QUARTERLY QUOTE 

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once (they) grow up.
Pablo Picasso

• Despite the new thick blanket of snow making us doubt it, Spring has officially begun. Hopefully our metaphoric budding will involve creativity in pastel painting.
• Hub activities have continued throughout winter.
• Two workshops are being offered this year, one coming soon.
• The Members’ Exhibition is close at hand and the Juried Show will be coming in Autumn.

 Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF 2024 UPCOMING EVENTS:

Apr 17, 2024: Spring Board Meeting via Zoom, 4-6pm

May 3-5, 2024: Aline Ordman workshop in Essex Junction, VT

Jun 6 to Sep, 2024: Members’ Exhibition (ME) at Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT

Sep 28-Nov 11, 2024: Juried Show (JS) at the T. W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE 

VPS: Champlain had the pleasure in January of watching Lisa Regopoulos do a painting with a combination of pan pastels and soft pastels, and then demonstrate how she uses templates in her work. In the following months, the group discussed their hub show in July, and they reviewed plans for the Aline Ordman workshop they are hosting. Their hub begins many of their gatherings with sharing news about each member’s activities, and often ends them with the “Title Game” letting everyone suggest a title for a member’s pastel!

VPS: Central artists organized a Zoom demo by Stephie Clark, who will be coming to VT in the summer and visiting their hub. They challenge themselves with prompts like “interiors” and “things that float.” Finally, they have three hub exhibits lined up over the next two years at local venues.

VPS: MidState convened in January for Judy Albright’s hub workshop on color and luminosity, and challenged each other to paint something with gray as a dominant color for their March meeting.

VPS: SouthEast has been meeting monthly, with active art-making one month and discussion/critques/business the next. In January, those who gathered created a collage underpainting like was demonstrated at the annual meeting, then in February, met to show what they had overpainted. In March, they collaborated in groups of two or three to create an underpainting from a reference photo, and will return in April to exhibit the finished pastel. They used their hub money to purchase gatorboard, matte medium, and clear gesso for making collages in January, and then for making painting surfaces for their collaborative underpaintings in March.

VPS: SouthWest met in March via Zoom for a painting expose and critique, then they gave each other the challenge to paint a wildlife scene or animal for April.

VPS: UpperValley artists met in January and February for painting and critiquing, then for planning their upcoming hub show. One of their topics for discussion was how they each approached beginning a painting. In March, they discussed framing before critiquing their pastels.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

This year’s Members’ Exhibition (ME), hosted by VPS: SouthWest, will be displayed at the Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) in Manchester, VT from Jun 6 to Sep 2024. The title for this year’s ME is

Pastel Panorama: Journeys with a Medium 

2024 Members’ Exhibition of the Vermont Pastel Society

This show title is intended to encourage VPS members to try something new, to move beyond their comfort zones, to “take a journey.” And “Panorama” covers the wide range of styles that will be represented.

Members may consider experimenting with mixed media, different mark-making or underpainting techniques, a change of subject matter, working larger than normal or more abstract. This is our chance to play differently with pastels and not to be restrained by the 80% soft pastel rule of the Juried Show. So, let’s all make something fun!

The Juried Show (JS) will be hosted by VPS: Central at the T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier from Sep 28-Nov 11, 2024.

Keep your email-eyes open for updates about these two opportunities to exhibit your pastels.

VPS WORKSHOPS 

Aline Ordman will be offering a 3-day workshop May 3-5, 2024 in Essex Junction, VT. One spot remains so if you want to attend, sign up today!

Barbara Jaenicke similarly, will be giving a 3-day workshop October 4-6, 2024, in Bennington, VT. The workshop may be full, with a waiting list, so if you want to attend this one, get your name on the waiting list today!

VPS BOARD NEWS

We will be having our Spring Board Meeting remotely, via Zoom, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 4-6pm. All VPS members are welcome to attend. Here is the link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85447528664?pwd=Mkwld6CnhL17WA1bkWKNheVMkP7exs.1

As a VPS member, you are permitted to post two pastels on the website gallery. Remember to check what is up there now and update your images as you make new work. We get over 5000 visitors and 8000 visits a year, and the Gallery of Member Art gets the most traffic, so take advantage of the exposure:

https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/

Also, you can share noteworthy news about your artwork, about prizes you were awarded, about your upcoming shows, about your hub, or about other pastel items of personal interest. Check it out by going to the VPS website and clicking Member News on the drop-down menu or click on this link for submission instructions:

https://vermontpastelsociety.com/vps-member-noteworthy-news/

Don’t forget that you can also rent DVDs for free as a member. The information is on our website.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN OUR VPS! 

With two opportunities to exhibit our works, with two exciting workshop offerings, and with all of our Hubs meeting regularly, there is great value in being a member of the VPS. Please renew your membership, if you haven’t yet done so, because we stay VPS Strong with the continual support for our organization which each of you provides. Thank you all so very much!

Matt Peake, VPS President