This year, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) convention in Albuquerque, NM. As a first-timer to both the event and New Mexico, I didn’t know quite what to expect, but I was blown away by the experience. With over 600 artists from around the globe and about 20 instructors, the convention was a vibrant celebration of pastel art.

The IAPS convention is a bi-annual gathering that transforms Albuquerque into a hub of artistic creativity. The sheer scale of the event was impressive, with artists of all skill levels and backgrounds coming together to learn, share, and celebrate their craft.

Every day was packed with activities designed to inspire and educate. The workshops and demos were the heart of the convention, offering hands-on learning experiences and live demonstrations from some of the best in the field. Evenings were equally engaging, with events that allowed for networking and socializing. These gatherings were perfect for meeting fellow artists, sharing experiences, and forging new friendships. Here are my key highlights from the event:

• One day workshop with Barbara Jaenicke: Strengthen your Landscape with Expressive Edges.
• Demo by Liz Haywood-Sullivan: Are you Done? (meaning if you go too far you may overwork your painting or loose the intent).
• Demo by Eve Miller: Emotional Landscapes
• Demo by Tony Allain: Reflections on Water
• The Candy Store: A room filled with vendors selling pastel supplies at good discounts. It was an opportunity to explore new items I’ve not tried, like metallic pastels and watercolors for my rusty vehicles.
• Fiesta Night: An opportunity to talk with other pastel societies. I belong to the Arkansas Pastel Society and The Ozark Pastel Society.
• Honors Banquet: Where those artists who earned points for being accepted to a juried show, receiving an award in the juried show. Those points go toward Master Circle or Eminent members of IAPS.
• I even ran into Julie from Mainstreet Art Center where I studied for years before moving to AR.

Attending the IAPS convention was an unforgettable experience that I highly recommend to any artist, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out. The wealth of knowledge, the vibrant community, and the inspiration found at this event are unparalleled. I’m already looking forward to the next convention and can’t wait to see what new experiences and learning opportunities it will bring. Thank you to everyone who made this event so special—IAPS 2024, here I come!

What a week it has been.

I spent three days with the Arkansas Pastel Society taking a workshop with Tom Christopher. I took his workshop last year and I’ve been applying his techniques for adding texture to my landscape paintings. I decided to take the workshop again as I wanted to focus on; 1) tactics for applying pastel to the texture, 2) what to do if the drips of paint are too heavy or land in the wrong place, and 3) the paper towel dabbing technique. Tom talked about the importance of strong value studies, so I worked on three of them, one I added color to. Something I learned from the first workshop, we are not there to create a finished painting, rather to look at each painting as an opportunity to learn and practice. However, sometimes we do walk away with paintings that we can finish in the studio. I’ll post again if I finish any of these four studies.

Friday evening was the APS National Show Opening Reception at Laman Library, North Little Rock, AR. I was honored to have my painting “Glisten” accepted into the juried show. The show judge was Tom Christopher.

The best moment was accepting the Arkansas Pastel Society Signature Membership. This status is earned by volunteering in the society, good standing membership, and the number of points earned by my paintings being accepted/awarded in juries shows. It is an honor and humbling to be a part of this group of talented and diverse artists.