QUARTERLY QUOTE 

Artwork is a representation of our devotion to life. Agnes Martin

We’ve entered a new year, but Covid has not left us, so meeting in person will be challenging again. Thankfully, we now have lots of experience with virtual gathering, so let’s keep meeting that way if artists feel it’s safer than in person.

• Regional hubs met regularly during the summer but since the Delta surge, and now with the Omicron variant emerging, hubs will have to resort to zoom forums again to stay connected.
• Our next board meeting via Zoom is in April.

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

Mar 2022: Lyn Asselta virtual workshop

Jun 10-Jul 22, 2022: VPS Members’ Exhibition at Chaffee Art Center, Rutland, VT

Aug 8-12, 2022: Alain Picard workshop in East Montpelier, VT

Autumn 2022: Dawn Emerson workshop in Bennington, VT

Oct 2022: VPS Juried Show at Vermont Artisans Design, Brattleboro, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE 

Summer saw plenty of hub events, but in autumn the number of hub activities dramatically declined.

VPS: MidState met in November to plan how to spend their 2021 hub money, to talk about hosting the upcoming Members’ Exhibition in June, and to look at their assignment: doing a painting from a reference photo displayed upside down.

VPS: Central hosted the Members’ Exhibition at the T.W. Wood Gallery, a major undertaking which eventually all hubs will be doing, if they haven’t done one yet.

VPS: SouthEast was scheduled to meet in person in December, but cancelled because of Covid. It looks like we may need to reload our zoom apps and continue to meet that way for a while, until Omicron peaks and fades away.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

For 2022, there will be one Members’ Exhibition in June/July at the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland, wholly-hosted by VPS: MidState, and a Juried Show in the fall at Vermont Artisans Design in Brattleboro, wholly-hosted by VPS: SouthEast. More details will be forthcoming in the next several months, so keep your eyes out for the “Save the Date” announcements.

VPS WORKSHOPS 

With the new variant of the coronavirus emerging, and perhaps others to follow, we will be holding one virtual workshop early in 2022, and hopefully two in-person workshops in later 2022. As of now, this is the schedule:

Lyn Asselta: This will be a 2-day virtual workshop in March 2022 with a facilitator “on hand” for coordinating all technical aspects so participants can relax and learn what Lyn has to offer. These virtual workshops have improved during the pandemic, as instructors, wanting to teach, have had to pivot in their instructional methods to make workshops both beneficial to participants and safe for all. Stay alert for more forthcoming details from Linda Masten and Mark Grasso!

Alain Picard: “The Painterly Landscape/ The Painterly Figure, August 8-12, 2022, East Montpelier, VT.

Dawn Emerson: Fall of 2022, Bennington, VT.

VPS BOARD NEWS 

We are looking for a VPS artist to join our board as Secretary. It is a two-year term, beginning immediately and ending at the VPS Annual Meeting in the fall of 2023. The responsibilities are essentially taking minutes for three meetings a year, so very manageable, and the board members you will be working with are fantastic, so please consider volunteering for this position by contacting Matt Peake, at this link, or your hub point person.

About 10 years ago, our VPS asked members to fill out a short survey to assess how well the VPS was doing in meeting artists’ needs and what else might our VPS do to “build and strengthen connections with pastel artists” as our mission statement declares. The board decided that we would like to again ask our membership for a similar assessment in 2022. Please be on the lookout for that survey and please, please take the time to fill it out. Hearing from everyone would be grand and would offer us a much-appreciated direction for our VPS going forward. We thank you in advance!

We will be holding our next board meeting virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, April 2, 2022, from 7-9 p.m. We always have a number of interesting subjects to discuss, so please feel free to attend. The link for the meeting will be provided closer to the date, but put it on your calendar now, and please join us.

Remember, as a VPS member, 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 VPS! 

With a Juried Show and Members’ Exhibition coming this year, three workshops planned for spring, summer, and fall, and our Hubs staying active, whether in person or virtually, there is much to be gained by being a member of the VPS. Please renew your membership, if you haven’t already, and stay active in our society. We are who we are because of the support for our organization that each of you provides. Keep it strong, as you keep on painting!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE

Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

Banksy

• Autumn has appeared! Vermont lifted CoViD restrictions this summer, and we were able to meet again in person, but with fall bringing us back inside and the delta variant surging, meeting in person may be challenging again.
  
