors. Sometimes I do an alcohol or mineral spirits wash with pastel. And I also use warm acrylic washes in Burnt Sienna or a similar rust tone as an underpainting. But I have to admit that my new love is Pastelmat. It has a magic surface that I discovered thanks to my artist friends from down under: Stephie Clark and the Freemans. I have also been experimenting with copper surfaces after watching a YouTube video by Amanda Houston. I have probably used every brand of pastel and paper, as well as making my own surfaces. My favorite pastels are the iridescents. I guess I really love shimmer and sparkles! Overall, I am constantly pushing myself to try new things to elevate my art and have fun.
Q: What advice would you give to new artists?
A: Join a pastel society. Take advantage of every activity. Paint, paint! Watch demos, watch YouTube.
Paint en plein air. Take workshops. Travel. Learn. Nothing is precious. Throw abandon to the wind. You will find your passion and style. Paint for yourself. Not for others. It’s an exciting journey. Art has no right answer. It is open ended. It will be frustrating at times, and it is the hardest thing I have ever done. But in the end you will live long and prosper creating your next piece. Enjoy every moment! www.lynnattigfineart.com
by Mike Ishikawa
I am Mike Ishikawa, 87 years young, a retired architect, USC 1964.
I was a war baby, and I was incarcerated in Manzanar, California for almost four years during World War II after the war Japanese were discriminated in California. As a result, my parents moved to Idaho as share crop farmers till 1948, when we moved back to California. My father was a fisherman at Terminal Island until he was evacuated to South Dakota as the war started.
Moving to California, my father was a gardener, and I was his helper, as well as my two younger brothers. Every weekend my job was to help with the gardening, so during my youth I did not participate in any sports.
In 1953, I started high school at Banning High in Wilmington, California. At a gym class, my lucky day was when I met coach Pete Zamperini, Louie Zamperini’s older brother. (Louie was famous for his exploits during WWII, and for his book by Lauren Hillenbrand, “Unbroken”.) During his gym class, the whole class had to run a mile. I was fortunate to come in first that day. Although I was terrible at sports, because I never played football or basketball, I did well in track: I think pushing the lawn mower all those years had some benefits. He promptly asked me to join his cross county track team. I excelled in track, and Pete taught me to set goals and shoot for them, then reset more goals.
Meet the Members:
After graduation from USC, I worked as an architect for a large development company. I was responsible for the design and contract documents for hundreds of housing projects. I learned to work quickly, that is how I paint, designing many projects. In 1965, I met my current wife, Miki, at Mammoth Ski Area. She told me she was leaving for Europe for a ten-week trip, so I did not see her again until she returned. After
our marriage we continued to travel, and I began to document our travel by compiling travel sketch books with pen and ink. Since then, I have compiled over 20 sketch books of our travels together.
As one of the last surviving architects of the hand drawn working drawings era, it seems as if I was
always on the drafting table designing, sketching and rendering buildings. I loved my profession and I felt very honored and lucky that I chose it as my profession. Around 2009, I decided to reduce my time in the office and pursue my other interests, running, hiking, fishing, skiing, traveling and sketching. What an absolute lucky coincidence, when I was visiting an art show at the Malaga Cove center, that I saw a sign that read, Pastel Society of Southern California above a tent at the show. I met Lynn Attig, and she told me she, Margaret Lindsay and Bonny Botello were starting a pastel society in the South bay. This was the perfect fit for my spare time, and I immediately signed up. This was the start of my artistic journey, little did I know that it would end up being such an all encompassing hobby.
I started taking workshops, practiced. I have taken workshops with many of the best pastelists teaching workshops. Richard McKinley was one of my first instructors. I vividly remember my first plein air workshop, with an artist named Collen Howe. It was a three day event in the Sierras, and I felt totally out of my elements and did not have a clue as to what I was painting. I met another artist at the workshop, Jerry Strangio. He was more experienced and gave me lots of tips on what to do. On my third day, I felt a little more confident, but my paintings were
terrible, when I look at them today, though I am glad that I stuck with painting with pastels.
I was taking an art class with Joe Mancuso, for about three years, that is when my paintings really started getting better. Joe wanted to quit this teaching assignment ,so he asked me to take over the class, I was flattered that Joe thought I could take over his assignment, but I declined as a I was not prepared to teach every week. In the class, was another artist that I thought was a fabulous artist, Fran Nichols. I asked her if she would share the teaching duties, she told me she was a retired art teacher and would be happy to share the duties. Fran and I taught together, sharing teaching, until Covid hit us in 2021.
