On the Pastel Pointers blog post, artist Richard McKinley talks about the value of working, at least some degree, in all of the main art subject areas of landscape, still life and art, for there is something to be learned in each. "A wise instructor," writes McKinley, "passed this thought on to me many years ago: To learn value relationships, it’s the still life; to draw, it’s the portrait; and to become sensitive to color, it’s the landscape. Each has something to offer. Practice them often and then paint your passions!” To prove he does his homework, McKinley inluded an image of one of his portrait drawings. Check out the full story, and other pieces of advice and commentary, at http://pastelpointersblog.artistsnetwork.com.

Apparently on the same wavelength, pastelist Maggie Price, best known for her landscapes, recently posted on her Artblog about her latest explorations outside the area of landscape. She writes: "I often mention in my workshops that I believe it's good for artists to push out of their comfort zones. If you always paint in a horizontal format, try a vertical now and then. If you usually paint very large, try something very small. And if you always paint landscapes—well, maybe it's time to change the subject." She recently decided to take her own advice, and has painted a few pastels that introduce figural, animal and still life elements into her work. See, for example, Shadowplay, pictured here. To read her entire post, and see a second example, vist her blog at www.maggiepriceart.com/artblog.

Then, how about challenging yourself to push outside your own comfort zone this week? You may be surprised what you can learn; it might even be something that you can apply directly to the subject area you generally favor.

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The Gregory James Gallery in New Milford, CT, has announced a series of invitational shows that will be devoted to the pastel medium, siting a surge in the medium's popularity in recent years as the motivation for the events. Gallery director Greg Mullen says, "I've been working with pastel artists for many years and I've grown to really appreciate the medium. It offers a vibrancy and luminosity unlike any other medium." Featured artists will include Rainie Crawford, Frank Federico, Julie Hopkins, Dick McEvoy, Alain Picard, Peter Seltzer, Joel Spector and Liz Haywood-Sullivan. Sounds like a phenomenal show!

Ken Gofton, our contributing writer from England, has a suggestion for anyone contemplating a Spring Break vacation: "A springtime trip to England might be just what is needed to lift the spirits," he writes, and goes on to suggest a couple of dates of particular interest to pastelists. First, there's the Pastel Society UK's annual exhibition, which opens in central London, at the Mall Galleries, immediately after Easter, April 7 to April 17. "Among the paintings to look out for, in particular" Ken writes, "will be invited submissions from some prominent artists, including Royal Academicians Tom Phillips and Anthony Eyton [whose work appeared in the June 2009 issue of The Pastel Journal] and artist Andrew Hemingway [whom we featured in the magazine in 1999, and will be revisiting in the upcoming June 2010 issue of the magazine]." See Hemingway's pastel, Tattooed Tulip and Northern Glass (pastel on board, 13x11), pictured here.

According to Ken, a number of exciting events will coincide with exhibition, including demonstrations with Ann Wilkinson [featured in the August 2008 issue] on April 8 and charcoal specialist Roy Wright on April 13, as well as an evening event, on April 15, in which several other leading members of the society UK will be demonstrating their skills. For more details, visit the Society website at www.thepastelsociety.org.uk.

And, if you can't make the trip in April, consider May, when 10 prominent members of the Society will take part in a group exhibition at Galler le Fort in the charming, historic city of Bath. This show runs throughout the month, from May 1 to May 29. "The published list of participating artists," writes Ken, "includes Jeannette Hayes, Felicity House and Moira Huntly [featured in the magazine in December 2007, October 2009  and June 2006 respectively]. Also taking part are Victor Ambrus, Sarah Bee, Michael Norman, Norma Stephenson, John Tookey, Peter Brown and Peter Vincent."

For those of you whose next impulse matches my own, here's some links to Travelocity and Expedia! It's worth a look, right?!

Following up on Jessica's post from last week, we did indeed put on our snow boots and head into downtown Cincinnati last Friday for the opening of a new three-artist, all-pastel show at the Fifth Street Gallery. It's a great show with fantastic work by Brian Mathas Burt, Kay Hurley and Jay Wilford, running now through March 12. See Jessica's photo of me with Brian (on left) and Jay (on right).

I was pleased to be introduced to Jay and his soothing pastel landscapes. The artist has worked primarily in oils (check out his work on his website), but likes to do pastels as well—mostly when he wants to enjoy himself. It was also great to catch up with Brian and Kay who have both been featured in the magazine; Brian in the October 2008 issue and Kay in 2004. We've posted both features on our website here and here for you to read or revisit.


If you're a Kay Hurley fan, you'll be interested to know that she's teaching a 3-day workshop this spring, May 14-16 (you can contact her through her website for more information). And, if you can't make it to Kay, you can watch her demonstrate her pastel techniques on DVD, available on our site. 

Frost and Fog (left; 11x14) by M. Katherine Hurley