Pastel Journal - Spring 2023

SPECIAL ISSUE!
24th ANNUAL PASTEL 100
HOW TO
DAZZLE
A JUROR
Expert
Advice for
Making
Prizeworthy
Paintings
Degas,
Dancers,
Daring Color
& Design
MAKE COLOR SING!

5 Tips to Enliven a
Ho-Hum Landscape
SPRING 2023
your pastel specialist
PASTELS
BLUE EARTH • ART SPECTRUM • BLOCKX • CARAN D’ACHE • CRETACOLOR • DIANE TOWNSEND
FABER-CASTELL • GIRAULT • GREAT AMERICAN • HOLBEIN • MOUNT VISION • NUPASTEL
PANPASTEL • REMBRANDT • RICHESON • SCHMINCKE • SENNELIER • TERRY LUDWIG • UNISON
SURFACES
ART SPECTRUM COLOURFIX • CANSON MI-TIENTES • CANSON TOUCH • DAKOTA BOARDS
LA CARTE • LUXARCHIVAL • MULTI MEDIA PANELS • PASTELBORD • PASTELMAT
PASTEL PREMIER • RIVES BFK • UART • VELOUR
‘Grapefruit & Peel’ by: CAROLINA DALMAS - www.carolinadalmasart.com
DAKOTA PASTEL COMPETITION

TWO CATEGORIES : EMERGING + ESTABLISHED
FOUR QUARTERLY CONTESTS • $32,000 TOTAL CASH PRIZES!
888.345.0067 | www.dakotapastels.com
Contents SPRING 2023
ISSUE NO. 141
The 24th Annual

Pastel 100
11
INTRODUCTION
12
SOUND JUDGEMENT
This year’s category jurors offer advice for
creating “can’t let it go” artwork.
BY AMY LEIBROCK
Award Winners
18
BUILDING BEAUTY
Inspired by a shipwright’s craftsmanship,
Daud Akhriev paints an homage that earns
him the Pastel Journal Founder’s Award.
BY ROBERT K. CARSTEN
24
STEEPED IN GOLD
36
Shilei He wins the Pastel Journal Award
of Excellence for a solemn yet sumptuous
portrait that feels Rubenesque.
BY CHRISTINE PROSKOW
30
A DEEPER REALITY
The genesis of Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna’s
Gold Award-winning abstract is rooted in the
natural world.
BY RUTH RODGERS
36
LIVING THINGS
Yang Zhao wins the Pastel Silver Award with
his dynamic depiction of wildlife on the move
in the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia.
BY ANNE HEVENER
40
PAIN PAINTINGS
12
The still life that earned Silja Salmistu the
Pastel Bronze Award demonstrates the
genre’s capacity for emotional power.
BY RUTH RODGERS
ArtistsNetwork.com 1
PASTEL SOCIETY of the WEST COAST
2023 Pastels USA:
99 Voices In Pastel
37th Annual
International Exhibition
Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA
August 31, 2023
Entries Open March 6, 2023

Entries Close May 8, 2023 85
Enter through Showsubmit.com
and our website pswc.ws Category Winners &
PSWC Honorable Mentions
We. Are. Pastelists.
44 LANDSCAPE & INTERIOR
BY MICHAEL CHESLEY JOHNSON
54 PORTRAIT & FIGURE

BY ANNE HEVENER
64 STILL LIFE & FLORAL

BY HOLLY DAVIS
72 ANIMAL & WILDLIFE

BY JOHN EISCHEID
80 ABSTRACT & NON-OBJECTIVE

BY CHRISTINA RICHARDS
Columns
3 EDITOR’S NOTE
Shop
p att 4 ART MATTERS
6 SKILL BUILDERS
88 THE SPARK
Discover endless resources and inspiration in
the Artists Network Shop. Whether you want
to learn from the experts with our instructional
ON THE COVER: Youth (detail; pastel on paper, 43x36) by Yang Zhao
videos or catch up on your favorite magazines,
there’s something for everyone! Pastel Journal (ISSN #1524-9034) is published quarterly by Peak Media Properties, LLC, dba Golden Peak Media,
500 Golden Ridge Rd, Golden, CO 80401. Periodical postage paid at Golden, CO, and additional mailing
LEARN MORE AT ArtistsNetwork.com/Store

offices. POSTMASTER: Please send all change of addresses to Pastel Journal, P.O. Box 37869, Boone, IA 50037-0869.
Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 40025316. Canadian return address: 2853 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON
N8T 3B7. Single copies: $9.99. Subscription rates: one year $32. Canadian subscriptions add $12 per year postal
surcharge, and remit in U.S. funds. Foreign subscriptions add $18 per year postal charge, and remit in U.S. funds.
Pastel Journal will not be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork.
2 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

Editor’s Note
The Spirit
of Competition EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Anne Hevener
SENIOR EDITOR Holly Davis
MANAGING EDITOR Christina Richards
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kerry Jackson
The Pastel 100 is, by its very
definition, a competition. Now in its GRAPHIC DESIGNER Joan Heiob Moyers
24th year, the annual event invites EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

the participation of an increasingly Sylvie Cabal, Art du Pastel; Albert Handell; Liz Haywood-Sullivan;
global community of artists to enter Janie Hutchinson; Isabelle V. Lim; Richard McKinley, IAPS;
their best work in pastel. With the Rae Smith; Duane Wakeham; Jimmy Wright, PSA
collective efforts of five category
jurors, the assembled “Top 100” ADVERTISING
creates a showcase not only of AD SALES MANAGER Stephanie Rubin
exceptional artistic talent but also a presentation of the 970-223-3676, ext. 10027; Srubin@goldenpeakmedia.com
creative potential of the pastel medium. MEDIA SALES COORDINATOR Cari Ullom
cullom@goldenpeakmedia.com
“What keeps me going CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jeffrey Litvack

is not winning ... VP, STRATEGY Andrew Flowers
It’s the pursuit of excellence.” CHIEF SALES OFFICER Farrell McManus
CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Kate Lee Butler

— RON O’BRIEN (OLYMPIC DIVING COACH)
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Kim Greenlee
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT, FINE ART Doreen Manning

This year, we saw among the 100 winners, artists from the NEWSSTAND SALES Ron Murray
United Kingdom, France, China, Belgium, Malaysia, Italy, rmurray@npsmediagroup.com
Taiwan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the Philippines and
Australia—in addition to the United States and Canada. EDITORIAL OFFICES
The extent of international participation enlarges the 500 Golden Ridge Road, Suite 100, Golden, CO 80401
competition, I believe, in ways that go beyond numbers pjedit@goldenpeakmedia.com
and reach. It widens the mission of the Pastel 100 by recog-
SUBSCRIPTION QUERIES AND ORDERS
nizing a planet-wide community of passionate pastelists.
P.O. Box 422140, Palm Coast FL, 32142-2140
We know that competition, at its best, is about so much
US/Canada 877-860-9141
more than winning and losing. The vision of the Olympic
Foreign Subscribers 386-246-3368
Movement, according to a document on the International pas.pcdfusion.com/pcd/CustomerSupport/App/17121
Olympics Committee website is “building a better world
through sport,” and toward that goal, it emphasizes three CUSTOMER SERVICE
core values: excellence, respect and friendship. You can see To submit a request, visit:
these values at work in the global pastel community, and it peakmediaproperties.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
is certainly a privilege to celebrate this understanding of
NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION
the competitive spirit in this issue of the magazine. PJ
Internationally distributed by Curtis Circulation Co.,
730 River Road, New Milford, NJ 07646
Tel: 201/634-7400. Fax: 201/634-7499
Attention Retailers: To carry Pastel Journal in your stores,
contact: sales @goldenpeakmedia.com.
PRIVACY PROMISE
Occasionally we make portions of our customer list available to other companies so
PHOTO BY CARA HUMMEL
they can contact you about products and services that may be of interest to you.
If you prefer we withhold your name, simply send a note with the magazine name
SPECIAL THANKS! We would like to thank Dakota Pastels, Jack to: List Manager, Golden Peak Media, 500 Golden Ridge Rd, Golden, CO 80401.
Richeson & Co., Terry Ludwig Pastels, Great American Pastels, Holbein
Pastels, PanPastels and UART Pastel Paper for their support of the 24th Printed in the USA.
Annual Pastel 100 Competition and for their support of pastel artists Copyright © 2023 by Golden Peak Media. All Rights Reserved.
around the world. Pastel Journal magazine is a registered trademark of Golden Peak Media.
Art Matters
When Pastels Went

Prime Time
A recent exhibition of 18th-century pastel portraits at The Getty
Museum highlighted the medium’s remarkable rise in popularity.
By Christina Richards
Young Woman with

a Fan (ca 1750; pastel
on blue-green paper
mounted on canvas,
18⅛x14½) by Pietro
Antonio Rotari
THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM, LOS
ANGELES, 2019.111

B y the mid-18th century, pastels
had reached an unprecedented
peak of popularity and acclaim.
The dry, satiny pigments, manufac-
tured in sticks of every hue, were
not only portable but promoted
swift execution—allowing artists to
essentially “draw” a painting. The
medium’s portability allowed many
portrait painters to travel far and
wide in search of commissions. The
artists and sitters represented in
a recent Getty Museum exhibition,
“Eighteenth-Century Pastels,” hailed
from Austria, England, France,
Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the
Netherlands—a testament to the
Pan-European nature of the pastel
phenomenon at the time. Portrait of Maria
The exhibition, which closed Frederike van
February 26th, highlighted works Reede-Athlone at
Seven Years of Age
from the museum’s collection by (ca 1755–56; pastel
such artists as Jean-Étienne Liotard on vellum, 17⅝x12⅝)
(Swiss, 1702–89) and John Russell by Jean-Étienne
(English, 1745–1806), among others. Liotard
Also included were recently acquired THE J. PAUL GETTY
MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES,
paintings by Pietro Antonio Rotari 83.PC.273
(Italian, 1707–62), as well as some

seldom-seen works by Cornelis
Troost (Dutch, 1696–1750), on long-
term loan from the Mauritshuis, in
the Netherlands.
With standout pieces like Rotari’s
Young Woman with a Fan (opposite)
and Liotard’s Portrait of Maria
Frederike van Reede-Athlone at Seven
Years of Age (above), audiences were
entranced by the array of rich hues
and ethereal quality on display.
“Featuring works by many of the
most talented pastel portraitists of
the age, this was a sumptuous feast
for the eyes,” says Ellie Bernick,
co-curator of the exhibition. “Plus,
there were several paintings by
female pastelists included, such as
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (French,
Portrait of
1749–1803), Mary Hoare (English, Madame Charles
1744–1820) and Rosalba Carriera Mitoire with Her
(Italian, 1673–1757)—exemplifying Children (ca 1783;
the important role the medium pastel on three
sheets of blue
played in bringing women artists paper mounted on
into the profession.” PJ canvas, 38¾x31⅛)
by Adélaïde
Christina Richards is managing editor Labille-Guiard
of Pastel Journal, Artists Magazine and THE J. PAUL GETTY
MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES,
Watercolor Artist. 2021.37
Skill Builders
Painting a “Colorless”
Landscape
Artist Barbara Jaenicke shares five tips for capturing muted
landscape subjects in paintings that sing with color.
The light-and-shadow contrasts in Alive! (pastel on mounted UART paper, 18x24) are interpreted
in terms of color temperature rather than actual color. The chroma of those temperatures is
exaggerated in key spots to convey the visual drama in the landscape.

cool warm
“Establishing accurate values early on will

provide you with more freedom when making
color choices later.” Color Wheel
S ome artists’ approach to color

may be mostly intuitive, but
I rely on concrete principles of
color to guide my painting process.
One of the comments I frequently
light-and-dark patterns first. I refer
to this initial stage as the value
structure, because it lays the foun-
dation with just a few shapes and
establishes the relative light-to-dark
hear from my students is, “I never comparisons between each shape.
would have thought to use those It’s important at this stage that each
colors for that subject.” Although shape is averaged to one flat, general-
my landscape painting color choices ized value—save the interior details
are grounded in a representational for later.
depiction of my subject, they’re A strong value structure also
not entirely dependent on a pre- considers distance in the landscape.
cise match of the actual local color. Shadow values will often lighten
Instead, they’re based on capturing progressively as distance increases,
the visual effects occurring in the allowing for decreased value contrast
landscape. Usually, those visual in the distant areas for the later
effects are more exciting than the stages of the painting. Establishing
actual colors of the landscape ele- accurate values early on will provide
ments and, often, they relate to the you with more freedom when making Cold but Getting Warmer
color temperatures associated with color choices later. The reddish-violet above the blue, and the
light and shadow. bluish-green beneath the blue, are each
To create chromatic color palettes 2. Translate Temperature slightly warmer than the middle blue, but all
for subjects that are commonly Into Color three hues are located on the cool side of the
color wheel.
considered “colorless,” you must first Homing in on specific color choices
analyze the visual dynamics occur- becomes important in this step.
ring within the landscape and then Scrutinize the comparisons of warm-
translate that optical excitement versus-cool temperature contrasts.
into value (light/dark), temperature Since temperature is more accurately temperature contrasts will have col-
(warm/cool) and, finally, chroma observed from life, a regular practice ors that are opposite each other on
(vibrant/dull). You can use this of painting outdoors equips art- the wheel, while subtle temperature
approach regardless of whether ists with a better grasp on how to contrasts may shift only slightly in
you’re working from life or a photo- translate color temperature from a one direction or the other. So it’s pos-
graph. The following tips will help photograph. sible to have warm/cool contrasts in
you make interpretive color choices For a stronger understanding of a painting with hues that fall entirely
that bring a landscape to life. color temperature, picture a color on one side of the color wheel (see
wheel and the relative position of Cold but Getting Warmer, above).
1. Start With Value Structure each of the primary and second- When painting subjects that lack
Before any aspect of color can be ary colors in the wheel (see the a specific color, or if they fall into a
addressed, be sure to establish the Color Wheel, top right). Distinct category of neutral colors, such as
Skill Builders
Sparks Lake Rocks

dull gray rocks or brown tree trunks, focus on the light-
and-shadow contrasts in terms of temperature. Generally,
sunlit areas are warm, and shadows are cool, but there are
exceptions to this. For example, light that’s bouncing off
the top of a flat rock might be reflecting the blue of the
sky directly overhead, which would be a cool temperature.
If the shadow area of that rock is in the foreground, it
may have a warm cast to it because it’s close to the viewer
(and the foreground tends to appear warmer relative
to distant background areas). Or, there might be some
subtle warm light reflecting into that deep shadow. It’s all
a matter of analyzing how each area compares to what’s
surrounding it in terms of temperature.
3. Determine the Emphasis of Each Color

To emphasize a particular temperature contrast hap-
pening in a key area, such as a strong light-and-shadow
contrast on a rock, nudge the chroma of one or both of
those contrasting areas to intensify the color vibrancy,
which will increase the dramatic effect. Even when I’m
painting from life, I’ll often nudge colors in this way to
intensify particular effects that I want the viewer to
notice. This is how a dull gray rock can have a golden-
yellow highlight and a violet shadow, for example. In less
important areas of the rocks, I would use less-saturated Reference Photo
versions of those colors (and possibly very grayed-down For the painting, I based my color choices on comparisons of value,
versions in some areas), so that the entire painting isn’t temperature and chroma, rather than trying to match the colors shown
screaming at the viewer, and all of the rocks won’t look in the reference photo.
like they’re literally yellow and violet. To what degree
color is intensified tends to become a style preference
for each artist.
4. Unify the Color Palette

When assigning a particular hue to each element within
the painting, keep color choices within similar color fami-
lies rather than trying to match local colors everywhere.
Select a small initial palette of colors for key elements,
then find versions of those same colors that are based on
the appropriate value, temperature and chroma for the
remaining areas of the painting.
5. Focus on Conveying the Effects, Not

Creating a Copy
As a painting progresses, it’s easy to fall into the old
“copy what you see” trap. Instead, identify the visual
drama you want to convey before you pick up that first
pastel stick, and allow that to drive all of your color selec-
tions throughout the painting process.
Thumbnail Sketch
The thumbnail sketch lays the foundation for edited shapes and
With this approach as a guide, you can not only create a establishes foreground and distance. You can see a little of the value
colorful palette for colorless subjects but allow the subject differences in the reference photo, but the sketch creates a clear
to successfully walk the line between a realistic snapshot structure from which the values for color selection in each area can be
of the landscape and a poetic piece of art. PJ pinpointed.
Barbara Jaenicke (barbarajaenicke.com) lives and paints in Bend,

Ore. She’s a popular workshop instructor and offers an array of
videos and online instructional materials.