• Regional hubs met regularly during summer, and Zoom meetings were on hold. We’ll know soon what autumn will bring.
• Our second Members’ Exhibition is up for viewing in Montpelier.
• Our next board meeting via Zoom is 2 weeks away.
• Our next Annual Members’ Meeting via Zoom is 3 weeks away.

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

Sep 1-Oct 31, 2021: VPS Members’ Exhibition at T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, VT

Oct 13, 2021: VPS Board Meeting, 7-9 p.m. remotely via Zoom

Oct 21, 2021: VPS Annual Members’ Meeting, 6:30-8:30 p.m. remotely via Zoom

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

Summer has seen plenty of hub events. VPS: SE met in June to raffle off their hub’s allotment of donated frames; to critique members’ works; and to finalize details for their local hub show which happened in August. VPS: SW met in July and August to discuss an upcoming hub show; to watch a demo by one of their members on painting water scenes; to learn from one member about making pastels; and to view several members’ water paintings. VPS: CHP viewed several paintings of their members; VPS: UV has been getting together monthly for paint-outs and informal critiques; and VPS: CEN put on a fantastic Members’ Exhibition!

VPS EXHIBITIONS

On view now, and until the end of October, is our second Members’ Exhibition of the year, wholly-hosted by VPS: Central. Because of the delta variant spiking in our state, the reception on September 10, 2021, was held outside the T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier. There was a veritable feast laid out for the many attendees. Our hosts innovated an awards ceremony with the help of many hub members, ferrying each award-winning painting from the upstairs wall downstairs to the outside sidewalk so that all could see the pastel which won. The threatening weather held off, making for a delightful evening. The paintings in this show are all exemplary, so please try to see it while it is still hanging.

For 2022, there will be one Members’ Exhibition in June/July at the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland, wholly-hosted by VPS: MidState and a Juried Show in the fall at Vermont Artisans Design in Brattleboro, wholly-hosted by VPS: SouthEast. More details will be forthcoming in the next several months.

VPS WORKSHOPS

With many Vermonters getting the CoViD vaccine, and, with venues opening up in our state, we had hoped that our workshop with Dawn Emerson would take place in Bennington this October. But unluckily, the delta variant upended our plans. As of now, this workshop and two others are planned for 2022.

Lyn Asselta: Spring of 2022, Bennington, VT

Alain Picard: August 8-12, 2022, East Montpelier, VT

Dawn Emerson: Fall of 2022, Bennington, VT

VPS BOARD NEWS

We will be holding our next board meeting virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 from 7-9 p.m. We always have a number of interesting subjects to discuss, so please feel free to attend. The link for the meeting will be https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82527177129?pwd=Z3pIN3UyN1NHdlhjT2xOOGFMRkFWdz09

so put it on your calendar now and please join us.

Also, after last year’s successful Annual Members’ Meeting via Zoom (with more people attending than in the previous year’s in-person event), the board has decided to hold this year’s meeting virtually as well. The link will be coming, but the time and date are Thursday, October 21, 2021 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. As before, we will have a short business meeting in the first hour. Following that, we have something new: a presentation by Dakota Pastels. Linda Masten has already seen this presentation as a member of another pastel society and attests to it being of great interest to all of us. Put that date and time on your calendar too!

Remember, as a VPS member, 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:

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 VPS!

With a Juried Show and Members’ Exhibition coming next year, three workshops planned for next summer and fall, and our Hubs staying active, whether in person or virtually, there is much to be gained by being a member of the VPS. Thank you to those who continue to be active in our society. We are who we are because of the support for our organization that you all provide. Keep it strong, as you keep on making pastel art!

Matt Peake
VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE

An artist discovers their genius the day they dare not to please. (Forgive my gender-neutral substitutions, Andre!)

Andre Malraux

Summer has arrived, Vermont has lifted CoViD restrictions, so we are able to meet again in person!

