Assuming you don't have plans already for the second weekend in March of next year, you may want to consider applying to exhibit your work at the 38th Annual Scottsdale Arts Festival.

The festival, which is consistently ranked in the top 10 arts festivals in the country by American Style Magazine, is taking applications online now through October 17 for a fee of $30. Next year's event is scheduled to take place March 7, 8 and 9, and is expected to attract tens of thousands to the grounds of the Civic Center Mall in Scottsdale.

Approximately 900 applications are received for the show, organizers say, in a range of media including ceramic, furniture, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, textiles and woodworking. This number is whittled down to 200 exhibitors by a juror of art professionals. When I scanned the list of participating artists in 2007, I counted 24 artists in the "painting" or "drawing/pastels" categories, including pastel artist Laurel Astor, of Colorado, and New Mexico artist Jennifer Cavan, who works in oil pastels. 

Into Quiet (oil pastel on board, 30 x 40) by Jennifer Cavan

--Anne