I still look at painting as a hobby and not another profession, so I try not to take it so seriously. I quickly found out that if you want to get better, you cannot dabble in it, you have to spend the time and effort to practice and paint more. Starting to paint, so late in my life, I did not have the luxury of time, so I put my nose to the grind stone and started taking workshops, I asked one artist how many years he has painted as an artist, he told me 40 years. Since I started painting in 2009, I have taken more than 20 workshops, but it took me 10 years before I felt my paintings were good enough to submit to major art shows and exhibitions.
Prior to the invention of the camera, the only method to record an image or portrait was to paint a realistic impression of the scene. After the invention of the camera, the impressionist and contemporary movement in art began. I try to paint in a “painterly style,” the painting should resemble the scene, but it should be more interesting and exciting, like it was hand painted, and it should look better than the real image. I try to impart those thoughts in my paintings by not using the local color, by using brighter colors — darker darks and lighter lights. I like to use bold mark making strokes, accent lines of color, and emphasize the darkest dark against the lightest light. I try to get movement into the scene and try to tell a story about the painting, with the use of contrast, color, perspective and value. I am constantly trying to make my paintings different from others; I work quickly, most of my paintings are completed in less than an hour. There are artists who have a signature style, you do not have to see the signature to know, it’s evident in their art. That is one of my goals.
My inspiration for art is a constantly changing idiom. When I first began pastels, I was in awe of all my instructors and the way they applied pastels, I was overwhelmed by their demonstration paintings. How things have changed, viewing a demo by an artist that takes up the entire morning at a workshop, has to be one of complete boredom for me now. I am still enthralled by any artist that can paint quickly and make the process exciting to view, and the finished painting has all the facets that makes the painting exciting to view.
My process for painting from start to finish is something that is constantly evolving. In the beginning it was all pastels, then it was a watercolor underpainting, then the use of alcohol over the pastels, gesso, different sanded papers, etc. In 2020, I saw an article, in the Pastel Journal, by Laurinda O’Conner about using India ink as an underpainting. I liked to use dark pastels so why not black ink.
I called Laurinda, and she eventually came out to California for a workshop at PSSC. It was the most exciting and innovating workshop I have taken. I was devastated to learn that she had passed away, just weeks after our workshop. Recently, I found another tool, the ordinary kitchen sponge, where I work the pastels with the sponge and apply the ink. My feeling is that if you stick to the same old routine, you get the same old painting. Look at your paintings from three years ago, if your current paintings look the same, you have not experimented enough or tried a new technique. Its time to try something new.
My first advice to any new artist is don’t do it as
profession, unless you are exceptionally gifted and talented. If you are enamored with art, find a profession that is art related and paint in your own free time. Build your skills during your employment years, make some money and if the urge to paint is still with you later, its possible to make painting your new avocation. Paint subjects that you like, you’re learning curve will be a lot steeper when you paint what turns you on. I do not like painting portraits, so I never paint them. Develop your own image and style, and do not get into a rut by doing the same old routine.
by Natalie Richards
Natalie Richards chatted about her life a few days before Christmas in the midst of holiday chaos and her preparing for an international embroidery show that she is participating in. Inspite of all the tumult, we had a delightful chat about art, age, and all that goes with life. As you will see in these pages, Natalie is an outstanding pastelist. She devotes equal attention to her needlearts pursuits. Please check out her embroidery at https:// paint-by-threads.com/
Q: Can you describe your artistic beginnings?
A: I really began identifying as “an artist” when I was in high school and knew that I wanted to major in Fine Art when I went to college. My high school art teacher really encouraged me to participate in art competitions. I gladly obliged. Not really exposed to oil painting at that time (although my dad dabbled in it, and I remember seeing a street scene on his easel) I was fond of drawing and sketching. I think it served me well, as I now know the importance of values. In college, beginning with my AA degree in Fine Art, I reflect now and see that I was never really exposed to how to handle oil paint or watercolor. My instructors were versed in contemporary, abstract art. I was more attracted to painting nature, skies, trees and water. It wasn’t until I wanted to paint these things later that I found myself drawn to pastels. I was attracted to colorful sticks from the get-go.
