The Hoosier State has apparently designated June as "Pastel Month." During the month, there will be openings for two new pastels-only exhibitions, one in Richmond and one in South Bend.

"Poetry and Passion: The Art of Pastels" will be showing at the Richmond Art Museum from June 8 through August 3. The show will include pastel paintings by award-winning Indiana and Ohio artists, including Donna Brinkman, David Dale, Mary Ann Davis (see her landscape at left), Thelma Frame, Charlene George, Randall Scott Harden, Pamela C. Newell, Maureen O’Hara Pesta, Donna Shortt, David Slonim, Carol Strock-Wasson, and Ray Hassard, who also wrote the show's catalog essay.

Further north, the South Bend Regional Museum of Art in South Bend, Ind., will host the show, "Pastel, Not Chalk," sponsored by the Northern Indiana Pastel Society (NIPS). The show was juried by pastel artist Richard McDaniel (featured in our August 2007 issue) and consists of pastel work by a variety of artists, including Alan Larkin (featured in the August 2006 issue) and Ron Monsma, the winner of Jack Richeson/Best of Show award in this year's Pastel 100 (featured in our April 2008 issue and online here). The opening reception will be Friday, June 6, from 5:00 to 7:30 pm, and the show will run through September 7. Mary Ann Pals' painting, Delicate Curves, at left, is just one of 35 pastel paintings to go on display.

From my estimation, it's about 200 miles (or four hours) from Richmond to South Bend, or visa versa, with a nice opportunity for a break in Indianapolis, where an exhibition of British works on paper (drawings, prints and watercolors) will be on view through July 13 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Mark your calendars and get there if you can!

We're still two weeks out from Memorial Day and I'm already anticipating the arrival of summer. As my teacher-husband is fond of saying when he's weary of those piles of papers waiting to be graded: "June's comin'!" And likewise, even though I get no summer hiatus from my job, I still look forward to the season for the change in routine and the special activities summer brings—like picnics, vegetable gardens and summer art fairs! Two nearby fairs that I'd like to get to in the coming weeks:

The Broad Ripple Art Fair, sponsored by the Indianapolis Art Center, is a national juried fair and competition that takes place every May. This year's event is set for this weekend, May 17 and May 18. If you go, look for pastel artist, Brian Mathas Burt, a four-time winner in the magazine's Pastel 100 competition and a soon-to-be-featured artist in the October issue.

Summerfair is the official launch of summertime for the Cincinnati area. The national juried fair, which takes place at the historic Coney Island park, brings together artists working in paint media, printmaking, jewely, photography, fiber, ceramics and more. The dates are May 30 through June 1. To get more information, including a complete list of participating artists (and a list of food vendors, because as you know, cruising an art fair can really muster up one's appetite!), visit the website. The winning design in the Summerfair poster competition (shown here) was created by Michael Holder.

If there are art fairs that you love to go to every summer, tell us about them right here on the blog!

The large-scale portraits of pastel artist Chin-Chen Hung (Animosity, shown here, is 36x63) make a huge statement. But it is not the size alone that supplies the power and magic. The artist manages a contemporary expression out of his deft handling of the pastel medium and a bold approach to composition.

Hung is one of the featured artists in our new June issue. In managing editor Sarah Strickley's interview with the artist, she asked what it is that draws him to the human subject: "The human form," Hung ssaid, "has been my main subject since I started painting. To me, the possibilities for creating refreshing and exciting figurative work are endless. I began painting portraits in 1998, right after I finished my first year of graduate study. At that time, I was trying to simplify the content of my figurative work. (From time to time, my figurative work transforms and becomes simpler in content.) Then the idea of challenging myself and creating a series of contemporary portraits was born. When people think of portraiture, they think of traditional portrait sittings. I’d like my portraits to look contemporary and still maintain their classical beauty."

To read more of the interview, see our June issue. To see an extensive slideshow of the artist's work, visit our website.