While traveling around the country judging exhibitions, doing demonstrations and giving workshops, artists often discussed with me the possibilities of promoting their pastel work on the web. Artists were sometimes included in excellent regional websites, such as that of the Northwest Pastel Society. They were also included in a potpourri of individual websites, mixed media websites etc. However, there was no national juried website to present the work of excellent pastelists. Pastel artists are fanatic about the medium, and devoted to its possibilities for expression and beauty. The beginning artists on this website, invited and juried, are from Georgia, Washington, Virginia, California, New Jersey, South Carolina, Florida, Utah, and New York.

Because pastel is not mixed with a medium for application, such as that used for oil and watercolor, the pigment is pure and bright. It is highly resistant to fading, if you use excellent brands, pay attention to color fastness labels and frame appropriately. The more expensive pastels have a higher amount of pigment than the cheaper brands which contain more clay and binder. Pastel paintings done over a hundred years ago are still bright and beautiful, and have not undergone the cracking and fading of other mediums.

Pastel is a highly portable medium with an immediacy all its own. With a little planning it can be easily set up and is perfect for any subject matter. As long as you have a sufficient number of pastels, colors are easily attained. Of course pastelists liken their pastels to the crown jewels, and carry as many as they possibly can.

Our pastels are packed in Pastel Porters, marvelous sets that come in wooden boxes, French easels, fishing tackle boxes and even cardboard boxes banded together. The pastel work is done alla prima, on toned and underpainted surfaces, brushed, liquefied with alcohol or water and applied to handmade pumice surfaces, as well as excellent surfaces such as Kitty Wallis sanded paper, Sennelier La Carte, or other commercially prepared boards and papers.

In discussions with the many excellent pastelists, whose work I have covered in books and articles, the same subject repeatedly arose. "Why don't we have a national juried website where we can be in the company of other excellent pastelists?" APOW, using jurying as well as regional and/or national pastel accreditation, is the answer to this query. Further, artists mentioned being able to connect with their other websites that show their work, and suggested that they would enjoy articles on pastel and pastel artists, some current points of view and hints and suggestions for pastelists. Perhaps it would even be possible to present step-by-step work of particular artists showing how the pastel is done; maybe show the work of guest artists. Many have asked us to consider doing critiques.

With this in mind, after establishing and maintaining the website for Knickerbocker Artists USA for two years, I decided to test the waters. In a group discussion with interested and highly talented pastelists, it was decided to limit the size to a small group of invited pastelists with regional and/ or national signature accreditation in a pastel society. Sixteen to twenty would be the starting group, and all would be juried. Each artist, for the sake of unity, would show work in a particular subject, which could be changed in the future. One of this and one of that does not make a good showing either for jurying or for the web. It is possible that the website will be expanded in a few months to jury more artists with the same regional/national pastel society signature status. If so, directions will be posted on the website. Please let us know how we are doing.

Power to the pastelists,
Madlyn-Ann C. Woolwich PSA (Master Pastelist), KA, ISMP, PSWC APOW President