Members of pastel societies can vouch for the advantages to having a community of fellow artists to support your pastel painting and your growth as an artist. The International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), which unites all of the individual pastel societies into one organization, is founded on that principle and the benefits of networking and sharing. If you have yet to become a member of a pastel society in your region of the world, there is no time like the present! The brand-new IAPS website offers a map, which locates all of the existing societies across the U.S. and around the globe. Find out what society is close to you, and if you find there isn't one, maybe you are just the person to get one started; IAPS offers some advice for doing just that in a downloadable PDF file here.

Pictured here: Stitch in Time, a pastel by Dianna Ponting, a member Pastel Artists Canada, one of several Canadian societies that belong to IAPS. We are currently working with Dianna on a feature article for the September/October issue of the magazine.