Value and Temperature
The initial value structure
and temperature contrasts
set the stage to convey
the radiant light creating
forms on the rocks in the
foreground and distance.
Sparks Lake Rocks (pastel on mounted UART paper, 8x10)
T H E F I F T Y- F I R S T A N N U A L
PASTEL SOCIETY OF AMERICA EXHIBITION
Enduring Brilliance!
Will Be an Online Members Exhibition
Prospectus Available March 2023
Apply for Membership by Monday, April 10
to be Eligible to Submit Paintings to the Exhibition
p ast e l so c i e t y of a me r i c a . or g
Paint like Natasha

Natasha Isenhour 60 Essential Alchemy Set
Spring3
202
Visit Natasha Isenhour’s website:

www.natashaisenhour.com
Puppies Under the Porch 18x36
Follow us on:
customerservice@terryludwigpastels.com terryludwigpastelsLLC
303.795.1232 Soft Pastels Handmade by Artists for Artists terryludwigpastels
Terry Ludwig pastels can also be found at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, Dakota Art, Rochester Art Supply Inc., & The Shop l Denver Art Museum.

COMPETITION WINNERS
24th Annual
Many creatives have, on occasion, wrestled with the

uncomfortable fear that there’s a finite number of ideas
in the universe, and that perhaps we’ve arrived at the end
of them. Every year, however, the Pastel 100 comes along
and offers evidence to the contrary. In this 24th year of the
competition, we’re delighted to share the five top winners,
25 category winners and 70 honorable mentions that make
up the latest Pastel 100. Whether it’s an entirely fresh take
on a traditional subject or imagery that’s astonishing in
its originality, these works of art provide all the necessary
reassurance that, indeed, creativity knows no bounds.
SOUND JUDGEMENT
What makes one pastel rise to the top in a crowded field of
excellence? Find out what goes into the decision-making
process and hear advice for catching a juror’s attention.
BY A M Y L EI B RO C K
THIS YEAR’S PASTEL 100 ENTRANTS changes, until eventually the final order
didn’t make the job easy for Corey Pitkin, was established.”
Jeanne Rosier Smith, Lisa Gleim, Michael How, then, did the jurors determine
Freeman and Cory Goulet—the five artists which paintings would make the final cut?
who served as the category jurors. The The evaluation involves a number of artistic
unanimous verdict was that judging this criteria, of course, but the final choices usu-
competition was inspiring, but challeng- ally come down to a more personal response
ing—the unavoidable consequence of and less definable qualities—an “X factor”
an exceptional pool of entries. “It took that keeps a juror coming back to an entry,
me numerous passes and multiple pieces unable to let it go. As Pitkin put it, “The
of paper to narrow down my selections final decisions are largely subjective and
because there were so many great paintings come more from the gut than the mind.”
and not enough awards to go around,” said Doesn’t that sound a lot like painting?
Gleim. Similarly, Freeman said the judging Read on to dig deeper into the approach
involved “several days and lots of position the jurors used to get to their final picks.
JURORS FOR THE 24TH ANNUAL PASTEL 100
ANIMAL & STILL LIFE & PORTRAIT & LANDSCAPE & ABSTRACT &
WILDLIFE FLORAL FIGURE INTERIOR NON-OBJECTIVE
Lisa Gleim Michael Freeman Corey Pitkin Jeanne Rosier Smith Cory Goulet
lisagleimfineart.com michaelfreemanartist.com coreypitkin.com jeannerosiersmith.com corygouletart.com

Pensive (pastel on paper, 12x16) by Lisa Gleim
ANIMAL & WILDLIFE

When reviewing the entries in the Animal & Wildlife category, Lisa Gleim
primarily focused on how well the medium was handled, how the overall piece
spoke to her and what grabbed and kept her attention. “Equally important,
I looked at the draftsmanship and anatomical correctness of each animal,” “Each of us has
says the Atlanta-based artist, a winner of four medals in the Audubon Artists
awards competition. “As an academically trained artist, I believe strongly that our own unique
drawing is the foundation of great art and with that foundation you can expand
into more contemporary and abstract styles.”
Gleim appreciated the variety in both traditional and contemporary styles
signature, so let
present in the category and enjoyed seeing the different ways the artists
approached the medium and subject matter. “I believe pastel is the most unique
the marks in your
of art media. Like our own handwriting, it allows for each artist’s personal
distinction to show through,” she says.
paintings show
Gleim’s advice to future contestants is to avoid copying their favorite artists’
styles. “Figure out what it is about their work you like and work that into your that.”
own artistry,” she says. “Each of us has our own unique signature, so let the — LISA GLEIM
marks in your paintings show that.”
STILL LIFE & FLORAL
For the Still Life & Floral category, New Zealand artist Michael Freeman started the
jurying process by first studying each painting several times over a number of days,
taking a day’s break between each viewing. “Only then was I ready to go through and
identify the paintings that were worthy contenders to be considered for the final
paintings,” he says.”
After narrowing the field to about 40 stand-out selections, Freeman focused on all
aspects which contribute to a great painting: composition, concept, creativity, technique,
mark-making and the handling of values, color, line, edges and more.
After another break, Freeman—himself a photorealist—selected the 25 paintings he
felt best showcased the variety within the category. Finally, he considered which paint-
ings were most compelling. “They had to show a unique vision, strong imagination and
engaging story,” he says.
After jurying this year’s contest, the international award-winning pastelist offered
these words of advice to future Pastel 100 entrants: “Let your inner artistic voice guide
your expression.”
“Let your inner

artistic voice
guide your
expression.”
— MICHAEL FREEMAN
Sleight of Hand (pastel

on paper, 17⅓x14½)
by Michael Freeman

“Don’t be
afraid to
explore the
personal side
of your art—
more people
feel the way
you do than
you think.”
— COREY PITKIN
Punk (pastel on paper,

12x9) by Corey Pitkin
PORTRAIT & FIGURE

When figural artist Corey Pitkin assesses a piece of art, he asks himself three questions:
Is the intention of the work clearly expressed? Is it executed competently based on the
artist’s style? Does it speak to me personally? The first two questions are easy enough
to answer, he says. “The last is largely subjective, but it is often, in my opinion, the most
important of the three,” he says. “I’m looking for emotional impact or intellectual stimu-
lation—something that will keep me coming back to the piece.”
Pitkin, who lives in upstate New York, is excited about the future of pastel based on
the work he saw in this competition. He finds that advances in pastel materials and an
influx of artists from all over the globe are pushing pastel to new frontiers. The largely
self-taught pastelist advises artists to keep pushing themselves to create great work.
“Don’t be afraid to explore the more personal side of your art—more people feel the way
that you do than you think,” he says. “Have the courage to experiment and put all of
yourself into your pastels.”
Waterlilies (pastel on paper,
32x40) by Jeanne Rosier Smith
LANDSCAPE & INTERIOR
For this competitive category, Massachusetts artist Jeanne Rosier Smith looked
for strong composition, excellence of craft, and visual and emotional impact.
“Subject matter that’s treated with originality, conveying a clear mood or point
of view, with excellent technique and design gets noticed,” says Smith.
The artist, who’s a fellow at the St. Botolph Club of Boston, a Copley Society
Master Artist and an Eminent Pastelist in the International Association of
“Sink your teeth in Pastel Societies (IAPS), was impressed with the crop of entries in this year’s
Landscape & Interior category. “Technical expertise, inventive perspectives and
and experience the a stunning array of color palettes made this show difficult to judge,” she says.
Smith’s advice to “paint what you love” may sound familiar, but she argues
freedom and delight that’s because it’s a truth, not a cliché. “When you discover a subject you love,
paint 20 more—to start,” she says. “Sink your teeth in and experience the
of getting to know freedom and delight of getting to know a subject deeply. Take risks within that
a subject deeply.” genre, allowing your craft to flourish. You’ll discover that joy and excellence
often go hand in hand.”
— JEANNE ROSIER SMITH

ABSTRACT & NON-OBJECTIVE
Cory Goulet, an IAPS Master Circle artist and a Signature
Member of the Pastel Society of America, served as the juror
for the Abstract & Non-Objective category. Her criteria,
which included originality, composition, mastery of the
medium, color harmony, artistic intent and overall impact,
were not so different from the criteria used by the artists
jurying representational work. Goulet sought out work that
resonated—that provoked an emotional response. “It was THE WHOLE PACKAGE
exciting and inspiring to review each work and see each art-
ist’s interpretation,” she says. The path to creating an award-winning pastel
For those hoping to catch the attention of a juror, Goulet begins with technical craftsmanship, but that’s
recommends that artists take care that their images are not the end of the story. Jurors are looking for
clear, properly cropped and ready for professional review. a work of art that captivates by catching the
“Don’t sell yourself short by submitting something that’s less eye, stirring the mind or piercing the heart.
than professional,” she says. She also encourages artists to Prizewinning paintings deliver “the whole pack-
consider their painting titles. “You can convey a painting’s age,” to quote Freeman. It’s a tough assignment,
message in the title in subtle ways without giving it all away,” but—not unlike the difficult task of jurying—
she says. “We want viewers to connect and enjoy our works, there’s pleasure to be found in the challenge. PJ
without struggling to understand how the title relates to
what they’re viewing.” Amy Leibrock is a Cincinnati-based freelance writer and
a regular contributor to Artists Network magazines.
Another Galaxy
(pastel on board,
24x24) by Cory Goulet
“You can
convey a
painting’s
message in
the title in
subtle ways
without
giving it all
away.”
— CORY GOULET
PASTEL JOURNAL FOUNDER’S AWARD
Building
Beauty
Admiration for a shipbuilder’s fine
craftsmanship inspired a painting that
went on to win Daud Akhriev the Pastel
Founders Award for the artist’s own
remarkable technique and artistry.
BY RO B ERT K . C A R S T EN
DAUD AKHRIEV AND HIS ARTIST WIFE, MELISSA HEFFERLIN,

have been making an annual trip from their home in
Tennessee to the town of Frenchboro, on Long Island, in
Maine, for many years. It was there that Akhriev first discov-
ered a wellspring of inspiration that continues to fuel a series
of nautical-themed paintings. It was in Morocco, however,
at a lively seaport in Essaouira, where the artist encountered
the boat-builder who would inspire his prizewinning pastel
painting, Shipwright.
On that morning, the fishermen were toiling, readying
their brightly colored boats for the day’s work ahead. Seagulls
flitted among brightly painted buoys. Akhriev picked up his
supplies and went to work himself. After completing several
paintings, he decided—on a whim—to walk to another area
of the port where the boats were built. There was one vessel in
particular that caught his eye. “When I looked into its interior,
the structure looked like gigantic ribs that had been painted
bright red,” he says. A man asked him if he’d like to see how
the boats were designed. Stepping inside proved to be a
moment of revelation for the artist. “It was glorious!” Akhriev
says. “I was transported and felt like I had just stepped aboard
a Viking ship.”
The exhilaration, he later recalled, was one of overwhelm-
ing beauty, because everything was handcrafted. “The idea
instantly came to me to compose a painting about somebody
who does this hard labor. Shipwright is my tribute,” he says.
“The work is meant to show my respect for the difficult labor,
and for the merits and value of their craftsmanship. Though
time-consuming, the time-honored tradition of constructing
something by hand is important to me.”

Shipwright (pastel on paper, 26x40)
Campo San Beneto
(pastel on paper,
22x30) DESIGN DYNAMICS BEAUTIFUL
The artist is not a stranger to the idea of carefully creating
something beautiful by hand, having completed 14 years IMPERFECTION
of formal studies in fine arts, including a six-year program The artist painted Shipwright in his
at the noted Repin Institute (Russian Academy of Fine studio, where photos and sketches
Art), in St. Petersburg, one of the foremost art academies provided reference for the boat.
in the world. “The most important thing I learned at the “Everything else is from memory,”
Academy was the concept of developing what I call ‘serious Akhriev says. “I remember the work-
composition,’ ” Akhriev says. “It’s the skill of seeing an ers, especially their hands, and the
image in its complexities of light and dark; the structure way the gulls flew and dove around
of the way the eye will move around the painting; and the them. I recall the brightly colored
balancing of the masses.” paint, so generously applied to seal
Having an eye attuned to these compositional qualities the wood from exposure. I remember
has also enhanced his enjoyment of other artist’s work. it all as if yesterday.”
“Like the Macchiaioli painters of Italy,” he says, “or the The artist explains that later,
abstractions of Wassily Kandinsky. These artists often the shipwright would go on to add
used similar principles in designing their compositions.” seven layers of boards, horizontally
The Portrait & Figure juror, Corey Pitkin, noted the and vertically, and then paint the
effective design in Shipwright: “I was instantly drawn to finished boat blue. “I used their
the strong composition of this pastel,” he says. “The linear color scheme and added the buoys
quality of the boards lining the ship’s frame give the piece marking places and cages in the
a strong structure, and the addition of the seagulls not distance,” he says. “One sees those
only adds variation to the structure, but the patterning of neon colors through the back of the
them reminds me of sheet music. The figure sits calmly in boat. I wanted to include them partly
the chaos of the boards and birds, constrained by the bones because that’s where I had been
of the ship, like Jonah in the belly of the whale.” painting earlier in the day.”

