I received more sad news this week. Michigan artist Jerry Power died on Sept. 27, 2009, at his home. He was 64 years old. Power was an award-winning pastel artist, whom we recently featured in the April issue as the winner of the Art Spirit foundation/Dianne B. Bernhard Silver Medal Award of Excellence in the 10th annual Pastel 100 (read more about that here) for his beautiful pastel Springtime (at left; 13x19).

Jerry was a member of a number of art organizations, among them, the Great Lakes Pastel Society; the International Association of Pastel Societies, of which he was a Master Circle member; the Great Lakes Plain Air Painters Association, in which he held a master painter designation; and The Pastel Society of America, signature member. You can read the entire obituary as published in the Traverse City Record Eagle here.

The Pastel Journal staff would like to extend our sincere sympathy to Jerry's family and friends. I know we will miss him as a presence in the art community. 

While trolling around the web today for art news and ruminations (as I am wont to do), I realized I was due for a visit to Maggie Price's site. After all, she's a TPJ co-founder and a regular contributor to both the blog and the magazine and we just love her. Those of you who are wondering what Maggie has been up to lately can visit her site and find out about her recent painting trip to Spain, or the tricks she sometimes plays on herself to get back into the studio, or the workshops she's teaching. But of interest to me today is her recent work as the editor of Confessions of a Brush Peddler, an autobiography by Jack Richeson. From what we hear, it's a real page turner, and we're anxious to get our copy here at TPJ world headquarters.

Maggie Price is the editor of Confessions of a Brush Peddler, an autobiography by Jack Richeson. From his humble beginnings on the streets of Chicago to positions of power and influence, Jack Richeson chronicles his own growing-up years along with the growth of an industry. It's a history of a way of life that's vanished--of changes that eliminated entire professions, illustrators, graphic artists, layout specialists and typographers. And it's a fascinating account of the gritty streets of Chicago and a tough little Irish kid who fought his way out of the slums and up the corporate ladder. Anyone who was even peripherally involved in commercial, graphic or fine arts in the last fifty years will find this an interesting record; anyone who just likes a good story about the battles and triumphs of life will enjoy it as well.

A sketch of St. Peter's dome, which is believed to be one of Michelangelo's last before his death, was discovered in the basilica's offices, according to The Boston Herald. The sketch, drawn in red chalk, was created in 1563 for stonecutters who were working on the basilica. The artist died in 1564.