Q: How would you describe yourself as an artist (e.g., impressionist, contemporary, realist, etc.)? Elaborate!
A: I would best describe myself as a representational artist with bits of impressionist and realist in my work. I find myself, or at least try to find myself, staying “loose” and impressionist in areas that need to not have too much detail. For example, in “JoJo” the rug and background were applied loosely as was most of the dog; then for the claw and eyes I was more realistic. Even for paintings that are more realistic, I achieve this by limiting my strokes or finding subject matter that can be suggested but still turn out realistic. In “Eggplants and Silk” for example, the eggplants were created with minimal strokes, as was the silk scarf.
Q: What inspires you today? Does that differ from when you were a budding artist?
A: Definitely! Back in the 1990s in college, we didn’t have social media and the constant availability of other artist’s work. I was inspired by works I saw in magazines and in museums (the French Impressionist Masters). I wanted to paint like them and use as much paint as I wanted! Now, art is literally at my fingertips and anytime I want to see something, I can. I love being able to see new works of pastels by today’s pastel artists. Being outside and surrounded by nature inspires me too; on hikes with family members, I’m often referred to as the photographer. Armed with just an iPhone, I can usually be found a hundred feet or so behind everyone because I saw something and needed to capture it.
Q: What role does experimentation have in your art?
A: Experimentation is always at play in my work. I’m too ADHD to tuck into a routine! I love experimenting with different papers. As an instructor at the
Redlands Art Association, I often get asked by students, “when do you use toned papers, or other papers, or certain underpaintings?” Well, if you want to teach it, you first need to experiment yourself. There is a freeing with experimentation, a license to mess it all up, because you’re doing it for yourself; no one else has to see. A lot comes from this mindset; and who knows, a great painting or technique could turn out too.
Q: What advice would you give to new artists?
A: It’s true … you get better with practice, practice, practice. When you’re done with that, practice some more. You can’t expect to know how to play a piano if you don’t practice. I will never forget the time I saw a little girl that had just finished a piano recital. She and her mother were starting to leave when the next performer, a boy of about the same age, began playing. He was so phenomenal. The mother and daughter stopped in their tracks, daughter with her mouth wide open, couldn’t believe what they were hearing … they were listening to “practice.”
by Anne Strutz
Pastel is a wonderful medium to intermix with oil paint, acrylic, gouache, watercolor, the list goes on. It can cover most of the surface of a painting or applied as the final marks selectively placed enhancing and elaborating on what lies beneath.
I first began my journey as a fine artist with pastels. The immediacy of just picking up a stick of color and making marks on paper was the perfect start to this journey. No brush, no canvases, panels, palettes. No mixing colors or special materials to clean the art supplies with. Just paper and pastels. As I became more invested in the medium, I started to learn about the various underpainting techniques that can be incorporated into a pastel painting. These underpaintings were for the purpose of providing either color or structure under the main layer of the pastel painting. Watercolor and gouache both worked beautifully. When introduced to the printmaker’s brayer tool during a workshop with Dawn Emerson (dawnemerson.com), I began to develop more expressive mark making and energy in my paintings. This tool also allowed me to embrace the printmaking quality of my work, which comes from my education in textile and fashion design. Over time I became quite adept at making
the brayer do what I wanted it too, also knowing that I was never in complete control, embracing the surprises it created along the way. At first these brayer paintings were a foundation for me to lay my pastels on top of. It was like a large scale notan to use as a map in my work. But my passion to draw (paint) with the brayer, simplifying the images just grew, and often I found myself not wanting to cover the brayer work. From here I began experimenting using a multi-layer technique to my work. Applying ground color on paper, be it gouache, watercolor, or pastel washed down with rubbing alcohol (if I wanted the work to end up being at least 80% pastel to allow it to be entered into pastel only shows). The second layer would be a brayer drawing, third layer if needed would be applying pumice ground in selected areas for enhanced texture, and finally the pastel would be applied to finish the painting.
Here I will show you the step-by-step process of painting Ospreys Nest.
First, to set yourself up for success, spend time thinking about what materials and techniques would best help you convey your story. Ask questions, make decisions:
• Will I spend time plein air sketching the landscape or will I work only from photographs?
• What type of underpaintings will I use to create the energy I want the piece to have if any?