At the start of a piece, Akhriev likes to render complicated, exacting forms “I remember the
loosely, like the figure or the placement of seagulls. “I allow myself space to refine
shapes and their placement as I’m working,” he says. “If you could see through the workers, especially
layers, you’d discover that I repositioned the gulls often.”
After years of working on nautical themes, the artist has acquired a sense of their hands, and
the strong features of the port workers. He describes their appearance as having
“a beautiful imperfection,” a captivating asymmetry. “I see this in how their faces the way the gulls
move and eyes squint when talking,” the artist says. “These men look directly at
you and really consider you. I like these qualities.”
flew and dove
around them. I
UNDER CONSTRUCTION recall the brightly
To attract the viewer to the painting’s focal area, the shipwright’s face, Akhriev
adeptly uses the hand-hewn timbers of the boat like a web, drawing us into colored paint … I
the space with strong diagonals. He then arrests our attention with horizontal
timbers that lead the eye to the figure. By encircling the shipwright’s face in dark remember it all as
against light, he proceeds to affix our gaze upon his. “Like in religious paintings,”
Akhriev explains, “in icons for example, the circle of a halo directs our attention
if yesterday.”
to the face and we cannot escape the power of that magnetism. That’s what I —DAUD AKHRIEV
wanted to make happen here. To engage the viewer in conversation, so to speak,
with the shipwright, in order to experience this man’s integrity and humanity,
surrounded by his beautiful creation, his art, borne of the honest, hard work he
performs daily.”
Life of the Port (pastel on paper, 22x30)
effects similar to brushstrokes. Frequently, he breaks his
ARTIST AT WORK sticks to achieve sharp edges required in his exquisitely
Akhriev generally applies pastel, detailed work.
working hard to soft, dark to light.
He begins by toning his paper with
either charcoal or black pastel, SEEKING RHYTHMS,
wiping it with a cloth before begin-
ning a loose underdrawing in either LOOKING FOR TRUTH
charcoal or black pastel. For paper, The rhythm of daily life at seaports is adeptly captured in
he favors Stonehenge, Rives BFK and Akhriev’s piece, Preparations (below), a veritable master
Sennelier La Carte. “I usually begin class on the artistic principle of rhythm. Usually when
with Rembrandt pastels, applying painting, the artist enjoys listening to Mozart or Bach
them heavily,” he informs. “Then I and other classical composers. “Morning at a port is like
finish with Sennelier and Unison one of Bach’s fugues,” he says. “Everything the fishermen
pastels. At the end I’ll use pastel do is done in a certain rhythm and pace with beautiful
pencils for the fine details.” economy of movement. This is what I wanted to express in
The artist applies fixative in Preparations, and yes, I was listening to Bach when I cre-
between layers, typically seven or ated this painting. Even the ways that gulls flew about and
eight times during a painting. This how the fog rolled in seemed part of a rhythmic sequence.”
darkens the underlayers and allows Integrity and inner beauty are at the core of a concur-
him to build broken-color effects. It rent series, entitled “Veritas,” which translates as truth.
also allows him to use pastel pencils “Truth isn’t always pretty, but to me, it’s always beauti-
Preparations (pas- over soft pastel, obtaining textural ful,” says Akhriev. “Inside all of us, across all cultures and
tel on paper, 19x25)

ABOVE
Laura Series, Glance (pastel on paper, 22x30)
“That’s what I wanted to make

happen here. To engage the
viewer in conversation, so to
LEFT
Laura Series, speak, with the shipwright, in
Laura (pastel on ethnicities, this beauty enables us to
paper, 30x22) be capable of doing great things.” In a order to experience this man’s
set of pictures with the model, Laura,
the subject is holding a piece of
integrity and humanity ...”
Oaxacan embroidery, which the art- — DAUD AKHRIEV
ist describes as not only a reference
to the model’s glorious individuality,
but also to all the artisans who create
these celebratory garments. See the
two examples above, as well as his Holding a Masters Degree with
honors from the Repin Institute of
pastel Laura, Holding (page 59), which Fine Arts, in St. Petersburg, Russia,
earned an Honorable Mention. “Like award-winning artist Daud
symbolic robes of nobility,” says the Akhriev (daudakhriev.com) works
artist, “I believe this beauty of inner in numerous 2- and 3-dimensional
truth in each of us is something to media, including pastel. He and
behold and celebrate.” his artist wife, Melissa Hefferlin,
whose pastel work was featured
Like his nautical imagery, Akhriev’s in the October 2020 issue of the
Veritas paintings demonstrate how magazine, split their time between their home in Tennessee
working in series suits the artist’s cre- and a secondary residence in Andalusia, Spain. An
ative process, providing opportunities internationally sought-after workshop instructor, Akhriev’s
to delve deeply into his subjects—to work has garnered many top awards in both national and
uncover hidden beauty and express international exhibitions. His artwork has also been featured
in numerous publications, including a book, Daud Akhriev,
empowering ideas. PJ
Stylistic Pluralism, released in 2002. The artist is represented by
Cutter and Cutter Fine Art Galleries, in St. Augustine, Fla.
Artist and pastel instructor Robert K.
Carsten (robertcarsten.com) has authored
numerous articles on art and artists.
PASTEL JOURNAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Steeped in Gold
A muted stillness in Shilei He’s
winning work both conveys and invites
contemplation.
BY C H R I S T I N E P ROS KOW
THE LIFELIKE QUALITY OF SHILEI HE’S EXQUISITELY DESIGNED AND

RENDERED PORTRAIT A Kashgar Woman elevated this piece to win
the Pastel Journal Award of Excellence. Portrayed in profile view, the
otherwise ordinary woman takes on a noble air, primarily due to her
gold-threaded head scarf and ornate gold earring. The artist’s use of
soft lighting and a sumptuous deep-purple background reinforce the
genteel effect. In fact, it was the cloth’s vibrant metallic sheen, with
its bright glints, smooth folds and refined texture, that drew He, of
Shanghai, China, to paint this portrait. “Personally, I prefer a variety
of shiny objects, as well as those that feature a strong texture,” says
He, “so I try to paint them as much as possible.”
AN IDEAL REPRESENTATION
Suffused with a quiet dignity, A Kashgar Woman pays tribute to the
people from a particular ethnic area. The artist identifies Kashgar as an
oasis city in Xinjiang, in far Western China. It was once the epicenter of
the ancient Silk Road trade route. “Most of the women from that region
are Muslim, and they wear all kinds of head scarves, according to their
age and preferences. They view this practice as a form of respect for
women, and it has become a tradition,” he says.
The subject in He’s prizewinning portrait is a woman the artist met
at a meal in Shanghai, in 2019. “Her appearance intrigued me, so I took
a photo of her before eating,” says the artist. Each stroke of pastel in
this masterwork coalesces to evoke a splendid sense of texture, warmth,
finesse and presence.
Portrait & Figure juror Corey Pitkin praised A Kashar Woman as
a “tour-de-force of classical portraiture.” The juror went on to say,
“The handling of the pastel on the woman’s face has echoes of Rubens
in its detailed rendering. The values are expertly handled with gor-
geous soft transitions that link all of the small shapes together into
a cohesive whole. The flesh has a weight to it that’s palpable. You can
A Kashgar Woman
(pastel on cardboard feel the warmth of her skin. Complementing all this are the looser
sealed with acrylic marks of her head scarf, with the highlights cascading beautifully
primer, 13 7/10x13 7/10) across its satiny surface.”
Cat in Window III (pastel on cardboard sealed with acrylic Skull, Candle and Moth (pastel on cardboard sealed with
primer, 114/5 x114/5) acrylic primer, 17 7/10x17 7/10)
Distant (pastel on
cardboard sealed
with acrylic primer,
234/5 x 234/5)

“The overall tone of my work is usually solemn, which
may relate to my own propensity. I like to elicit that
mood in low-contrast pictures.”
— SHILEI HE
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM the contour of the face, presenting its shape in the most
Pastel is, hands down, He’s medium of choice. “I think concise way.”
pastel works are more durable than oil paintings in terms To begin the painting process, He first created a 6-inch-
of preserving the vibrancy of the colors,” he says. “Also, square color study. Then, moving on to his surface—a gray
I like how the medium is delivered directly from the hand cardboard that he sealed with Sennelier acrylic primer
to the surface, so it conveys information faster than other for pastels—the artist drew his composition in charcoal.
media, such as oil and watercolor.” Next, he brushed the entire surface with a deep purplish-
Given the artist’s skill level, it’s remarkable that he blue Sennelier pastel stick, establishing an even-toned
took up the medium relatively recently—in late 2018. underpainting before using a combination of Sennelier
Impressively, this is the second time that He has won the and Rembrandt pastels to build subsequent layers.
Award of Excellence in the annual Pastel 100 competi- When he developed the figure’s head, he used a selec-
tion. His touching figurative work Heart and Cuddle, in tion of Derwent and Stabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils
which a prayerful Tibetan monk and his young grandson for the fine facial details. By blending with his fingers,
affectionately embrace, garnered the prize two years the artist achieved the nuanced color transitions and
ago. Although A Kashgar Woman presents a simpler beautiful modeling that gives the figure’s skin its lifelike
composition, it exudes a similarly sensitive quality that’s appearance.
singularly arresting. The head scarf required a considered handling of the
surrounding values. “The golden texture can only be
created by comparing the light and shade of the object,”
A JUDICIOUS PROCESS says He. “The highlighted area, especially, could not be
Typically, once He has identified his subject, he’ll take too large. The smaller the size, the stronger the optical
multiple reference photos, but he finds that a firsthand luminosity will be.”
color drawing is of significant value. “If possible, I prefer
to capture my subject by sketching it because the resulting
colors will be more vivid,” he says. In this case, however, MOODY EXPLORATIONS
he snapped just a single photo of the Kashgar woman. Much of He’s work reveals a palette limited to muted,
“I chose a profile pose,” he explains, “so that more of the neutral-toned colors. Charged with an overall sense of
head scarf could be featured.” austerity, his imagery often conveys a taut stillness and
The artist does a lot of conceptual work in order to real- sense of solitude, as seen in such pieces as Distant and Cat
ize his vision for a piece. His prizewinning portrait was no in Window III on the opposite page. Skull, Cradle and Moth
exception. “During the creative process, I modified many (opposite) also evokes these feelings—with added intona-
elements, including the light and shadow, which look dif- tions of the transitory nature of life. “The overall tone of
ferent from what appeared in the photo,” says the artist. my work is usually solemn, which may relate to my own
“I adjusted the facial features slightly, and the skin is more propensity,” the artist says. “I like to elicit that mood in
delicate and ruddy in complexion against the surround- low-contrast pictures.”
ing head scarf and background.” The artist did keep some In addition to his focus on figures and still lifes, the
original elements, however, such as the woman’s black artist likes to explore other subject matter, which he says
clothes, as well as the color behind her. “The background keeps him from being “constrained to a fixed pattern.”
was a deep blue-purple, which harmonized with the gold Travel to other locations also generates new painting
head scarf,” he says. “That dark color also emphasized ideas. Sheep in Winter (page 59), for example, grew out
Giant Panda (pastel on cardboard sealed with acrylic primer, 23 3/5 x233/5)

Sheep in Winter (pastel on cardboard sealed with acrylic primer, 233/5x41 3/10)
of a serendipitous scenic interlude ShiLei He (instagram.com/hslleo1986)

during the artist’s trip to Xinjiang, of Shanghai, China, graduated from
Shanghai Publishing and Printing
China. As he recalls, “The early College in 2008. After working as a
morning sun had just risen, and it graphic designer for more than 10
was shining on the farmyard sheep. years, he became a full-time artist in
The effect of the warm light was very 2020. He's the Director of China Pastel
beautiful, so later I composed this Art Alliance and a Signature Member
piece from my collection of photos.” of the Pastel Society of America. The
Another animal painting, Giant artist's work has garnered many
painting awards in juried competitions
Panda (left), has its roots at the in China and abroad.
Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base,
in Sichuan, China, which He visited
in 2020. The artist, who relished his
first live panda sighting, initially The artist continues to hone his skills by conducting
encountered this endearing creature his own research; through a study of art masterpieces,
happily eating bamboo shoots out- he learns different painting methods. The artist also
doors on a hot summer day. As might pushes himself with career goals—hoping to someday
be expected, He always brings his see his art become part of a museum collection, for
drawing materials with him on trips instance. In addition, he understands the importance of
so that he can create quick color community. “I wish to meet other outstanding painters,”
studies of interesting subject matter. says He, “to become friends with them so that we can
Consequently, to design the piece’s learn from one another." PJ
imagined background, He culled and
reassembled images of trees from his Christine Proskow, a California-based writer and editor, is a regular
on-site work. contributor to Artists Network magazines.
JACK RICHESON & CO. GOLD AWARD
A Deeper
Reality
Paintings by Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna have their
starting point in realism—then move toward abstractions
of organic forms, expressing more universal themes.
BY RU T H RO D G ER S
PIRKKO MÄKELÄ-HAAPALINNA’S AWARD-WINNING a sense of richness and depth and an

rendition of aquatic plants was inspired by visits to the overall calming effect.” Goulet also
botanical garden in her new hometown of Turku, Finland. remarked on the artist’s intriguing
The artist doesn’t know the exact species of the plants and varied line work: “Some shapes
she painted in Plantes Aquatiques, but her fascination is are well defined and others left to
consistently ignited by the natural world. “I’m always in abstraction. In addition, the artist’s
awe of the variety of the botanical world. Also, water has use of thin and thick vines through-
been a very close and important element for me all my life, out the painting kept my interest.
so creating this painting was pure joy. The main goal for This design has great flow.”
the piece was to ignite admiration for the beauty of the
organic world.”
Like Claude Monet (1840–1926), who also found water SCULPTED AND
lilies inspiring, Mäkelä-Haapalinna was mesmerized by
the shimmering interplay within the jewel-like depths, LAYERED
the mysterious shadows and the sparkling reflections Mäkelä-Haapalinna’s early artis-
in the fluid scene before her. Abstract & Non-Objective tic training was as a potter. Now,
juror Cory Goulet, recognizing the pleasure the artist as a painter, she often adds thick
took in exploring the subject’s variety of colors, says, “The gesso to her surface, sculpting it
changes in value of the blues and greens give this painting with a stick or spatula to create
raised texture before adding pastel.
For Plantes Aquatiques, she used
pastel primer in between the layers
of pastel, and she also scratched
“I believe it’s possible to off anything that she didn’t like,
subsequently painting over those
approach my work from areas. “The last stage was very
meditative,” she says, “as I made
both angles—abstract and the rhythmic hatching.”
This cycli-
representational.” cal process of Plantes Aquatiques
— PIRKKO MÄKELÄ-HAAPALINNA adding and (pastel on Pastelmat,
removing 31½x27½)

OPPOSITE
layers of pigment is typical of the Quiet in the Blue (pastel
artist’s approach. Even in her first on Pastelmat, 55x39)
use of pastel, more than 20 years
ago, the medium was only one layer BELOW
in her process. “I had been trying Plante Aeternae (pastel
on Pastelmat, 39x27½)
watercolors,” she says, “ but I wanted
something stronger, so I tried pastel
on top of watercolor, and that was it.
I was hooked!”
In most of her works, Mäkelä-
Haapalinna explores the relationship
between organic forms and abstrac-
tion. Many of her paintings suggest
natural forms (see Plantes Aeternae,
right, and This is Where You First
Hear the River, page 34). Other works
include hazy or ghostlike human
figures (see Missing Home, page 35,
and Quiet in the Blue, opposite).
“I believe it’s possible to approach
my work from both angles—abstract
and representational,” says the
artist. As I paint, my work often
becomes a mixture of abstraction
and something I can define. In the
end, I think my paintings are about
the fragility of the human condition
and our relationship to our roots
and to nature.”
ADMIRED AND
INFLUENTIAL
The inclusion of dreamlike figures
in the artist’s paintings is reminis-
cent of the work of French symbolist
Odilon Redon (1840–1916), an early
advocate of modern pastels. “Redon
is one influence, yes,” says Mäkelä-
Haapalinna, then she goes on to
name other artists who have inspired
her: “When I was in New York some
years ago, there was an exhibition
of Édouard Vuillard [1868–1940],
who also became one of my favorites.
There is also one abstract painter,
Per Kirkeby [1938–2018], whom
I admire, along with many of the
Abstract Expressionists.”
Statements on Mäkelä-
Haapalinna’s website reflect her
interest in the interface between the
inner world and the world perceived
by the senses. “I try to bring out the
deeper essence and meaning of every- FOR BUDDING PASTELISTS
day reality,” says the artist. “My work Asked about her advice for beginning pastel artists, Mäkelä-Haapalinna
is inspired by memories, empowering counsels both prudence and patience. “Maybe the most important thing
experiences and things with which is to understand that you need only a limited palette in the beginning, but
people have a relationship that goes you should use high quality-pastels and paper. And remember, all learn-
beyond words.” ing goes through failures and disasters.”