• Regional hubs continue to meet regularly, and now for several hubs, Zoom meetings can be on hold.
• Holding an in-person workshop looks promising.
• One Members’ Exhibition has successfully concluded and one more is coming in the fall.
• Our next board meeting via Zoom is in October.

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

Sep 1-Oct 31, 2021: VPS Members’ Exhibition at T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, VT

Oct 13, 2021: VPS Board Meeting, 7-9 p.m. remotely via Zoom

Oct 21, 2021: VPS Members Meeting, 6:30-8:30 remotely via Zoom

Oct 23-25, 2021: Dawn Emerson workshop in Bennington, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

Our Hubs Coordinator, Cristine Kossow has been supplying us with Hub Happenings over the last three months, and we have been excitedly reading what all the hubs are doing remotely. Some activities included painting a nocturne, an abstract, a self-portrait, a landscape with figure; doing a tonal piece; exploring green; exploiting textural effects in a pastel; painting in the style of Degas; using pastel pencils; trying a 20-minute pastel; critiquing other’s work; and planning for hub exhibitions.

Remember, all that was accomplished via Zoom! And this is about to change as VPS: SE set up a meeting at a member’s home for June and VPS: SW announced that they are no longer meeting remotely.  Please let Cristine know what your hub is doing, so we all can vicariously experience what you all are actively participating in. We learn from everyone so keep us in the know! And thank you!

VPS EXHIBITIONS

Coming off our first Online Juried Show in January, our VPS did something innovative once again: we organized our first Wholly-Hub-Hosted exhibition. In the past, our Exhibitions Coordinator did all the preliminary work to enlist the venue and to get the show going, and asked the hub hosting the exhibition to help with activities directly related to hanging the show and putting on the reception. As we currently do not have an Exhibitions Coordinator, the board asked the hubs to take on one exhibition or show every three years and to manage all the details, such as coordinating with a venue, communicating with members, finding prizes, selecting a judge, and on and on.

Just to remind those who know, and to inform those who do not, our philosophy as a pastel society has been to have two types of shows. Our Juried Show (JS) showcases our most accomplished pastel painters, as determined by a pair of nationally recognized pastel artist jurors. That was our JS this past winter.

Our Members’ Exhibition (ME), on the other hand, celebrates our diversity, our varied interests, our courage to take risks, our membership’s depth and breadth. Accordingly, we hang one or two pastels of every artist who submits to the ME, and we ask our judge to pick pieces according to categories of subject matter (landscape, still life, abstract, etc.) and compositional element (line, shape, color, texture, etc.). This offers a chance for everyone to be recognized for their work.

VPS: SouthWest did an outstanding job with our inaugural Wholly-Hub-Hosted Members’ Exhibition (ME) at the Southern Vermont Art Center (SVAC) this April and May. And because we could not gather as a group during the months it was hanging, VPS: SW had the innovative idea to do the awards presentation on Zoom, where judge David Francis talked at length about the winning pastels. After the ME came down, our board sent out a survey to members who either submitted or did not submit to the ME to listen and learn whatever we could so as to improve our process for subsequent ME and JS.

Coming up this fall is another opportunity for VPS members to show their work. This will be another ME, this time Wholly-Hosted by VPS: Central. Scheduled to run from September 1 to October 31, 2021, a save-the-date memo has already been sent, so remain alert for more details coming soon.

VPS WORKSHOPS

With many Vermonters getting the CoViD vaccine, and, as venues are opening up in our state, it is likely that our workshop with Dawn Emerson will take place in Bennington from Oct 23-25, 2021 as scheduled.

VPS BOARD NEWS

We will be holding our next board meeting virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 from 7-9p.m. We always have a number of interesting subjects to discuss, so please feel free to attend. The link for the meeting will be provided as we get closer to that day, but put it on your calendar now.

