An Art Invitational Exhibition and Sale, honoring the late Glenna Hartmann, will be held February 20 and 21 (10 am to 5 pm) at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. This is the premiere of an event to occur bi-annually with proceeds benefitting the science education programs at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and The Nature Conservancy program on Santa Cruz Island—two programs which were dear to the artist, whose heart was devoted not only to painting but to the land and natural world that inspired her.

The exhibition will feature 100 new works created by nearly 60 of California’s foremost landscape artists, including Elizabeth Tolley (see her oil painting, California Spring, above), plein air colorist Camille Przewodek, pastelists Ann Sanders and Clark Mitchell, and many others. See a complete list of participating artists here.

What a beautiful way to honor a beautiful painter and person. If any of you West Coasters make it to the show, comment here to tell us about it!

Artist and blogger Niall O'Neill, of County Cork, Ireland, says that his reason for launching the blog "Artists in Pastel" was twofold: to create "a comprehensive international directory of pastels artists who have a web presence; and to offer a critique of their websites (not, I emphasize, a critique of their artwork)."

Each of O'Neill's 93 and counting blog posts highlights a different pastel artist and shows a sample image that's representative of his or her work. His list of direct links to artist's websites is substantial and growing (and chock-full of friends of the magazine!)—it's a wonderful resource, whether you're looking for a potential pastel teacher or simply a jolt of inspiration.

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Our fall-inspired "Creative Spark" prompt was our most popular to date with 132 entries and extraordinarily stiff competition. Congratulations to Mike Kelly of Warsaw, Indiana, whose pastel, John Hartman’s Place (above, 19x22), was chosen as the editors’ choice. Hartman’s painting appears in the February issue of The Pastel Journal. Pick up your copy to read the story behind the winning painting. You'll find a selection of paintings from our talented runners up below. Congrats are also in order for Bonnie Zahn Griffith with Storm From the West; Susan Grinels with Fall Colors; Joanne Seberry with Yandoit, Autumnal Colors; and Leslie Smith with Fall Marsh. Stay tuned to see who won our "Extraordinary in the Ordinary" challenge and visit our site to find out how to share your work for a chance to win.

If you live in the U.S., you're probably in the midst of a little cold snap at the moment. Brrr! We humbly recommend two courses of action:

1. Snuggle up with the February 2010 issue of The Pastel Journal and let your fingers do the walking through a winter wonderland of pastel delights.

2. Get out there and paint! If you're like featured artist Aaron Schuerr, you won't let a little snow stop you from painting en plein air. Visit our site to read the stories behind some of the craziest painting sessions the artist has experienced in his professional career.

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The holidays are always a fitting time for taking pause to note the accomplishments of the year, but this time we find ourselves taking a slightly longer view: The magazine celebrated it’s 10th anniversary this year, an occasion we’ve celebrated in all six of our issues for 2009. We wanted to take this moment to thank all of you for making the life of the magazine possible and invite you to share the next 10 years of the journey with us. We couldn’t do it without you.

With love and appreciation,

The Staff of The Pastel Journal
Editor, Anne Hevener (center)
Senior Art Director, Cindy Rider (not pictured)
Features Editor, Sarah A. Strickley (right)
Managing Editor, Jessica Canterbury (left)

You may need to supply your own silver bells and blinking lights, but shopping online does make it easy to bring home your holiday treasures without a lot of hassle. The editing elves in the F+W Fine Art Group released all kinds of great new products in 2009, all available in the NorthLightShop. This year, The Pastel Journal elves decided we’d make ourselves pick one 2009 item that we think you won’t want to miss:

ANNE: Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing Light and Shadow
Although there were no all-pastel books released in 2009, North Light Books came out with many titles that artists of every persuasion can appreciate. One such book is Strokes of Genius 2. This is the second volume in a series that celebrates the beauty and diversity of drawing. The collection of 140 drawings—some studio works and others straight off the sketchpad—are done in a variety of media, including pencil, charcoal, ink and yes, pastel. In fact, it is a fabulous black and white pastel by  Donna Levinstone that graces the book’s cover. Because the book is a collection of work from 100+ artists, every page provides a glimpse into a new artistic style and creative vision—a perfect jolt of inspiration! (sale price, $21.77)

SARAH: Eight Greats: The Pastel Journal's 10th Anniversary Artist Interview Series Digital Download
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m hopelessly drawn to Top 10 lists. They help me to assuage the sense that I’m always missing something I should have seen, but didn’t. If you’re similarly drawn to “best of” collections, our Eight Greats download is the perfect PJ treat for you. It’s a chance to talk a walk down memory lane with eight of the amazing artists the magazine had the pleasure of featuring this year—and a chance to savor some simply stunning pastels. Clicking through the pages of insights shared by the artists (three of the eight—Jimmy Wright, Fred Somers and Brennie Brackett—were my interviewees!) is fun and easy. Plus, I get that swell of pride that always happens when I see the good work our team is doing.

JESSICA: The Pastel Journal 10th Anniversary Collection: 10 Top Interviews Digital Download
"I think people are aware, more than ever, of their growing need for harmony with their environment, and I am convinced that landscape artists today who share their sensitive perceptions of the natural world also have the power to speak to the yearnings of others through their work." —Elizabeth Mowry, The Pastel Journal, April 1999. In celebration of The Pastel Journal's 10th Anniversary, we dove into our extensive archives—61 issues, 2,156 pastel paintings and 4,802 pages!—in search of our top 10 interviews. Our first specialty digital download, which debuted in March, includes tips and inspiration from acclaimed pastelists Elizabeth Mowry, Albert Handell, Judith Carducci, Wolf Kahn, Daniel E. Greene, Dino Paravano, Harvey Dinnerstein, Sheldon Berkowitz, Peter Seltzer and Chin-Cheng Hung, making the collection a pastel classic.

CINDY: The Pastel Journal 2008 Archive on CD
These annual CD archives are the perfect solution for saving studio/office space—and a little sanity. My favorite feature is the searchable index, which comes in especially handy when I want to locate a particular article but am unsure when it was published. Don't get rid of your print editions, though; just box or bind them and keep the digital versions right on your desktop for easy access. The 2008 archive is a year’s worth of issues and includes nearly 500 pages of information, instruction and inspiration (on ehanced PDFs). It's a great way to revisit your favorite artist profiles and re-acquaint yourself with painting techniques.

Of course, if you are not currently a subscriber (or have someone on your gift list who could use a subscription), our No. 1 Pick from the NorthLightShop is a subscription to The Pastel Journal—the best way to make sure you get every copy of the world’s ultimate resource for pastel artists. Available on the shop for $32 (with Canadian and international options as well).

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MORE RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS

* Online Seminars for Fine Artists
* Instantly download fine art magazines, books & video workshops
* Sign up for your Artist's Network email newsletter & receive free fine art tips & demos