PROCESS AND MATERIALS
Mäkelä-Haapalinna describes her working process as paper, I like Pastelmat because it’s soft
“a combination of plan and intuitive chance.” She believes and yet so strong,” she says. “Some years
in the saying, Chance favors the prepared mind, but adds, ago, I ordered Ming Art paper from
“During the process, I try to give the piece the opportunity China, which I especially loved because
to guide its own direction.” I got such big-sized sheets. I also use
As for her medium, pastel is a clear favorite. “I’m UART.” In addition, Mäkelä-Haapalinna
mesmerized by the intensity of the colors,” she says. She is open to less conventional surfaces,
lists Sennelier and Terry Ludwig as brands she uses, plus such as faded gray boards from the
Unison and Henri Roché to a lesser degree. She loves Diane bottoms of boats. “Unusual surfaces are
Townsend pastels but finds them difficult to purchase handy when I get an idea for them,” says
because of Finland’s customs regulations. the artist, “but then, one must accept This Is Where You
First Hear the
The artist points out that experimenting with different the realities of those surfaces and how River (pastel on
pastel brands and surfaces keeps her work fresh. “Regarding they interact with pastel.” Pastelmat, 27½x39)
“In the end, I think my paintings are about

the fragility of the human condition and our
relationship to our roots and to nature.”
— PIRKKO MÄKELÄ-HAAPALINNA

Missing Home (pastel on
Pastelmat, 19½x27½)
EXTENDING HER REACH

The small size of her homeland and the limited number on making the kind of pastels in which skill and inspira-
of pastel artists there has presented Mäkelä-Haapalinna tion progress hand in hand.” PJ
with motivating challenges. “There aren’t many pro-
fessional artists in Finland who use pastel;” she says, Ruth Rodgers (ruthrodgers.com) is an award-winning pastelist,
“however, I was accepted into the Finnish Painters Union, a former president of PastelArtists.ca, and a regular contributing
which can be considered an acceptance of pastel as well.” writer to Pastel Journal and Artists Magazine.
She goes on to explain that the population of Finland
is only 5.5 million—too small an audience to accommo-
date all of the country’s artists. “I’ve had exhibitions in Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna
Finland, and I’m very happy that I’m going to have a solo (pirkkomakela.fi) studied
ceramics in the 1980s at the
art museum exhibition in my homeland in 2024–25,” says School of Arts and Crafts, in
the artist, “but I’d love to have a solo exhibition outside Rovaniemi, Finland. About 30
Finland as well.” years later, she studied art at
These ambitions, though, might be considered sec- the University of Lapland, Open
ondary motivators; the true drive comes from within. University. Her award-winning
“Painting is a natural way for me to think about myself work has been exhibited
and my surroundings and the whole experience of life,” worldwide. She’s a member
of numerous art associations,
says Mäkelä-Haapalinna. “I strive to develop and refine my including the Finnish Painters
working process and its results in order to reach my best— Union and the Society of Pastelists of France, and she’s a Master
what I have the capacity to achieve. I wish to concentrate Pastellist of the Pastel Society of America.
PASTEL SILVER AWARD
Living
Things
Yang Zhao finds awe in nature, in wildlife
and in the human figure. He puts emphasis on
this idea in his creative expression—something
we see on glorious display in his prizewinning
pastel painting.
BY A N N E H E V EN ER
THE RUGGED SETTING OF YANG ZHAO’S SILVER-AWARD WINNER,

Sheep in the Pamirs, plays a key role in the narrative, making the
piece as much a work of landscape as it is wildlife. Zhao’s subjects
are not grazing quietly in a pasture, however; they are on the move,
and very much the stars of the show. For the artist, it was impor-
tant to capture the animals’ vitality. “The awe of life and nature is
the focus of my expression,” he says.
In his prizewinning pastel, Zhao also sought to capture the
distinct character of the individual animal. “With so many sheep
together, I needed to distinguish each one through the use of
different colors and treatments,” he says, “but at the same time,
I made sure the whole picture was coordinated.”
The artist’s objective was not missed on the Animal & Wildlife
juror, Lisa Gleim, who—along with admiring the classical feel of
the piece and effective use of a tonalist palette—noted: “The center
animal draws you into the herd and makes you search the faces of
the others where you find that no two are alike!”
Sheep in the Pamirs

(pastel on paper, 22x31)

“The center animal draws you into the
herd and makes you search the faces
of the others where you find that no
two are alike!”
— LISA GLEIM
Ming Yu (pastel on paper, 32x22) A Childhood Playmate (pastel on paper, 40x32)
“To make an EMOTIONAL POWER

Zhao lives in Chongqing, a vast city in southwestern China, situated at the
impression on confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. A graduate of the prestigious
Central Academy of Fine Arts, in Beijing, he has been engaged in painting
a viewer, there ever since and loves his work as a professional artist.
Although Sheep in the Pamirs is evidence of his ability to take on any subject,
Zhao is primarily a figural painter. When working in portraiture, the artist
must be more considers the emotional state of his subjects, noting the importance of “both
form and spirit” in a portrayal. As a realistic painter, he recognizes that an
to a painting artist must be able to achieve a level of accuracy, but he finds emotion and
storyline to be central. His fascination with beauty and the natural world, and
than technical his attention to narrative and emotional potency can be seen in the pastels
on these pages, as well as in his portrait, Xiao Rui (page 56), which received
Fourth Place in the Portrait & Figure category. “To make an impression on
ability. There a viewer, there must be more to a painting than technical ability,” Zhao says.
“There must be feeling.” PJ
must be feeling.” Editor-in-Chief of Pastel Journal Anne Hevener has been writing about art and artists for
— YANG ZHAO nearly 30 years.

Youth (pastel on paper, 43x36)
PASTEL BRONZE AWARD
Pain
Paintings
Silja Salmistu combines an awareness of tradition with
modern experimentation to create thought-provoking
compositions of difficult issues staged as child’s play.
BY RU T H RO D G ER S
SILJA SALMISTU IS NOT A STRANGER TO DIFFICULT background. It’s a sensitive subject— handled with great
CIRCUMSTANCES. Born and educated in Soviet-occupied skill and feeling—resulting in masterful storytelling.”
Estonia, she struggled to complete an art degree at the
Tartu Art School. Throughout her studies, she had to
cope with the challenges of state control, censorship and THE POWER OF ART
a shortage of many things, including art supplies. “We Salmistu recognizes the importance of using art to con-
painted on bedsheets instead of canvas and on discarded front difficult issues. “Making art is my way to remain
packaging boxes we stole from the backyards of shops sane,” she says. “These are heartbreaking times, both on
at night,” Salmistu says. “We painted over our previous a global and a personal scale.” The artist’s ongoing series,
works. We cut off the ferrules of paintbrushes to prolong “Nursery Games” was triggered by news of the 2018 school
the use of worn-down bristles. There were even periods shooting in Parkland, Fla. (See Clowns ‘n’ Guns and Horrors
when we only had madder lake and phthalo green to paint of War on page 43). “As the mother of two school-age chil-
with! I think all that scarcity forced me and other art- dren, I was horrified. My illusion of the safe and carefree
ists to find creative solutions. On the other hand, play childhood I had imagined for my kids was shattered,” says
and experimentation were luxuries we couldn’t afford.” Salmistu. The emotions inspired an artistic response that
Nevertheless, she persevered, obtaining the equivalent of became what the artist refers to as her “pain-painting”
an MFA in painting from Tartu University in 1994, just series. Salmistu believes no subject should be taboo.
as the country broke free from a communist regime and “I use dolls, clowns and stuffed toys as representatives for
struggled to develop into a modern democracy. humans,” she says, “but I don’t want my paintings to be
Still Life & Floral juror Michael Freeman found deep merely illustrations of a cohesive narrative. I don’t want
meaning in Salmistu’s prizewinning painting Escape. “This to dictate how to ‘read’ the painting, but rather let it be a
was the piece that I kept coming back to,” he says. “It’s subject for interpretation.”
a serious painting, full of mystery and intrigue, which However, the title of a painting may offer a key for
immediately raised questions in my mind. Who do these decoding it. For example, the word “escape” has many
items belong to? What are they escaping? The title only meanings, according to Salmistu. First and foremost, it
adds to the interest and is so relevant given recent events represents her mother’s death. “She had been terminally
in the world. The artist has skillfully combined a loose ill, so death was a relief for her—an
impressionistic background that fuses with the realism escape,” says the artist. “Around that
of the four main elements. The textures and surfaces are same time, my first-born child moved Escape (pastel
beautifully handled, as is the lighting that illuminates out of our family home to live on her on sanded paper,
the doll, teddy bear and bags against the dark foreboding own, so it also represents her escape 26x19)

from childhood. Also, at that time, millions of Ukrainians Salmistu’s process for Escape
were fleeing from Putin’s bombs. I offered my daughter’s began with large washes of bright
tiny room in our home as well as my late mother’s home in red acrylic ink next to diluted black
Estonia for housing some Ukrainian refugees, to provide and blue acrylic paint. “I splashed
them an escape from the danger.” water and sprayed with alcohol, let-
ting the colors meet in the middle of
my Fisher 400 sheet of paper,” she
THE PROCESS OF PASTEL says. “The lower part of the paper
Salmistu paints primarily in pastels. She originally worked remained untouched. I included my
in oils but was forced to reconsider when the owner of the mother’s old worn-out cardboard
yarn shop next door complained that the smells of the oil suitcase to represent leaving one
pigments and solvents were soaking into her textile wares. place for another, and my daughter’s
The artist’s preferred subject is still life, and her works first teddy bear to represent safety,
include bright, joyous florals and fruits, such as Blue Glass comfort and childhood.”
(below), in addition to images that explore darker subjects. At the halfway point of the paint-
She prefers to paint from life, in order to share space and ing, Salmistu wasn’t satisfied with
time with her objects—with a special focus on light. “I’ve the dynamics of the composition, so
found that photographs never provide me with enough she impulsively added a small doll.
visual information to establish a trialogue between “With that change, the focus of the
myself, my subject and my painting,” says Salmistu. painting changed,” she says. “I placed
“A photo’s flat image, however, can offer distance that the suitcase and the bag partially in
I can use when arranging my setup, considering my com- the shadow as if they were emerging
position and analyzing my progress, so I keep my camera from the disturbing past into light
close by. I rarely do thumbnails because I hardly ever plan and safety. The texture of the fore-
in advance. I just jump in—spontaneously following my ground doesn’t suggest safe and solid
Blue Glass (pastel gut—choosing the subject, color scheme and composition ground, but rather uncertainty about
on sanded paper, by whatever feels right in the moment.” the situation and the future.”
11x17)

LEFT
The Horrors of War
(pastel on sanded
paper, 19x26)
BELOW
Clowns n’ Guns
(pastel on sanded
paper, 19x26)
FINDING AN AUDIENCE
Now residing in Denmark, Salmistu exhibits interna-
tionally. “I do exhibit locally, but I don’t feel that I’m
well-integrated into the Danish art scene,” she says.
“In Denmark, pastel is almost unknown. The inter-
net has connected me to pastelists all over the world,
but my visual language finds more response in France,
Great Britain, Russia and the U.S. than it does here. I’ve
been criticized for spreading negativity with my ‘Pain
Paintings,’ but for me, art is not just a safe sanctuary or
endless celebration of beauty.” With her images—both
bright and dark—this artist subscribes to the words of
Cesar A. Cruz: “Art should comfort the disturbed and
disturb the comfortable.” PJ
Ruth Rodgers (ruthrodgers.com) is an award-winning pastelist,

a former president of PastelArtists.ca, and a regular contributing
writer to Pastel Journal and Artists Magazine.
Silja Salmistu (siljasalmistu.art) is an

Estonian artist living and working in
Denmark. She has exhibited her work in
numerous juried, curated, group and solo
shows across Europe and the U.S., as well
as online. Her paintings have won many
awards and been featured in several
international art publications, including
Pastel Journal, Pratique des Arts and Globe. Salmistu is a member
of the Pastel Guild of Europe, Art du Pastel en France, a juried
Signature Member of Pastel Society of America and has Master
Circle status in the International Association of Pastel Societies.
CATEGORY WINNERS
JUROR: Jeanne Rosier Smith
LANDSCAPE
& INTERIOR
BY M I C H A EL C H E S L E Y J O H N S O N
Late Afternoon (pastel on Crescent illustration board, 16x21) by Stan Bloomfield

F I R S T P L AC E S ECO N D P L AC E
STAN BLOOMFIELD TERRI FORD
In a sense, the inspiration for Stan Bloomfield’s painting is the very San Jose, Calif., artist Terri Ford’s
process of painting itself. The Flagstaff, Ariz.-based artist likes to work pastel, Shady Oak, is one of the pastels
out of his imagination, allowing the painting, rather than a photo, to tell inspired by the photos and sketches she
him what it needs. “The paintings I’ve done from photos are too stilted,” made on a trip with the Catalina Island
Bloomfield says. “They look like photographs.” The artist says he much Conservancy. “Trees can be very tricky
prefers to work toward an impression rather than something highly for me, so I choose them carefully,” Ford
detailed. says. “They have so much personality
For Late Afternoon, he worked on 100-lb. Crescent illustration board. He that I sometimes shy away from them.”
first toned the white surface with Payne’s gray watercolor, which he finds, In this case, the tree’s silhouette made
besides adding color, also provides some tooth. When he’d like even more for a ready-built design.
tooth, he may brush on a layer of Golden acrylic medium. Then, working Working directly from a photo on
with NuPastels, he painted a simple abstraction that he then washed off her iPad, Ford dove right into paint-
with water. This is the surprising heart of his process—rinse and repeat. ing. Choosing a sheet of UART 400-grit
After each rinse, a subtle ghost of color remains—a suggestion for what paper, mounted to archival mat board
might come next. “Basically, I’m trying to make a notan as I paint,” he as a surface, she began with a stick of
notes. “The process takes a long time and is very frustrating.” NuPastel No. 305 (spruce blue) to block
As he continued painting, he began to introduce some softer pastels, in the darks.
including sticks by Terry Ludwig, Dick Blick and Schmincke, paying Next, she added a bright yellow-
attention to strong value patterns and hoping to create a painterly finish. orange to the foreground for warmth.
“Sometimes I throw the painting away only to pick it up again later and She washed in all this color with iso-
think, ‘Maybe there’s something there?’ Then I finish it with whatever my propyl alcohol, using a brush to control
mind comes up with.” the direction of marks. “The directional
Bloomfield has had a lot of success with this intuitive approach. strokes are very helpful in defining the
Landscape & Interior juror Jeanne Rosier Smith said this of his First different spatial planes and textures,”
Place award-winning pastel: “An unexpected subject, not traditionally she notes. Then, using a wide range of
beautiful, becomes arresting with the care and attention lavished in this pastels, she began to overpaint, scum-
rich, late-afternoon study of warm and cool, light and shadow, rough and bling very lightly. “The light touch is
smooth.” Smith also noted
the painting’s design, com-
posed with strong diagonals,
horizontals and verticals. “The
rich vivid detail created by an
expert and confident use of
mark and surface makes this
pastel a winner,” she says.
Shady Oak (pastel

on UART 400
paper, 16x20)
by Terri Ford
CATEGORY WINNERS LANDSCAPE & INTERIOR
important,” Ford says. “It’s only near the finish that I apply more pressure for
texture and impact.”
To get the effect of strong sunlight, the artist used warmer color and more
contrast. It was an effect picked up by the juror. “The deep cool shade of this
old oak, contrasted with the glare of bright midday sun, creates a cool respite
for the eye and also a vantage point from which to survey the distant hills,”
Smith observes.
Toward the end of the process, Ford decided to repaint the tree branches. She
first removed them with a stiff brush and the edge of a paper towel, taking that
part of the tree back down to the underpainting, which reinforced the tree’s
clear silhouette. Then, to make the tree come to life, she simply added more tex-
ture and color. “I just let myself have fun at this point,” she says, “using cooler
colors toward the top and warmer colors toward the bottom.”
T H I R D P L AC E
TAI MENG LIM
Although Tai Meng Lim, of Beranang, Malaysia, took this
photo reference nearly 10 years ago, during a visit to a
clinic, he found that the emotions it stirs up are akin to
those that surfaced during the pandemic. He intended the
play of light in the painting to be a reminder that every-
thing, good or bad, will pass. “But no matter the struggle,”
Lim says, “I believe we can overcome anything through
perseverance and strength.”
It was the lack of people in the piece that struck Smith.
“Without a single human figure, this evocative interior
carries a strong human presence and suggests power-
ful stories,” she says. A capacity for storytelling comes
naturally to Lim, who says he always starts a painting by
building the narrative.
The artist first explored different designs, sketch-
ing with charcoal pencil on gray-toned paper. Once he’d
settled on one, he created a drawing with an HB graphite
pencil on a sheet of Pastel Premier paper, in the Italian
clay tone. Next, he made a monochrome underpaint-
ing with burnt umber acrylic paint. Once this dried, he
used a combination of pastels, starting thinly at first and
working his way up to thicker, softer layers. To create the
texture of the tiles, he used mostly hard pastels in a wide
variety, including Cretacolor, Richeson, Girault and Conté
à Paris. “Most artists like soft pastels, but for me, hard
pastels allow for more nuance and additional layering,”
Lim says. Working from dark to light with a subtle touch,
he also used the hard pastels as blending tools to adjust
edges and color.
The Malaysian artist studied graphic design and
worked in advertising until 2011, when he decided to
dedicate his time to fine art. “The rise of social media in
the past few years has given me a great way to learn and
Waiting Hall Illumination (pastel on Pastel Premier sanded paper,
connect with other artists and teachers from all over the
16x10½) by Tai Meng Lim
world,” Lim says.