• Once underpainting techniques are decided, I determine the kind of paper I will use. The paper may need to be able to tolerate water, many layers of pastel, water mixable oil paint.
For Ospreys nest, after spending many hours sketching, photographing, and observing this scene, I worked from photographs in my studio to create a black and white brayer painting, with water mixable oil on printmaking paper. I then use this painting as a reference to create multiple paintings of the scene.
Not wanting to use local color I work directly from the brayer painting and envisioned the mood I wanted the scene to have. For this painting I wanted to emphasize the solitude of the osprey nest and create a serene environment. A light wash of pale pink and blue gouache was applied to the top third of the paper, which, when overlapped created a beautiful purple. A light blue watercolor wash brushed across the bottom third of the paper, allowing some paper to remain untouched. There is something beautiful and fresh about not covering the entire surface of the paper.
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Painting the scene with the brayer several times in advance on inexpensive paper will allow a more successful outcome in the final work. While it will never be exact you get the main information you need down on paper. Here I used paynes grey, ivory black, raw sienna, and yellow ochre water mixable oil paint. APPLY THE BRAYER PAINTING
CREATING TEXTURE
Next, apply pumice ground with a single edge razor blade in a few selective parts to help to add texture and enhanced mark making when I apply the pastel.
Once everything is dry the pastel is glazed on top of the painting. Slowly, stepping back often to not be too heavy handed, or lose the beauty of the layers of underpaintings
Creating art is like being on a never-ending adventure of exploration of the many materials and techniques we come across. Enjoy the adventure! Try new techniques and apply them to various subjects that interest you! Here are a few more samples of my journey mixing pastel with other artist mediums such as watercolor and water mixable oil. Each piece is part of separate ongoing series I am developing over the years.
12x23
Spend two days with the amazing Lyn Diefenbach learning her exquisite flower painting techniques.
February 15 – 16, 2025 9:00am–3:00pm each day
Online Class through PSWC
All students who attend my workshops (in person or online) watch my 55 minute video (provided free) “What Every Artist Needs to Know”. This gives them the foundations of my art philosophy and practice where applicable it gets them used to my accent☺. It also means we can start the workshop very quickly. I prefer students to use their own reference photo. My usual practice in workshops is for me to demo for the first hour of each day giving info on my approach to various aspects of florals (stamen, texture, pattern, shadows) and then everyone works on a flower of their own choice. I would be virtually looking over everyone’s shoulders with each student sending me progress shots and then watching over my shoulder as we discuss and I point out areas that need attention. We have found this to be a very successful way of teaching online and have got it as close to an on the ground experience as possible. Students can also continue to work at the end of class on the first day and send me progress shots for critique. I use Padlet (smartphone/tablet app or on a web browser) for students to upload their reference images (so that I can verify that they are appropriate before
beginning) and then look at progress photos so that I can critique them as the workshop progresses. I have a short training video on Padlet which should answer most of the questions on the app.
Workshop Goals: Building the illusion of form by: Recognition of values; recognition of color; using lost and found edges; application.
The pursuit of masterly quality and technique is a high priority for Lyn Diefenbach whose work is imbued with a celebration of her faith and of life. Her paintings in pastel and oil cover a myriad of subject matter with her bold florals consistently receiving accolades nationally and internationally. Her ability to communicate her ideas has entrenched her as a respected and sought-after tutor, with teaching engagements internationally and across Australia.
www.ldief.com/
April 16-18, 2025
Art Center Morro Bay Morro Bay, California
In the three days of the workshop, we will cover a lot of subjects, from landscape, marine subjects, reflections and the mood and atmosphere of the world around us.
The quest for perfection can bring with it fear of making mistakes and can result in a style which can seem inhibited.
In this workshop we will concentrate on freedom and spontaneity to add elements of semi abstraction but still keep association with reality. If you ever wanted to bring a looser and more painterly feel to your work loaded with juicy color and flooded with light? Join me and I will share some of my working methods concentrating on painting the landscape that delight you and excite the viewer.