Also, after last year’s successful Members’ Meeting via Zoom (with more people attending than in the previous year’s in-person event), the board has decided to hold this year’s meeting virtually as well. The link will be coming, but the time and date are Thursday, October 21, 2021 from 6:30-8:30p.m. As before, we will have a short business meeting in the first hour. Following that, something new: a presentation by Dakota Pastels in the second half. Linda Masten has already seen this presentation as a member of another pastel society and enthusiastically testifies to it being of interest to all of us. Put that date on your calendar too!

Remember, as a VPS member, 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:

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 VPS!

With another Members’ Exhibitions coming this year, a workshop planned for the fall, and our Hubs meeting in person again, there is much to be gained by being a member of the VPS. Thank you to those who have renewed, and who continue to be active in our society. We are who we are because of the undying support for our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on painting in pastel!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE
Art has a voice—let it speak.
Rochelle Carr

• Spring is here, and a renewed feeling of hopefulness abounds. Let’s celebrate in whatever way we want…including by painting!
  
• Three regional hubs continue to meet regularly, via Zoom, and three others are hoping to meet this way soon.
• Holding an in-person workshop continues to be fraught even as the pandemic winds down, but our VPS artists persevere in planning for 2021.
• Exhibitions for 2021 include two Members’ Exhibitions: one now, and one in the fall.
• Our next board meeting via Zoom is in April.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 3 to June 4, 2021: VPS Members’ Exhibition at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT

April 20, 2021: VPS Board Meeting, 7-9 p.m. remotely via Zoom

Sep-Oct 2021: VPS Members’ Exhibition at T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, VT

Oct 23-25, 2021: Dawn Emerson workshop in Bennington, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

With VPS: SW modeling how to stay connected as a hub during physically distancing times, two other hubs, VPS: SE and MS, are now meeting regularly via Zoom. And VPS: CEN has begun with remote meetings as well. VPS: CHP and UV promise to give things a try soon. The spirit of hubs gathering in-person was inspirational in early 2020, but the pandemic put an abrupt halt to that. With the real possibility that artists can safely start meeting again soon, these remote meetings now offer a transitional bridge to that brighter future ahead. So, thank you, VPS: SW for showing us the way, and thank you to our other hubs for embracing the virtual approach while we dream of the real thing to come.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

Our Board decided, with our VPS Juried Show occurring so late last year, and being displayed on our website from November 2020 through January 31, 2021, that we will not have a Juried Show this year. Added to that, we have been isolated from each other for a year and have been unable to visit galleries and see actual pastel paintings on the wall. So, with venues opening up again, our Board felt it would be better to welcome all our VPS artists to exhibit now, in a Members’ Exhibition, one in the spring, and then later on, in the fall of 2021.

Just to remind those who know, and to inform those who do not, our philosophy as a pastel society has been to have two types of shows. Our Juried Show showcases our most accomplished pastel painters, as judged by a pair of nationally known pastel artists. Our Members’ Exhibition (ME), on the other hand, celebrates our diversity, our varied interests, our courage to take risks, our membership’s depth and breadth. Accordingly, we hang one or two pastels of every artist who submits to the ME, and we ask our judge to pick pieces according to categories of subject matter (landscape, still life, abstract, etc.) and compositional element (line, shape, color, texture, etc.). This offers a chance for everyone to be recognized for their work.

For the April ME, we have 50 paintings to be displayed. They will be judged by Master Pastellist Dave Francis during the opening week. Although there is no opening reception, our pastels will be able to be viewed in person during the show’s two-month run, and there is hope that by the close of our ME, there might be opportunity for larger groups to gather in public.

This ME is notable for another reason. Because we don’t have an Exhibitions Coordinator, we have asked the hosting hub to do all the organizational aspects of putting on a show. VPS: SW has been our first hub to do this, and they’ve done superbly. Please find any opportunity you can to let them know how much you appreciate their efforts. Without them, we would not be having this ME!!

VPS WORKSHOPS

Unfortunately, our Lyn Asselta workshop slotted for April 30 to May 2, 2021 in Bennington, had to be cancelled, but it is being rescheduled for 2022.

With many of Vermonters getting the CoViD vaccine, and, as  venues are slowly opening up in our state, it is likely that our other workshop with Dawn Emerson will take place in Bennington from Oct 23-25, 2021.

