Pastels at the Peninsula School of Art

“Cana Island”, a favorite painting completed on the last day of the pastel workshop. I finally made it to the Peninsula school in Door County, Wisconsin. I attended a pastel workshop with Colette Odya-Smith last week. It lasted four days and I am still absorbing so much of what I learned. I wrote an article…

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IAPS and Upcoming Exhibitions

The international association of pastel societies is a group of people who are interested in learning about pastels.

Tuesday morning I am headed to Albuquerque to attend the International Association of Pastel Societies biennial convention – IAPS There has been so much hype on social media and I can’t imagine what it will be like, I am very curious and excited! I started painting with soft pastels during the pandemic when the world…

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December Shows & Etsy

It is not too often that I open my Etsy shop to feature small works at competitive prices. “A Year of the Full Moon” pictured above is just one of the many pieces currently available. I love the fact that patrons from all over the world have an opportunity to see (and purchase) my paintings…

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Juried Show Acceptances

I am having success in the pastel world, and it feels pretty good! Submitting work to juried shows is always so subjective, a painting that is rejected from one show jury can be accepted by another, such is the case with these two paintings. Having my work accepted into juried shows is one way of…

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Upcoming Solo Show

I have been slowly but surely framing my favorite pastel paintings, preparing for a solo show down the road. The opportunity to exhibit this month was unexpected but I jumped at the opportunity because I am ready! I’ve already decided to include 24 pastel paintings. The pandemic became a perfect opportunity to learn more about…

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Flowers in the Air…

… and Art Festival Season is only a few months away! The light at the end of the COVID tunnel, winter’s end and brighter days have inspired me to paint warmer landscapes. I have spent most of the year better learning soft pastels and it finally feels like my paintings are maturing. I continue to…

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Downtime and the New Year

2019 is coming to an end and I can not believe how quickly the time is passing! I survived my first participation in the One of a Kind Holiday Show and with much success will look forward to returning next December. The attendance was incredible, I loved that the show was four days long, and…

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Reboot & Reload

I can’t believe it’s already been a month since my last summer festival participation. There was little time to recover and shift right into teaching mode! Fall, Winter, and Spring sessions I offer mixed media encaustic classes at the Evanston Art Center and North Shore Art League. My one remaining exhibition scheduled for 2019 is…

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Survival…

Survival of the fittest! It is always a physical and mental challenge when I participate in summer outdoor festivals, from the packing and loading of work to exhibit, the loading of tent and panels required in order to hang and display work, to the unpacking and setup at the actual festival, and then the re-packing…

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Summer’s Arrival

It rained and rained and it was cold, damp, and dreary… and I woke up July 1 and finally summer is here! Despite the horrendous weather of May and June, art festival season is upon us. Two festival exhibitions are behind me now with four more to go. My next exhibition will be filled with…

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