Using our reference material and sketches we can bring some fresh color and a more painterly feel to your work our aim is to break free from the restraints of perfection and give ourselves permission to capture the essence of the subject in an intuitive way with the freedom of ‘brushwork’ that has its roots in the style of alla prima giving a lively and vigorous mark that is instrumental in expressing mood and atmosphere. All levels welcome
Tony is a Scottish based artist. He is an award winning painter, instructor and author and has been painting for all of his life. A member of the Pastel Society London, a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists among others. A painter of color, light and movement with a complete understanding of his surroundings. Born and raised on Guernsey in the Channel Islands where he studied life drawing and painting from life. His work can be found in many leading galleries as well as private and corporate collections worldwide. A move to New Zealand in 2006 proved to be a turning point in his career with the acceptance as a Master of the Pastel Artists of New Zealand, a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America, elected an Eminent Pastelist of the International Association of Pastel Societies. His work is regularly featured in The Artist Magazine, the Pastel Journal and the Practique des Arts.Tony now lives and works in Scotland.
Watch for registration announcements coming in December, 2024.www.pswc.ws www.tonyallainfineart.com
In this three-day workshop students learn how to infuse their paintings with energy and motion, be it fast, slow, loud, quiet. We will combine underpainting techniques, mark making and the process of additive and subtractive painting. An emphasis of experimentation through presented exercises will be used to push yourself to create more expressive works. To not be bound by what the reference looks like, but to paint what the reference makes you feel. The first two days will be a series of exercises working from provided photo references. The last day students will work from their own references to implement some of the techniques they have learned. Students can work from their own reference, or use one provided.
My approach is one that is filled with experimentation, and openness to create an atmosphere where fear behind the easel is left behind. I do try hard to have students push out of their comfort zones to help them start to achieve the goals they have for themselves in their work. I am focusing on
September 26 – 28, 2025
9:00am – 4:00pm each day
In-person Workshop through PSWC www.pswc.ws/workshops
Studio Channel Islands
2222 Ventura Blvd, Camarillo CA 93010
the art fundamentals in a playful, yet serious manner. We will be starting each day with a warm up journal that I provide of mini exercises (collages, watercolors, etc.). This has been very well received at my workshops!
•Graduated from Rhode Island School of Design
•Career started in Fashion Design in NYC
•While Anne was raising her family Anne developed art curriculum and taught art in Philadelphia and Chicago
•When her family moved to Charlotte North Carolina, she began building her fine art career working in the medium of pastels and quickly became an award-winning pastel artist and recognized as an “Artist to watch” in the Pastel Journal Magazine. She is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and Master Circle Status of the International Association of Pastel Societies, two of the premier organizations in the world devoted to the pastel medium.
Our premier event, PASTELS USA: 99 Voices in Pastel is celebrating it’s 39th year in 2025. We will be exhibiting at the Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange, California from August 23, 2025 to November 29, 2025. This will be the first time Pastels USA will be at the newly built Hilbert Museum. This stunning new venue is the perfect backdrop to the magnificent art we have come to expect in this exhibition. The museum is conveniently located near Disneyland, and the timing is perfect for a family trip to Southern California!
We offer Art scholarships to college students who are planning to major in art. The criteria is posted on the website. Annual deadline is in April, so if you know an art student, have them apply online by April 15, 2025. We also offer awards for members to use for pastel classes. Please check the website or contact Pamela Comfort.
One of the best ways to support a healthy society is to bring in new members. There are lots of good reasons to join. If you have artist-friends who are not members, now’s the time to invite them to join. Contact Karen Jones, if you have questions or would like more information.
If you are looking for a workshop to take or are a pastel teacher looking to teach a workshop, contact us! Jean Myers is our workshop coordinator, and she is awesome. We are currently offering in-person and ZOOM classes with some of the best pastel teachers on the planet.
Winter Tree Demo
by Terrilynn Dubreil
EXECUTIVE BOARD
President/Regional Reps/Scholarship
Pamela Comfort
Interim Vice President/Magazine
Sabrina Hill
Secretary
Bonnie Griffith
Treasurer
Deborah Pepin
BOARD APPOINTEES
Membership Chair
Karen Jones
Pastels USA 99 Voices Co-Chairpersons
Francesca Droll
Peggy Davidson Post
Membership Show (MOOS) Chair
Dug Waggoner
Ways & Means Chair
Francesca Droll
Workshops Chair
Jean Vineyard Myers
Publicity Committee Chair
Open
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Website Coordinator
Delcee Comfort Fields
Membership Status Chair
Jan Miller
Social Media Coordinator
Unfilled
eBlast Coordinator
Cynthia Riordan