Golden Dunes
(pastel on sanded
board, 12x24)
by Lana Ballot
FO U RT H P L AC E
LANA BALLOT
Lana Ballot, originally of the Central Asian country of Kyrgystan, found the
inspiration for her painting in the dunes near her current home on Long Island.
She began Golden Dunes on an 18x28-inch Canson Mi-Teintes Touch board, in
Twilight tone, using a photo for reference. She chose this color because it works
well as a base for sand and its shadows. Using vine charcoal and hard pastels,
she drew her design, switching early on to softer pastels including sticks by
Terry Ludwig, Mount Vision, Jack Richeson, Sennelier, Great American, Blue
Earth and Art Spectrum. She treated the grasses as simple masses, first by lay-
ering in the mid-tones and then adding lighter, more chromatic colors. She used
the edges of square Terry Ludwig pastels to make thin marks for grass blades.
Although she sometimes makes a study to work out composition, the artist
skipped that step for this piece, feeling confident that the foreground sand
would occupy a certain amount of space. Later, she realized the glowing grasses
were more interesting than the foreground. Deciding that the foreground
would compete too much with the grasses, she placed an empty frame over the
painting to see how a cropped picture would look. Pleased with the change in
focus, she cut the painting to size.
The poetic qualities of the piece resonated with the juror. “The deep shad-
ows, rich color and dramatic light work their magic in this poetically composed
piece,” says Smith. “Light, color and mark-making work together to full advan-
tage to make this piece sing.”
CATEGORY WINNERS LANDSCAPE & INTERIOR
Long Evenings
(pastel on UART
Dark paper,
7½x24) by Andrew
McDermott F I F T H P L AC E
ANDREW MCDERMOTT
Vancouver artist Andrew McDermott worked with several
reference photos, cutting and pasting them together to
create the design for Long Evenings. Then, after making
a color sketch to explore color possibilities, he began to
block in major shapes on his support, a piece of UART
Dark (500-grit). He started out with warm color, using
a wide range of pastels, including Jack Richeson, Terry
Ludwig, Sennelier, Mungyo, Schmincke, Blue Earth, Great “Low light, soft
American and Art Spectrum.
After establishing his largest shapes, he continued to edges and warm
apply bold colors, keeping in mind the overall color scheme
as he painted cool colors over the warmer passages in the notes on a cool
road and background. Here and there, he added texture by
dragging a comb or rubber triangle across different areas.
background give
Next, he added the reflections on the road and details in
the lights. Finally, he warmed up the foreground, added
this piece a musical
a few grays, popping in a few details for interest. quality.”
It was the lovely atmospheric mood that caught Smith’s
eye. “Low light, soft edges and warm notes on a cool back- – JEANNE ROSIER SMITH, JUROR
ground give this piece a musical quality,” she says. “The
unusual panoramic format, always a design challenge, is
handled exceptionally well.” PJ
Michael Chesley Johnson is an artist, workshop instructor and

author of the book, Beautiful Landscape Painting Outdoors: Mastering
Plein Air.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
LANDSCAPE & INTERIOR
Blooming in the Shadow of Giants (pastel on Sennelier La Carte pastel

card, 10x19½) by Deborah Henderson | Olympia, Washington
Tumbling (pastel on Crescent illustration board, 16x21)

by Stan Bloomfield | Flagstaff, Arizona
Sundown Shimmer Through the Pines (pastel on mounted UART

paper, 11x14) by Barbara Jaenicke | Bend, Oregon
I’ll Follow the Snow (pastel on mounted UART paper, 11x14)

by Barbara Jaenicke | Bend, Oregon
Catching the Last Light

(pastel on Sennelier La
Carte pastel card, 9x6) by
Martina Zingler | Salzgitter,
Germany
HONORABLE MENTIONS LANDSCAPE & INTERIOR
The Important Places (pastel on UART paper, 15x30)

by Brian Sauerland | Palatine, Illinois
Cincinnati Landmarks (pastel on Pastel Crossing New York (pastel on Sennelier La Carte pastel card, 11x24) by Roberta Combs
Premier paper, 21x14) by Francis Huffman Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
Cincinnati, Ohio
Monument Poetry–Bonaventure II (pastel on UART 400 High Sierras Autumn Glow (pastel on sanded pastel paper, 12x18)
paper, 11x14) by Mary Hertler Tallman | Jackson, Michigan by Lucinda Johnson | Roseville, California

River of Memories (pastel on Arches 140-lb. cold-pressed water-
color paper, 19x27) by Jeannette Cuevas | Pleasanton, Texas
Mystical Place (pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, 14x11)

by Anne Spivey | Atlanta, Georgia
Antero Timberline (pastel on Crescent illustration board, 16x21)

Cloudburst (pastel on Wallis paper, 9x12) by Ted Fuka | Mokena, Illinois
General Store (pastel on Art Spectrum paper, 25x21)

by Linda Klenczar | Saline, Michigan
HONORABLE MENTIONS LANDSCAPE & INTERIOR
Pleasant Point Dusk

(pastel on Pastel Premier
paper, 12x16) by Eveline
Miller | Beaufort, South
Carolina
Scorching Sun (pastel on paper, 15⅓x21⅓) by Yuan Yang Departure Ushuaia (pastel on sanded Gator Board, 18x24) by Jane Wright
Kaohsiung, Taiwan Wolf | Weston, Connecticut
Winter Symphony (pastel on UART 400 paper, The Sea (pastel on paper, 21⅔x39⅓) by Shilei He | Shanghai, China
11½x11½) by Suzanne Proulx | Laval, Quebec

Waning Light (pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes paper,
8x10) by Xenia Sease | Boulder, Colorado
Serenity (pastel on Lux Archival paper, 16x20)

by Jane Robbins | Saunderstown, Rhode Island
Catalina Dusk (pastel on UART 400 paper, 12x16) by Terri Ford

San Jose, California
Intensity (pastel on panel, 24x33½) by Nancy Lilly | Round Rock, Texas
Steel Stairs (pastel on

Pastel Premier paper,
30x15) by Francis Huffman
Cincinnati, Ohio
CATEGORY WINNERS
JUROR: Corey Pitkin
PORTRAIT
& FIGURE
BY A N N E H E V EN ER
F I R S T P L AC E
LIBO ZHU
“There’s a bold yin-and-yang feel to this composition,”
says Portrait & Figure juror Corey Pitkin, of Libo Zhu’s
Portrait of Vagrant, No. 1. “The frail, bony branch seems
to counter the weathered flesh of the old man,” he says.
“Both are rendered similarly but at the same time, each
is distinct from the other. The burning cigarette could
destroy the tree, yet the tree will likely outlive the old
man.” Pitkin was drawn to the quiet and meditative
quality of the pastel. “The stillness of the background,”
he says, “helps to emphasize the unity between these
two solitary beings—both alive but often disregarded.”
The artist, Libo Zhu, of China, says, “I like draw-
ing old people because their faces are full of change.”
Inspired by the composition and aesthetics of tradi-
tional Chinese painting, Zhu brings this appreciation
to a very contemporary subject—a homeless man the
artist met in a Beijing subway station. Zhu was struck
by his gray hair and beard, and the idea for a portrait
emerged. “After painting the man, I wanted to add
some creativity to the piece, to make it more artistic,”
Zhu says. “I thought of a dead tree without leaves. The
combination of dead trees and old people communi-
cates the passage of time.”
Zhu, who also paints landscapes, enjoys the chal-
lenge of portraiture, particularly the need for accuracy
and control of color. Developing the keen sense for
these has been the result of many years of training, he
says. The artist was born in China and graduated from
Hebei Normal University, in Shijiazhuang. He has been
an educator as well as an artist, and says that, after
using oils for many years, he came into contact with
pastel somewhat accidentally. “I quickly fell in love
with this material,” he says.
“I mastered some skills in
a relatively short time and finished Portrait of a
Vagrant, No. 1
a few works in the medium, one (pastel on toned
of which was part of a large-scale paper, 56x20) by
national exhibition, in China.” Libo Zhu

S ECO N D P L AC E
JIA WEI
“A self-portrait is always a classic sub-
ject for artists,” says Beijing artist Jia
Wei. He titled his prizewinning work,
Everyday, as it offers a reflection of
his daily life—his art, his family,
even his love of music, referenced
by the piano in the background. “I
often sketch in front of the mirror,”
Wei says. This position of “infinite
repetition” is one he finds creatively
interesting. “While I’m painting, I’m
observing myself, and I’m still in the
picture. So, the most important thing
is to capture the image of myself in
the mirror.” When Pitkin encoun-
tered this beautifully rendered
portrait in his jurying, he was struck
by how this view is quite common-
place to an artist, but completely
alien to everyone else.
Pitkin also noted the artist’s care- Everyday (pastel on paper, 43⅓x30¾) by Jia Wei
ful creative choices. “The portrait is
strengthened by the simplified areas fixed time every day to ensure the stability and unity of
in the shirt and the almost sketched- the light in the picture,” he says. The artist made use of
in details of the feet, chair and easel,” pastel pencils and loose strokes to describe the subtle and
he says. “The artist directs your eye delicate color changes with loose strokes. He also retained
to the center of interest—the face— the underlying tone of the pastel paper in areas of the
and drives this point home by adding background, clothes and other places.
the most tightly rendered details in Wei’s artistic training has included studies in interior
the area immediately surrounding design and architecture, as well as fine art. In terms of
the face. The frame of the mirror, medium, it’s the textural qualities of pastel that he appre-
slightly askew, makes this scene feel ciates and the opportunity that allows for expression. The
alive and perhaps a bit unplanned, artist has been working in the medium for about eight
though it obviously is very much a years, after first picking it up to create a portrait of his
calculated composition.” son. “Next, I’m going to begin some larger pastel works,
One of Wei’s top concerns in a mainly portraits and still life,” he says, “to continue to
piece is the light. “I painted at a explore the language of pastel painting.”
CATEGORY WINNERS PORTRAIT & FIGURE
T H I R D P L AC E
YANG ZHAO
The sensitive portrait, Xiao Rui, by
Yang Zhao, of China, portrays the
artist’s younger sister. “She has a
very quiet temperament,” Zhao says.
“Showing her sitting there quietly is,
I think, very moving and communi-
cates her kind heart to the viewer.”
The portrait is imbued with a seren-
ity, a feeling of peace, that the artist
was eager to share with the world.
Pitkin describes the portrait as
“masterfully rendered” and noted
the strength of its design. “With a
pose and composition reminiscent
of gilded age portraiture, this pastel
feels surprisingly contemporary,” he
says. “The lean in the sitter’s pose
combined with the large amount of
negative space above her raises ques-
tions about what she’s thinking and
helps to break up the strong up-and-
down quality of the chair.”
Zhao’s ability to execute the
details of both the sitter and her
dress with beauty and simplicity
makes the portrait a stand-out work
of pastel.
Xiao Rui (pastel on paper,

40x27) by Yang Zhao

FO U RT H P L AC E
LAUREN TUMA
Lauren Tuma, of West Covina, California, set out to paint a classical-style nude
that had a soft, feminine quality to it. It was the artist’s color choices that caught
Pitkin’s attention. “The orange palette sets the scene and dominates the pastel,”
says the juror, “while the cool teals and yellow greens emphasize the warmth of
the orange to create an incredibly vibrant combination.” Other creative choices
further enhanced the work. “The pattern of her robe plays nicely against the tex-
ture of the cardboard that this is drawn on,” Pitkin adds, “and the values chosen
for her flesh give the piece a strong vertical composition.”
Tuma notes that her choice to work on cardboard may be unusual, but she likes
the effect. “I love how it really makes the colors pop and gives the overall piece
a unique look,” she says. Given the artist’s attention to color, it’s no surprise to
learn that the painters Renoir, Monet and van Gogh are among Tuma’s greatest
artistic influences.
In terms of subjects, Tuma thinks of portraiture as the ultimate challenge for
an artist. “To paint the human face and figure—I love stepping up to that chal-
lenge every chance I get,” she says. In the case of Woman in Orange, the artist was
pleased with how she incorporated the deep greens, teals and magentas in the
skin tone. The best part? “Putting my—usually colorful—vision onto something
physical for everyone to see,” she says.
Woman in Orange
(pastel on board,
30x24)
CATEGORY WINNERS PORTRAIT & FIGURE
Antoinette (pastel F I F T H P L AC E
YEVGENIA BONDAREVA
on Pastelmat paper,
19½x24½) by Yevgenia
Bondareva
After several years of self-study, Belgian artist, Yevgenia Bondareva, was finally able
to get serious about her art and make more time to work from life. “Painting a live
model forces an artist to work fast,” Bondareva says, “to capture the essence of the
sitter from the very beginning.” The artist also finds it easier to experiment during
live sessions, and enjoys setting up some challenges for herself. She may choose to
work on a new support, for instance, or opt for an unfamiliar tone, as she did for
this prizewinning pastel by selecting a pale gray-green paper.
It was the portrait’s lovely simplicity that made an impression on the juror. “All
of the information you need for this portrait is there—without a lot of fuss,” Pitkin
says. “The mark-making and palette are reminiscent of Degas and seem to subscribe
to a similar ‘less-is-more’ style. The eyes are expressive with hardly any detail
required.” He also noted that the linework along the back of the neck and hair are
perhaps his favorite parts—“delicate without being frail,” he says. PJ
Anne Hevener is the Editor-in Chief of Pastel Journal, Watercolor Artist and Artists Magazine.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
PORTRAIT & FIGURE

