It's been our pleasure as Ohioans (and pastel enthusiasts) to draw your attention to International Association of Pastel Societies's (IAPS) Eleventh Juried Exhibition at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. We're currently plotting an escape from the offices (shhhhh) to see this show and others in the area. Maybe we'll see you there? In any case, here are four more of the fabulous winners. Enjoy! (Thanks to Maggie Price for the skinny.)

The edit team and I have just spent some time sifting through recent reader survey results, and one of the survey questions prompted us to restart a conversation we haven't had in awhile (that's us, at left, mid-conversation, from left to right: Sarah, me, our art director Cindy, and Jessica). The discussion is about a little detail called the "tagline."

A "tagline" is that short, descriptive phrase that appears with the logo on the magazine cover (something like an advertising slogan) and there's debate over how important it is to have one; most wonder, for instance, if even devoted subscribers can tell you what a magazine's tagline is. That being said, it is an opportunity to offer potential readers at the newsstands an at-a-glance description of what your magazine is all about.

Right now, our current tagline for The Pastel Journal is "The Magazine for Pastel Artists" and, while this is certainly spot-on, I think it could be improved by telling us more about what the magazine does than who it's for (since the title of the magazine takes care of that).

What we learned in our survey is that 46% of readers think of the magazine as their "guide to becoming a better artist;" 40% view it as their "source for pastel inspiration;" and 13% as a "celebration of the best in pastel." So, with this information in hand, we've been trying to craft some potential taglines, and we'd love to hear your comments right here on the blog, or email us at pjedit@fwpubs.com.

For your consideration:

a. Your Definitive Source for Pastel Instruction and Inspiration
b. An Artist's Guide to the Medium
c. Creative Nourishment for Pastel Artists
d. Improve Your Skills. Inspire Your Art.
e. Cultivate and Celebrate Your Passion for Pastel

Tell us which is your favorite. Or, if you have another idea you want to have us consider, go for it. If we choose it, we'll offer you a new or renewed one-year subscription to the magazine.

And thanks for helping, everyone!