Juried pastel exhibits tend to run from February to October each year. This year's two final exhibits featuring my landscape pastels will both be held online. The Great Lakes Pastel Society online show will commence on August 27th, and the Pure Color 6th Annual Online show of the Pastel Society of North Carolina goes live on September 1. Below are the paintings I had accepted into these two exhibits.
Inspiration Point, 9x12 pastel, Pastel Society of North Carolina
"Inspiration Point" emerged from an idea while hiking at Sandra Richardson Park near Ann Arbor, MI. The early morning sun's glare bounced across the tall grasses and scattered highlights across the vegetation. The misty blue distance and lingering fog contributed to a dramatic morning vista.
"Rush Hour," Great Lakes Pastel Society
"Rush Hour" was inspired by a photo from a hike at Killarney State Park in Ireland. I had dug through my collection of old (film-based) landscape photos and came across this scene. Not knowing what it represented, Google Images helped to identify the location, visited twenty years ago as my family explored Ireland and visited relatives.
These two exhibits mark the end of another year of pastel exhibits. I'm looking forward to painting again soon, having traveled across the country visiting both east and west coasts (and a lot in between), collecting a plethora of reference materials over the last two months.
Time to break out the pastels!