The Hand of an Artist (pastel on Sennelier La Carte sanded
paper, 12½x11½) by Laura Mocnik | Flat Rock, Michigan
The Daughter Of Grassland (pastel on watercolor paper, 31½x19⅔)

by Qian Ma | Ningbo, China
Laura; Holding (pastel on toned BFK Rives paper, 22x30) by Daud Akhriev | Rossville, Georgia
Best Friends (pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, 36x24)

by Sharon Pomales-Tousey | Rancho Palos Verdes, California
HONORABLE MENTIONS PORTRAIT & FIGURE
People Looking
Up (pastel on
paper, 34x57½)
by Wendy Li
Qingdao, China
Smoke Break (pastel on primed MDF

board, 16x12) by Tai Meng Lim | Beranang,
Malaysia
Nothing More, Nothing Less (pastel on

UART 400 paper, 14x11) by Cameron Hampton
Madison, Georgia
Red (pastel on paper, 22x12) by Shuyi Huang

Shanghai, China

Chiron (pastel pencil on
paper, 22x15½) by Irene
Rajagopal | Mercer Island,
Washington
Putting Out the

Fires (pastel
on Pastelmat,
38x26½)
by Nadine
McCluskey
Manhasset,
New York
Unspoken (pastel on Pastelmat, 27x16) by Michele Ashby Time to Rest (pastel on toned BFK Rives paper, 22x30) by Daud Akhriev
Saxmundham, England Rossville, Georgia
HONORABLE MENTIONS PORTRAIT & FIGURE
Gold Embrace (pastel on sanded paper, Chubby Little Hands (pastel on paper, Ridin’ with Russ (pastel on paper, 11x8½)
31x23) by Melissa Breault | Montreal, Quebec 21⅓x15⅓) by Yu-Li Chang | Chiayi City, Taiwan by M. Clark | Dallas, Texas
Buio (pastel on paper, 27½x39) by Fabio Cuffari | Aosta, Italy

Wang Sibo (pastel on paper, 14x11) by Chengyi La Chiamano Estate (pastel on UART 400, 15x23⅔) by Felicita Fiorini | Rome, Italy
Song | Tieling City, China
Sisters (pastel on Sennelier La Carte paper,

15x16) by Gayle Kassal | Annapolis, Maryland
Eva’s Smile (pastel on Sennelier La Carte paper, 9x12) by Darlene Bigus-Doheny

New Orleans, Louisiana
CATEGORY WINNERS
JUROR: MICHAEL FREEMAN
STILL LIFE
& FLORAL
BY H O L LY DAV I S
F I R S T P L AC E
CAROLINA DALMAS
“Fruits and vegetables have it all!”
says The Woodlands, Texas, artist
Carolina Dalmas (carolinadalmasart.
com). “I’m always mesmerized by
their rich colors and various tex-
tures—and I’m inspired to take
pictures of them for possible future
paintings.” Such was the case when
Dalmas was peeling the blood orange
that became the subject of Orange
and Peel. “I use photos as references
for my work, especially for organic
subjects that deteriorate quickly,”
says the artist, “but I also observe
and absorb all the nuances from life.”
Dalmas’ observational skills stood
her in good stead, as Still Life &
Floral juror Michael Freeman par-
ticularly noted, “This painting can be
enjoyed from a distance or up close,
as it draws in the viewer to enjoy the
many interesting details, textures
and colors.”
The artist’s use of a turquoise
background for the bright orange is
an eye-catching choice. “Typically,
I browse my pastels for a complemen-
tary background color, but with a less
chromatic effect than the main ele-
ments,” says Dalmas. “For Orange and
Orange and Peel (pastel on acrylic paper coated with pastel ground, 12x12) by Carolina Dalmas
Peel, I used a combination of warm
and cool blue-greens in the negative
space to shape the elements.” The
artist also remarks that the contrast
of the bright chromatic orange peel
against the white pith gave her the
opportunity to paint a variety of
whites—from highly reflective hues
to muted, shadowy neutrals.

Bowl of Eggs (pastel on UART 280 pastel paper, 18x18) by Marie Tippets
Another engaging characteristic of

Orange and Peel is its texture, which
Dalmas began developing from the very
beginning by applying a layer of Golden
pastel ground to acrylic paper. This
surface treatment not only adds a toothy
grit to the surface, but it also withstands
sgraffiti applied with tools. “I used a blade
and a silicone brush to create extra tex-
ture and a sense of organic movement,”
says Dalmas. “This gave the painting
dynamic appeal, and the grooves caught
extra pigment during the last stages of
my painting.”
S ECO N D P L AC E
MARIE TIPPETS
“I’m always experimenting,” says artist Marie Tippets the light behaves on the folds of
(marietippets.com), of Dana Point, Calif. “When orchestrating the striped fabric, in the reflections
a nontraditional still life, such as Bowl of Eggs, with its bird’s- within the glass bowl and in the high-
eye view, I look for unique relationships between shapes and lights and shadows on the eggs.”
patterns, simplicity and complexity, and objects and shadow Also of note is the black-and-white
patterns.” She selected the cloth and bowl specifically to inves- color scheme. “It’s very bold and
tigate the interplay between the glass and the stripes. “I was graphic,” says Freeman, “yet as one
hoping for something special to happen with that glass bowl,” gets closer, there’s a subtle use of
says the artist. color that adds warmth to the eggs
Light, stripes and glass did indeed create a number of and coolness in the shadows.”
intriguing effects, and the artist was especially surprised and The limited palette was a self-
delighted by the way the fabric pattern changed around the imposed challenge for Tippets, who’s
rim of the glass bowl. “Once I could see that the magic I was known for the vivid colors of her
looking for was definitely going to happen, I began work on paintings. Like Freeman, however,
the composition, folding the fabric many times until I was she points out that the blacks aren’t
satisfied that the cloth and the effects of the juxtaposed ele- simply black and the whites aren’t
ments were perfect,” she says. simply white. “The whites, in particu-
Tippets works only in natural sunlight, which gives her the lar, have a luscious array of beautiful
high contrast and drama she wants. The result wasn’t lost on soft blues, purples, pinks, yellows,
Freeman, who noted, “The artist captured beautifully how cool grays and off whites,” she says.
CATEGORY WINNERS STILL LIFE & FLORAL
T H I R D P L AC E
NANCY NESS
“The inspiration for Abundance was the idea of recycling my Freeman remarked, “The artist
artwork that was done on paper,” says Ogden, Utah-based skillfully applied various techniques
artist Nancy Ness (nancynessart.com). “I had a bunch of floral throughout all of the layers—from
sketches that were just collecting dust, so I began cutting out the initial loose sketch to the tearing
the best parts of each sketch.” Those cut-out pieces became and positioning of pieces of paper
collage materials. The artist maneuvered the pieces to form a to the application of additional
pleasing composition, fixed them in place on a backing board color and lines that pull the collage
and added finishing touches with paint. together.”
The crisp, straight edges and sharp angles of the cut-out Abundance was the first of Ness’
shapes stand out against the organic markings, creating a recycled art collages. “I posted it on
tiled, almost prismatic effect. Ness’ color sense went a long Facebook and was amazed at the
Abundance way in assuring the success of this approach. “Color is usually number of people who responded
(pastel, acrylic, a strong feature in my artwork,” says the artist. “I enjoy com- to it,” says the artist. That reac-
marker and ing up with surprising combinations, and I rarely use color in tion prompted her not only to enter
gouache on traditional ways.” This is not to say, however, that she applies the collage into the Pastel 100
multimedia paper
color haphazardly. “An important part of getting my collages competition, but also to create addi-
with Art Spectrum
coating, 19x15) by to work is making sure the color is harmonious throughout,” tional recycled-art collages.
Nancy Ness says Ness.
FO U RT H P L AC E
STEPHANIE BROWN
Until two years ago, Philadelphia,
Penn., artist Stephanie Brown
(stephaniejeanbrown.com) was
a watercolorist. Pastel is now her
preferred medium, but she continues
to look for ways to incorporate the
spontaneity of watercolor into her
pastel paintings. In the case of Yellow
Radiance, creating an underpaint-
ing by applying acrylic ink on a wet
surface was key to establishing a
soft-edged base. “Because painting
on wet paper can be unpredictable,
I’m never sure exactly what I’ll end
up with when I use this technique,”
says Brown.
She was especially pleased to
see the yellow ink form abstract
shapes that she felt could read as two
smaller roses with the addition of
just a few pastel marks. After study-
ing the underpainting and deciding
how to proceed, she sketched in a
compositional drawing with pastel
pencil and then slowly developed
the painting. “Sometimes I’ll paint
an area and then brush it out, which
leaves a ghost image,” says Brown.
“I can then layer on more pastel with-
out covering that ‘ghost’ entirely.”
She keeps the edges soft as long as
possible, often waiting until the final
layers to add hard edges.
Speaking of her work in general,
Brown says, “My intention is always
to achieve a sense of ethereality,
as though the subject were seen in
a dream.” Freeman had no trouble
picking up on this effect. “Yellow
Radiance lives up to its title and then
some,” he says. “The work is all about
the light that emanates from the
flowers, background and glass vase
as they glow and radiate. There’s an Yellow Radiance (pastel
almost ethereal quality.” on gray Pastelmat, 12x9)
by Stephanie Brown
CATEGORY WINNERS STILL LIFE & FLORAL
Robin’s Egg (pastel on F I F T H P L AC E

fine-grit pastel paper,
16x20) by Claudia CLAUDIA SEYMOUR
Seymour
“Robin’s Egg is all about the details,” says Freeman. “The says. Arranging such a complex
painting is the sum of its many individual parts, which setup takes time and thought, and
are sensitively and expertly handled in this complex Seymour admits to wrestling with
arrangement. Each viewing presents new aspects the numerous objects to achieve
to discover.” a good design. She points out the
One of the most intriguing details is the title and the strategic positioning of the lemon
challenge it presents: Where’s the robin’s egg? Then, accents, which offer a complement
when the viewer locates that tiny, sole aqua item in this to the blues, as well as textures that
array of blue objects, another question arises: Which differ from those of the hard, shiny
came first, the basic set-up or the egg? “I’d found a ceramic objects. Then, of course, she
nearly complete robin’s egg on a walk and couldn’t wait reserved a special place for the tiny,
to paint it,” says Claudia Seymour (claudiaseymour.com) but all-important, robin’s egg. “This
of Wilton, Conn. She thought it could be an effective little focal point, hinted at by the
detail in a large still life within her “Blue-and-White” title, urges viewers to gaze all around
series. and throughout the piece,” says
Robin’s Egg is one of what Seymour calls her “crowd Seymour. PJ
scenes.” “Instead of following the classical still life tradi-
tion of focusing on a few objects, these works include Holly Davis recently retired after many
many objects related by color or theme or subject,” she years as a senior editor for Pastel Journal,
Watercolor Artist and Artists Magazine.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
STILL LIFE & FLORAL
113 Currants (pastel on paper, 53⅓x35½) by Thea Herzig | Leissigen, Switzerland
First Sign of Spring (pastel on Pastelmat, 8x8) by Mary Ann Pals

Chesterton, Indiana
HONORABLE MENTIONS STILL LIFE & FLORAL
Morning Lit Shadow Play (pastel on sanded paper, 14x21½) by Tai Meng Lim Tropical Still Life (pastel on sanded pastel paper,
Beranang, Malaysia 31x23) by François Malnati | Sélestat, France
My Kitchen Window Sill (pastel on pastel paper, 15x30) by Francis Huffman

Cincinnati, Ohio

No Word (pastel on paper, 21⅓x31) by Zhou Bo | Tianjin, China
Quiet Nights (pastel on sanded paper, 14x11) by Stephie Clark

Armidale, Australia
Seduction (pastel on UART 400 dark, 12x16) by Renee Marz Mullis

Las Cruces, New Mexico
Sunflowers and Ranunculus (pastel on UART 400 dark, 20x24)

by Sarah Blumenschein | Albuquerque, New Mexico
Cantabile (pastel on sanded paper, 12x18) by Iris Babao-Uy

San Juan, Philippines
CATEGORY WINNERS
JUROR: Lisa Gleim
ANIMAL
& WILDLIFE
BY J O H N EI S C H EI D
F I R S T P L AC E
ANNIK JANSSENS
Beneath the highly detailed surface of
Belgian artist Annik Janssens’ pastel,
The Sprinter, lies her philosophy, as well
as a glimpse into her inspiration. The
hyper-realistic portrait of a cheetah
clearly achieves the artist’s goal. “I want
people to see animals as individuals, each
with their own character and rights,”
Janssens says.
Accordingly, her rendering has much
in common with cheetahs’ very distant
mammalian cousins—the subject is cen-
tered in the frame and its soulful gaze is
focused directly at the viewer. “Through
photorealistic pastel portraits, I try to
represent the animal’s character as much
as possible. After all, images say so much
more than words,” says Janssens, who
also works full time as a veterinary repre-
sentative and is surrounded by dogs, cats
and horses at home.
The artist’s advice for achieving such
photorealistic portraits in pastel is to
use Pastelmat paper by Clairefontaine
as a substrate, along with basic colors
of PanPastel. As for pencil brands, she
recommends Stabilo CarbOthello, Faber-
Castell Pitt Pastel and Derwent.
Janssens always starts her portraits
by drawing the animal’s eyes. “The eyes
are so immensely important in getting
to know the individual behind them,”
she says. For The Sprinter, she started the
The Sprinter (pastel pencil and PanPastel on Pastelmat, 19¾x15¾) by Annik Janssens

lines with pencil and then filled in
the colors with pastels.
The result is an addictive trance,
which caught Animal & Wildlife juror
Lisa Gleim. “I couldn’t stop looking at
this piece,” she says. “The attention
to detail, the anatomically correct
draftsmanship and the piercing stare
of the subject made it easy for me to
award it First Place. The artist’s dedi-
cation to showing the fine details of
the fur and the glossy smoothness of
the eyes and nose shows not only a
love for the material, but also for the
subject matter. This piece makes me
feel like I’m in the bush, observing
this cheetah in action.”
Such an immortalization of the
animal and its seductive gaze are
warranted, as its numbers are dwin-
dling. “Although the cheetah is the
fastest land animal on earth, it’s also
the most endangered cat in Africa,
with only 7,500 left in the wild,” says
Janssens. “With my work, I want to
make people aware of the beauty of
all the living creatures we share our
planet with. Animal welfare has been
very close to my heart all my life.
Everyone knows the cheetah, but few
know how endangered this magnifi-
cent animal is.”
Something in the Air (pastel on UART 400 paper, 19½x13) by Yael Maimon
S ECO N D P L AC E
YAEL MAIMON
The allure of the city catches everyone from time to time, and, in Yael Maimon’s appearance of the cat, but the essence
painting, Something in the Air, we’re able to appreciate its attractions through of the animal. I want to render the
the eyes of a cat. With its back to the viewer, the subject seems a little more magic of a specific cat or moment
than distracted, as it whiffs a scent in the morning air amidst a colorful, almost from a cat’s life.”
surreal landscape. The Israeli artist works with a
“This painting was based on a couple of photos I took one morning with my Light & Shade set of Unison pastels,
mobile phone in front of my home,” says Maimon. “I went a little wild with the three large sets of Richeson hand-
color of the sky and had all the colors of the scene reflected on the cat’s fur.” rolled pastels (titled Color Wheel,
Gleim was struck by the bold colors and brushstrokes in the work. “I love the Fur & Feather and Portrait) and
loose strokes of pastel in this piece,” she says. “The use of color to create larger two small sets of Richeson hand-
shapes without fine detail shows the artist’s understanding of this animal’s rolled grays and reds. Other pastel
anatomy in its simplest form. This painting captures the curious nature and brands that Maimon uses include
desire to explore that all cats possess.” Terry Ludwig, Sennelier and Great
“Everything about cats inspires me—the wonderful patterns and colors of American. Something in the Air was
their fur, their body language, the way they communicate, their spirit and their done on two sheets of UART 400
intelligence,” says Maimon. “In my work, I try to capture not only the physical dark papers attached together.
CATEGORY WINNERS ANIMAL & WILDLIFE
T H I R D P L AC E
IHOR ISAKOV
There’s a certain air of royalty that
some animals possess in their native
habitat, and in his pastel, The Deer,
Austin, Texas-based artist Ihor
Isakov manifests it literally, as he
balances this fantastical whimsy
with a practiced, measured sense
of detail.
“The variations in the colors of the
deer’s coat give it a strong sense of
form, even without drastic differenti-
ation in the light and shadow,” Gleim
says of the painting. “The fine detail
and the understanding of anatomy
is strong in this piece. The metal leaf
is a unique addition that gives the
appearance of the buck wearing of
a golden crown of leaves.”
While that addition does stand
out, Isakov notes that it’s also part of
the overall composition of the piece.
“I searched for a long time for a suit-
able composition to convey all the
nobility of a deer,” he says. “That’s
why I chose this tilt of the head and
the calm intelligent look. The golden
crown of leaves on the head empha-
sized my idea even more.”
Once he settled on this approach,
he was faced with yet another chal-
lenge: how to execute a piece with The Deer (pastel,
such a combination of materials. After overcoming these two hurdles, photographing the pastel pencils
and gilding on
“I’m not sure if this is truly unique, piece presented yet another obstacle. “As it turns out, it’s Pastelbord, 36x24)
but still, the combination of pas- very difficult to take a photo of this artwork because the by Ihor Isakov
tel and gilding is not an ordinary gold leaf is so reflective,” says the artist. “The photo just
solution,” says Isakov. “Accordingly, doesn’t express all the beauty and detail of the artwork.”
depending on your angle, the image While the photo here may not capture everything, it cer-
will look different. A crown of leaves tainly captures enough.
can burn like the sun or turn into For his paintings, Isakov uses Ampersand Pastelbord
deep shadow tones. Even then, doing and Sennelier and Rembrandt pastels. When he wants to
the gilding without damaging the add more detail, he uses various brands of pastel pencils
pastel proved to be difficult.” such as Faber-Castell, Koh-i-Noor and Derwent.

FO U RT H P L AC E
MARLA BAGGETTA
The grass is aflame in bright pink, burning up the frame piece, it comes from nearly a life-
in active strokes. Peering through the surreal stems are time of diligent work. “I used pastel
two buffalo, rendered loosely in blue and black pastel— pencils to draw animals when I was
with one beast dissolving in the fluorescent flame. a child and really never put them
“Zambia in Purple was all about the energy and intensity of down,” she says. “I just got more
the buffalo,” says the artist Marla Baggetta. She captures sophisticated about them as time
that vitality with an intense contrast of color. went on.”
“This painting has so much energy and movement— Baggetta recommends starting out
I can’t help but smile when I look at this buffalo,” says with good pastel paper, like Fabriano,
Gleim. “The abstract quality is very nicely done while as well as a palette of pastels that
retaining a solid foundation of drawing. The choice of includes a variety of hardness with
bright and vivid colors adds to its charm.” a range of hues, values and color
Those colors came from stepping away from her usual saturations.
process to explore a new tool. Baggetta started with a ref- “I can honestly say that I love
erence photo that she imported into Procreate. She began every single aspect of creating art,”
to tinker with the color, and the work took on a mind of its she says. “From collecting ideas and
own from there. “It really was a piece that just appeared,” letting them percolate to the final
says Baggetta. “Sometimes you get lucky.” moments of putting the finishing
While luck might have smiled upon the artist with this marks on a piece.” Zambia in Purple
(pastel on Fabriano
paper, 18x26) by
Marla Baggetta
CATEGORY WINNERS ANIMAL & WILDLIFE
For the Love of Bees (pastel on UART 400, 8x13) by Maryann Mullett
F I F T H P L AC E
MARYANN MULLETT
Very rarely does one get a chance to peer into the secret lives of bees, but artist
Maryann Mullett did exactly that with her painting, For the Love of Bees. “I’m
a New Hampshire native and I winter in Delray Beach, Florida, where I’m fortu-
nate to have a wetland reserve near my home,” Mullett says. ”I visit the reserve
daily to get inspiration for many of my paintings.”
After spotting this hive in a palm tree, the artist was able to get a view inside
by zooming in with her Nikon P900 camera. She then painted from a photo.
“I prefer to paint close-up studies of a subject engaging the viewer in an inti-
mate experience,” says Mullett. She successfully brings it to the forefront with
other aspects of the painting—notably color and detail.
“The light in this piece really grabbed my attention,” says Gleim. “It feels
like you’re peeking into the hive through a narrow opening and observing the
worker bees at their best. I really love how the artist focused more detail on a
few of the bees and loosely suggested the others. It draws my eye around the
composition nicely and makes me examine all the beautiful colors that went
into this piece.”
To paint For the Love of Bees, Mullett used UART 400 paper, NuPastels,
Sennelier half-sticks, Diane Townsend Terrages and Unison pencils, as well
as soft pastel pencils for softening the edges and blending. “No other medium
provides me with the same gratification as pastels do,” says Mullett. PJ
John Eischeid is a digital editor at ArtistsNetwork.com.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
ANIMAL & WILDLIFE
New Year’s Nap (pastel on UART paper, 11x14) by Barbara Berry | Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Balancing Act (pastel on paper, 20x10)

by Anne McGrory | Nashua, New Hampshire
Clouded Leopard (pastel on Pastelmat, 12x16) by Linda Hansen | Blaker, Norway
HONORABLE MENTIONS ANIMAL & WILDLIFE
Contralto (pastel on Gator Board with

fine pumice gel, 12x12) by Tracey Maras
Dawson, Illinois
Hope the Rescue Horse (pastel on Art Spectrum

Colourfix panel, 14x11) by Christine Obers
Mariposa, California
Go Ask Alice
(pastel on board
with pastel ground,
12x12) by Nancy
Whitin | Westport,
Massachusetts

Opia (pastel on Pastelmat, 15x18) by Sarah Rose
Bayfield, Colorado
Portrait of an Orangutan (pastel on Pastelmat, 20x14)

by Stephanie Exner | Tapfheim, Germany
Horizon (pastel on Pastelmat, 20x16) by John Plishka Tiger (pastel on Pastelmat, 15x11) by Anja Poker | Haren, Germany
Lindenhurst, Illinois
CATEGORY WINNERS
JUROR: Cory Goulet
ABSTRACT &
NON-OBJECTIVE
BY C H R I S T I N A R I C H A R DS
F I R S T P L AC E
TATIJANA JACENKIW
Chicago artist Tatijana Jacenkiw
(tatijana-jacenkiw.com) says her
painting, Vivace, was inspired by
the reflections of buildings in the
Chicago River. “Walking around
downtown Chicago, one can’t escape
reflections,” she says. “Depending
on the distance and time of day, it’s
often difficult to distinguish where
reality ends and reflections and
refractions begin.”
Jacenkiw didn’t want to simply
paint the reflections as they were,
however. “It was the patterns that
intrigued me, so I played with values
and looked for ways to really push
the color,” she says. “After laying out
the composition, I chose my colors—
or rather my colors found their way
into the painting. This seems to be
my typical modus operandi: compose,
instinctively choose colors, then get
lost in the layers and mark-making.
I was lucky with Vivace—once I
started laying down color, I was
working in the zone.”
Abstract & Non-Objective juror
Cory Goulet says the painting
“checked all the boxes” for her.
“Exciting, varied use of warm and
cool colors—check. Confident and
interesting mark-making—check.
Great eye-flow throughout the
composition—check. The masterful
artistic skill, along with the energy
and movement in this piece made it
truly exciting to explore,” she says. Vivace (pastel on
Exploration is a key element in sanded paper, 27x21)
all of Jacenkiw’s work. “I love try- by Tatijana Jacenkiw
ing all sorts of papers, pastels and

techniques,” she says. “I enjoy working on different surfaces, “Each time I look at this piece, I grow
whether bought, prepared, or washed off to be reused. Every more fascinated by it,” she says. “The
type of surface and underpainting, and each brand of pastel, almost hidden images and reflections
impacts mark-making, color choices and, ultimately, the final in the large windowpane are very
result of the painting.” alluring and suggest the feeling of
The artist also appreciates variety in terms of her subject traveling back in time. What an origi-
matter. “I’ve painted people, still life, landscapes, cityscapes nal and creative painting.”
and pets,” she says. “I’ve dabbled in abstract paintings over the Texture undeniably plays an impor-
years—some successful; others not so much. I don’t think I’ve tant role in the work. The grainy rust,
even done enough abstracts to fill an album to share online, matte surface of the peeling paint,
but they hang on my walls as a reminder of a challenge that has shiny chrome and glassy reflections
yet to be fully undertaken.” provided Mortenson with her initial
spark of inspiration. “The details
and shapes of classic cars are time-
S ECO N D P L AC E less. They’re still beautiful even if
ASHLEY MORTENSON they’re no longer ‘in style,’ ” she says.
“There’s incredible beauty in forgotten
A Passage of Time by Ashley Mortenson (ashleymortenson.com) things—if you look closely enough—
A Passage of is about old and new things, and the way time changes people and it’s interesting to see how time
Time (pastel on
UART 400 paper, and objects. “I wanted to remind the viewer that nothing is leaves its mark. I really love the way
24x18) by Ashley permanent,” Mortenson says of the painting, “and that the the technology of the modern world
Mortenson present is a fleeting moment superimposed upon the frame- is reflected in the car window, even as
work of the past.” you’re peering into the old interior.”
The fleeting yet timeless mood of the work struck Goulet. Mortenson’s process for the piece
involved creating a local color under-
painting on a sheet of UART 400
paper, which she then washed with
rubbing alcohol, focusing on the big,
dark shapes. An array of pastels,
including Terry Ludwigs, Mungyos
and Rembrandts—were chopped up
some into little pieces in order to
achieve fine details. “The glass and
razor-sharp straight lines just about
drove me crazy,” says the artist, “and
figuring out how to get the reflection
of the sky right, while still being able
to see through the glass into the car’s
interior, was a real challenge. I didn’t
notice the accidental self-portrait
until later, and I almost didn’t put that
in but changed my mind because it was
so ghostly and ephemeral.”
A full-time urgent care physician,
based in Greensboro, N.C., Mortenson
rediscovered painting as a release from
the stress of practicing medicine. “I
have an MFA from Pratt, but felt my
true calling was in health care,” she
says. “Then in 2016, my husband and
I started drawing chalk murals on our
backyard fence for fun. There weren’t
enough colors to satisfy me, so I broke
out my old box of pastels.” After that
the artist began creating paintings
of animals on reclaimed fence wood
and selling the works at art fairs,
but became more serious about her
creative career in 2017, when she cut
back on her physician hours in order to
devote more time to painting.
Jewels in the T H I R D P L AC E
BERNADETTE DECESARE
Garden (pastel on
Fisher paper, 16x20)
by Bernadette
deCesare Painting flowers keeps Maine artist Bernadette deCesare with and explored new ways of using
(bdecesare.com) grounded and happy. The inspiration the medium. Pastel not only allows
for her pastel, Jewels in the Garden came from her own me to express the essence of light, it
backyard. “The garden was created more than 20 years offers me the purity of color I’m after.
ago by someone with magical earthly instincts,” she says. The immediate satisfaction I feel at
“My style of painting imitates those same instincts: pat- seeing it ‘come alive’ is wonderful.”
terns, layers of shapes and bursting color. The abstraction In her jurying, Goulet was drawn
I explore often attaches to flora, the animal kingdom and to the artist’s “sensational use of bold
even my cluttered subconscious. There’s order in the natu- color throughout the painting.” She
ral world, and I look to express our spiritual connection to went on to say, “The shapes are orga-
nature through abstract imagery.” nized into an interesting design, and
The artist’s pastel supplies are as varied as they are per- I enjoyed getting lost in all the layers
sonal. She makes many of her own painting surfaces with and detail work. It’s a well-organized,
Gator Board, covering the ground with acrylic gesso and pleasing composition with an overall
pumice to obtain an assortment of textures as a founda- great flow.”
tion. She then uses acrylic washes to block in the shapes DeCesare’s artistic style has
and create the format. “I like the wet touch,” deCesare evolved over the years. Just as the
says. “It helps me create direction with my mark-making world has changed, so too, has her
in addition to adding drama and strength to the piece.” artwork. “Where creating beauty
Although she comes from a design background and was once my main purpose, I now
composition is very important to her, deCesare notes that feel a need to pass on my memories,”
she prefers irregular and unexpected forms. “I believe says the artist. “More and more, I’m
mark-making defines an artist’s personal style,” she says. compelled to use my art as a voice
“I use all types of pastels and have always experimented for recording our daily challenges,

keeping aware of and accountable to says. “I also remember thinking it would be wonderful
our choices and telling our stories. to paint more abstracts and spread joy to others in this
All of the images in my paintings way—wishful thinking!”
have stories to tell—and I have so Margulis, who typically paints representational land-
much more to explore.” scapes, is fairly new to the world of abstraction. “There
had been a voice in my head nagging me to try abstracts,”
says the artist. “Last year I finally listened and began
FO U RT H P L AC E exploring abstract painting. I drew inspiration from my
KAREN MARGULIS usual motif of floral landscapes and decided to see how far
into abstraction I could push my typical representational
The title for Wishful Thinking came interpretation of the subject. I used the colors and flower
to Atlanta artist Karen Margulis shapes to jump-start my imagination and, from there, the
(karenmargulis.com) as she was painting took on a life of its own.”
working on the painting. “I remem- Using a limited color palette, Margulis was careful to Wishful Thinking
ber thinking that I’d love to get lost ensure there was variety in every mark she made, chang- (pastel on paper,
in a garden of beautiful colors and ing value or intensity as she went along and adding layers 12x12) by Karen
interesting things to explore,” she to bring complexity to the work. “The main challenge was Margulis
CATEGORY WINNERS ABSTRACT & NON-OBJECTIVE
keeping my marks fresh,” she says. While the arrangement of the work is complicated, the
“I wanted to balance the layers with overall tone is quite elegant. Although the plaster is white,
fresh marks.” it’s not a black-and-white painting but rather a picture of
Goulet was impressed by the the relationship between black, white and gray. “I tried to
visual pathways in the work. “What a create an elegant tone—a balanced and delicate beauty,”
wonderful composition,” she says. “I says the artist.
was particularly drawn to the sense Mirror space is a theme that has always interested Wei.
of depth created by the pushing and (See his Second Place award-winning self-portrait on page
pulling of the shapes. The artist’s 55.) “In this scene, Venus and the five sensory organs of
confident mark-making highlights David, as well as the geometric plaster body, are combined
her mastery of the medium.” with mirrors of different sizes to form a complex rela-
tionship of mutual reflection and balance,” he says. “The
intervention of mirror image makes the physical world
F I F T H P L AC E become blurred, forming a new visual experience. In each
JIA WEI mirror, there’s a complete world. The reality and the mir-
ror image form a parallel world, which is fixed as eternal
Jia Wei, of China, (instagram.com/ in this moment.”
vivycicybeijing) spent a long time on “I was intrigued by the way the artist arranged the
the set up for his abstracted still life, shapes and the reflected images within those shapes,” says
Eternal Realm. “I had to use various Goulet of the piece. “Wei’s drawing skills and ability to
supports for the mirrors and adjust create subtle changes in value with a limited color palette
the angles, in addition to consider- are on full display here. It’s an outstanding painting.” PJ
ing the relationship between plaster
Eternal Realm
(pastel on paper, models,” he says. Christina Richards is managing editor of Pastel Journal, Artists
27x39) by Jia Wei Magazine and Watercolor Artist.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
ABSTRACT & NON-OBJECTIVE
Devil’s Head (pastel on illustration board, 21x16)

Southwestern Grit (pastel on UART 400 Forgotten Language (pastel on UART 400
paper, 30x19) by Betty Efferson | Baton Rouge, paper, 30x19) by Christine Labich | Amherst,
Louisiana Massachusetts
Fire and Ice (pastel on

UART 400 paper, 12x12)
by Karen Margulis
Atlanta, Georgia
Wood to Rock III (pastel on pastel board,

19x14) by Patti Arbino | Northridge, California
Artists Marketplace
Lorenzo Chavez, PSA
Workshops Workshops 2023 – Fundamentals of Landscape
Pastel Journal accepts advertisements for workshops, but does Painting. The how and why of creating landscape
not endorse or recommend any workshops listed. Artists paintings from life and in the studio. Join
considering participating in any workshop are encouraged to
conduct their own investigations. internationally known, award winning artist and
member of the Plein Air Painters of America for an
Albert Handell, PSA-MP and inspiring and insightful painting workshop. Focusing
Hall of Fame Honoree, AIS, on new concepts for Plein air and studio painting.
OPA-Master Artist Learn to visualize the landscape in unique and
exciting new ways while honoring traditions of the
March 14-17, 2023, Houston, Texas (area)
past. Lorenzo is well known for his patience and
April 26-29, 2023, Raleigh, North Carolina articulate lessons that will awaken your artistic vision.
May 3–6, 2023, Palos Verde, California His workshops utilize the visual approaches of shape,
Visit Albert’s website for further details and value, edges, line and color. The workshop will offer
information. To register for any program, contact plenty of individual attention, daily demos and group
the Handell Studio via phone or email. discussions in relaxed and inspiring settings.
Studio Visits Welcomed. Art instructor Lorenzo Chavez has taught with the Arts
www.alberthandellstudio.com Students League of Denver, the Loveland Academy
505-603-1524 cell • alberthandell@msn.com in Colorado, the Fechin institute in New Mexico,
the Scottsdale Artist School in Arizona, Tucson Art
Dakota Art Pastels Academy in Arizona, The Coppini Institute in Texas,
2023 Pastel Workshops at Dakota Pastels ‘your International Association of Pastels Societies and the
pastel specialist.’ Spacious working facilities in a Fredericksburg Artist School in Texas.
beautiful landscape! He has further shared his knowledge through the
March 14–17, 2023, Diana Sanford: JAM Session! presentation of workshops across the country and
March 29–31, 2023, Steve Hill: Intro to Pastels
SALLY April 5–7, 2023, Tony Allain: Chasing the Light
April 10–12, 2023, Tony Allain: Chasing the Light
painting demonstrations and private art mentoring
since 1992.
Pastels and oils are encouraged.
STRAND May 17–19, 2023, Teresa Saia: Dynamic Expression
June 5–9, 2023, Dawn Emerson: The Full Monty!
July 25–28, 2023, Loriann Signori: Finding the
For additional information or questions:
720-202-0757, chavezcolor@msn.com, or
www.lorenzochavez.com
PSA Master Pastelist &
Marvelous in the Mundane March 28–31, 2023, Tubac, Arizona
Hall of Fame Honoree, IAPS-EP
September 6–8, 2023, Barbara Jaenicke: Tubac School of Fine Art, 520-398-2589
www.tubacschooloffineart.org
Workshops Landscape and Light
October 4–6, 2023, Amanda Houston: Diving Deep May 22–24, 2023, Medford, Oregon
Live and Online into Process, Design and Your Voice Pastel Artist of Oregon
Contact: 17873 SR 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 www.pastelartistsoforegon.com
www.sallystrand.com 888-345-0067 ext 5, info@dakotapastels.com or FULL - WAITLIST ONLY
August 24–September 1, 2023,
www.dakotapastels.com
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Bluebird Studio Santa Fe, 720-933-4022
www.bluebirdstudiosantafe.com
October 6– 8, 2023, Palo Duro Canyon, Texas
Amarillo Art Institute, 806-345-8802
www.amarilloartinstitute.org
October 28–November 1, 2023,
San Luis Obispo, California
California Central Coast Pastel Society (3CPS)
805-440-4579, www.3cps.org
Pastel Society of America
PSA ACADEMY COURSES
$700 Members; $775 Non-Members
Bi-Weekly Saturdays: Feb. 25, Mar. 11, Mar. 25,
Apr. 8, Apr. 22, & May 6, 2023,
LORENZO CHAVEZ Zoom, 1pm–4:30pm (ET)
WORKSHOPS 2023 Balancing Technical Skill and Poetic Sensibility
with Risk-Taking, Loriann Signori PSA, Max 12
WWW.LORENZOCHAVEZ.COM Tuesdays, Sept. 26–Oct. 31, 2023
Zoom, 1pm–5pm (ET)
Light: Luminous and Elusive,
Sally Strand PSA-MP, HFH, Max 14
Thursdays, Oct. 5–Nov. 9, 2023
Zoom, 1pm–5pm (ET)
Start to Finish: How to Paint Successful Landscapes
in Pastel, Jacob Aguiar PSA, Max 15
PSA WORKSHOPS
March 18–19, 2023, Zoom, 1pm–5pm (ET)
The Inspired Landscape: New Ideas, Tools, and
Methods to Renew Excitement in Your Painting
Mark Ivan Cole PSA, $230 Members;
$275 Non-Members, Max 10
March 26–28, 2023, In-Person, National Arts Club
For the Artist, Maker & (Forever) Inspired (Manhattan), 10am–4pm (ET)
Painting the High Key Portrait, Ellen Eagle PSA-MP
Artists Network is with you every step of your art journey. Model Fee $50 or less, $430 Members;
$475 Non-Members, Max 10
Come have fun with us! Come make art with us! May 19–21, 2023, In-Person en Plein Air (studio in
ArtistsNetwork.com the case of rain), 9am–4pm (ET)
Hudson Valley en Plein Air Pastel Workshop

Artists Marketplace
Marlene Wiedenbaum PSA-MP
$430 Members; $475 Non-Members, Max 10
June 3–4, 2023 and/or July 15–16, 2023,
In-Person en Plein Air, 9am–4pm (ET)
Brooklyn and Manhattan: A Tale of Two Cities
en Plein Air, Wennie Huang PSA
$250 Members; $275 Non-Members, Max 12
September 9–10, 2023, Zoom & In-Person
(National Arts Club, Manhattan); 9am–4pm (ET)
Art sts network
The Figure in an Interior, Corey Pitkin PSA
$250 Members; $275 Non-Members;
Model fee $30-$40, Max 10
PSA ON-GOING CLASSES
Beginning May 1, 2023
Mondays, Zoom, 1:30pm–4:30pm (ET)
Finding Your Freedom Through Observation,
Exploration and Joy, Adrian Giuliani PSA
$40; $160 for 6
Tuesdays, Zoom, 5:30–8:30pm (ET)
Intro to Pastel Still Life, Figure, and Landscape
Janet A Cook PSA-MP, $40; $160 for 6
Wednesdays, Zoom & In-Person, 1:30–4:30pm (ET)
Faces, Flowers, and Places, Wennie Huang PSA
$40; $160 for 6
3 WAYS TO
Thursdays, Zoom & In-Person, 1–4pm (ET)
Color and Composition,
Maceo Mitchell PSA-MP, HFH, $40; $160 for 6 &VMRK=øV
Sally Strand, PSA Hall Of Fame
Honoree and Master Pastelist,
IAPS Eminent Pastelist
Visit workshop websites for class descriptions. For
Landscapes To Life
more detailed information: info@sallystrand.com
or visit www.sallystrand.com
May 7–13, 2023, Greenville, New York
Hudson River Valley Art Workshops WORK ON TOP OF A DRY OIL PAINTING
Compose the Figure with Color and Light When finishing or making corrections to a dry
Contact: Kim, info@artworkshops.com
888-665-0044, www.artworkshops.com oil painting, use Liquin. Apply a thin layer,
September 26–October 31, 2023, Tuesdays, ONLINE then buff off any excess the way you would
Pastel Society of America Academy, New York when waxing a car. The result will be a slippery
Light: Luminous and Elusive
Contact: psaoffice@pastelsocietyofamerica.org
cooperative surface that will work well for
www.pastelsocietyofamerica.org softening edges or blurring forms, such as
water reflections.
Call for Entries
DEADLINE: MAY 8, 2023
MAKE IT SNOW Join Johannes
PASTEL SOCIETY OF THE WEST COAST Oil, gouache and watercolor artists often Vloothius each
37th Annual International Exhibition
Pastels USA - 99 Voices In Pastel, Haggin Museum,
create the illusion of falling snow by flicking month for live
paint from a toothbrush. To add snowflakes
Stockton, CA. August 31, 2023. Entries open March stream Paint
to a pastel painting, place it on a flat surface.
6, 2023. Four prestigious judges selecting paintings
for acceptance and awards. There are three Use a knife to tap the pastel stick to add Alongs!
categories to enter: • Ultra-Modern and Experimental random dots of light gray pastel throughout.
• Contemporary Realism • Contemporary
Register now and
Impressionism (includes Plein Air). Daniel E. Ensure they adhere to the painting by laying a get 15+ hours of top
Greene Memorial Award for Best in Show - $2500. piece of Glassine paper on top of it before online art instruction
Download the prospectus from Showsubmit.com applying heavy pressure in circular motions
or pswc.ws for just $24.99
with the heel of your palm.
Don’t miss your chance to
PAINT BARE WINTER TREES
advertise in Looking at your reference photo, find the point where the tree trunk meets the ground
the next issue of and follow it all the way up until it ends as twig. Imagine that point as the 12 on a clock
face and then paint all the branches on the right side of the tree as though they each
end in twigs pointing to the minute marks between 12 and 4. Follow suit on the left side
with branches that point to the marks between 8 and 12 on the clock face.
Stephanie Rubin
srubin@goldenpeakmedia.com
505-730-9301 Sign up at ARTISTSNETWORK.COM/PAINT-ALONG/
The Spark
Creating Star Power

By Nancie King Mertz
D uring a magical trip to Normandy

to teach last spring, I had a chance
to visit the port city of Rouen. After
passing below its famous clock, I glanced
to the side and saw some intriguing
light patterns on the building. Light and
shadow are like magnets for me, and they
challenge me to explore value range—to
get the subtle nuances right to depict
detail without getting fussy.
The reference photo I snapped on the
scene is a somewhat monochromatic
image. To bring some life to it, I chose
to work on a gessoed Gator Board that
I’d prepared some time ago with a layer
of transparent pumice gesso and pink—
yes, pink—acrylic paint. The brushy
underlying texture and color made for
more interesting mark-making, and also
warmed the tone of the composition. The
dull wall behind the building became sky.
Including the figures helped to convey
the scale, which allowed the building to
become “the star.” PJ
Award-winning artist Nancie King Mertz paints

in both pastel and oil. An Eminent Pastelist with
the International Association of Pastel Societies,
Mertz is also a teacher, offering workshops
across the U.S. and Europe. She recently opened
a learning center in her home in Rockford, Ill.,
where she offers a pastel immersion experience.
When I’m painting from a

reference photo, as I did for
Light on Rouen (pastel on
board, 30x15½), rather than
painting en plein air, I work
from a 4x6 print. I find that
the temptation to zoom in on
the image when viewed on
a phone or iPad is too great,
revealing details that I’d rather
suggest. This photo contained
much more information than
was needed, so I cropped it
with painter’s tape to focus on
the center of interest.

Modern since 1887
ALBERT HANDELL PSA MASTER and HALL OF FAME HONOREE
AMERICAN IMPRESSIONIST SOCIETY and
OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA Master Artist Category
Pastel over Watercolor Pastel and Charcoal
WORKSHOPS 2023 Studio visits welcomed!

Pastel Society of Southeast TX 1109 Don Gaspar Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87505
(Houston Area) - March 14-17 Studio/Workshop/Gallery

Cell 505-603-1524
Raleigh, North Carolina - April 18-23 alberthandell@msn.com
Palos Verde, CA - May 3-6 www.alberthandellstudio.com
Plein Air Convention Denver, CO - May 21-25 Visit Albert’s website for further details and information.
To register for any program, contact the Handell Studio via phone or email.
ALBERT HANDELL
PSA MASTER & HALL OF FAME HONOREE AMERICAN
IMPRESSIONSIST SOCIETY & OIL PAINTERS OF AMERICA
Master Artist Category
O P E N ST U D I O P O L I CY- V I S I TO RS W E LC O M E D
Tex 505-603-1524 or email al b e r t hande l l @ m s n.c o m
FOR EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS INFO w w w. al b e r t hande l l s t u di o.c o m

Pastel Journal - Spring 2023

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pastel Journal - Spring 2023

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pastel Journal - Spring 2023

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SPECIAL ISSUE!

24th ANNUAL PASTEL 100

MAKE COLOR SING!

‘Grapefruit & Peel’ by: CAROLINA DALMAS - www.carolinadalmasart.com

DAKOTA PASTEL COMPETITION

The 24th Annual

Entries Open March 6, 2023

54 PORTRAIT & FIGURE

64 STILL LIFE & FLORAL

72 ANIMAL & WILDLIFE

80 ABSTRACT & NON-OBJECTIVE

LEARN MORE AT ArtistsNetwork.com/Store

2 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

24th year, the annual event invites EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

“What keeps me going CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jeffrey Litvack

It’s the pursuit of excellence.” CHIEF SALES OFFICER Farrell McManus

CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Kate Lee Butler

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT, FINE ART Doreen Manning

When Pastels Went

Young Woman with

4 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

(Italian, 1707–62), as well as some

6 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

“Establishing accurate values early on will

S ome artists’ approach to color

Sparks Lake Rocks

3. Determine the Emphasis of Each Color

4. Unify the Color Palette

5. Focus on Conveying the Effects, Not

Barbara Jaenicke (barbarajaenicke.com) lives and paints in Bend,

8 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

Sparks Lake Rocks (pastel on mounted UART paper, 8x10)

Paint like Natasha

Visit Natasha Isenhour’s website:

10 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

Many creatives have, on occasion, wrestled with the

JURORS FOR THE 24TH ANNUAL PASTEL 100

12 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

ANIMAL & WILDLIFE

“Let your inner

Sleight of Hand (pastel

14 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

Punk (pastel on paper,

PORTRAIT & FIGURE

16 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

DAUD AKHRIEV AND HIS ARTIST WIFE, MELISSA HEFFERLIN,

18 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

20 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

Life of the Port (pastel on paper, 22x30)

22 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

“That’s what I wanted to make

THE LIFELIKE QUALITY OF SHILEI HE’S EXQUISITELY DESIGNED AND

26 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

28 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

of a serendipitous scenic interlude ShiLei He (instagram.com/hslleo1986)

PIRKKO MÄKELÄ-HAAPALINNA’S AWARD-WINNING a sense of richness and depth and an

30 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

32 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023

“In the end, I think my paintings are about

34 Pastel Journal SPRING 2023