VPS BOARD NEWS

We will be holding our next board meeting virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 from 7-9p.m. We have a number of interesting subjects to discuss, so please feel free to attend. The link for the meeting is included below

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85244204701?pwd=VEltYm9wSmg4dWlTamJsTlVBVGFIdz09

Remember, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website with a link to another image and to a short bio. If you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/.

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 VPS!

With two Members’ Exhibitions coming this year, a workshop planned for the fall, and our Hubs rebounding from a pandemic-imposed isolation, there is much to be gained by being a member of the VPS. Thank you to those who have renewed, and, to those who have not, please consider renewing your membership today.  We are who we are because of the undying support for our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on painting in pastel!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE

A true artist is not one who is inspired but one who inspires others.
Salvador Dali

Our first VPS Online Juried Show is still available for viewing on our website until January 31, 2021.

• One regional hub continues to meet regularly, via Zoom, and two others have begun to meet this way, too.
• Workshop planning is continuing for 2021.
• Exhibition planning for 2021 continues but needing a new format.

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

January 1-31, 2021: Final days of the 2020 VPS Online Juried Show.

April 20, 2021: VPS Board Meeting 7-9 p.m. remotely via Zoom

April 30-May 2, 2021: Lyn Asselta workshop in Bennington, VT

Oct 23-25, 2021: Dawn Emerson workshop in Bennington, VT

Oct-Nov 2021: VPS Members’ Exhibition at T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

VPS: SouthWest continues to meet monthly via Zoom. VPS: MidState re-united this fall on Zoom, and VPS: SouthEast is meeting remotely as well on Monday, January 4, 2021. We have a new Hubs Coordinator, Cristine Kossow, and you probably recall having received a Hubs Happening Constant Contact message from her.

Of note, when our hubs system was first adopted in 2017, we didn’t intend that hubs isolate themselves, but wanted a hub’s activities, whenever possible, to be open to artists in the other 5 hubs. We realized, however, that some activities a hub did, because of space limitations, could not be opened up to all VPS artists. Also, distance would make it impractical for all VPS members to attend. So, we used the terms “open” and “closed” to characterize the activities that a particular hub was doing. “Open” meant that the hub’s activity was open to attendance by VPS members of any hub. “Closed” signified that the activity was only for artists of that particular hub.

Now, however, because several hubs are using Zoom, space and distance issues are less restrictive—although obviously, too large a zoom meeting can limit an individual artist’s time to show a painting and invite feedback. Accordingly, we have been discussing how to make one hub’s Zoom meeting available to VPS members from other hubs. Mark Grasso and Linda Masten are looking into getting a VPS Zoom account for this purpose, and we will be talking about how to communicate the date, time, and zoom link of a particular hub’s meeting, and to develop a sign-up process so that there will be an optimal number of participants for such a hub meeting.

So, stay tuned—or better yet, get in touch with your hub point person or persons and give them any input you may have.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

Our first ever VPS Online Juried Show is still happening—look at our website to see the exhibition and the award winners, if you haven’t already. But don’t delay, as the show ends January 31, 2021.

With Susannah’s departure as our Exhibitions Coordinator, and with no one willing or able to take her place, in order to continue to have exhibitions, we will have to do some creative thinking. For our first online juried show, for example, four board members worked together, and, in a relatively short amount of time, put together a virtual exhibition. That required partnering with ShowSubmit for the submission process and the jurying and judging; finding jurors and a judge willing to do those tasks; and posting the images and contact information for the selected artists on our website. In some ways, a virtual show is easier to put on.

With a Members’ Exhibition upcoming in the fall, assuming we can all safely gather, we will need to do more than manipulate images on a screen. We will need real people—VPS artists—receiving paintings, hanging the show, hosting the reception, photographing and publicizing the event, and more. Just like before. But we will need someone or some cadre of artists to organize the whole process. Will that be members of the board or will that be members of the hub of the region where the show is going to take place? Your input will be valuable to working through these and other questions, so please communicate with your hub point person or persons!

As for our annual Juried Show for 2021, we are tentatively scheduled to exhibit at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in spring, but there is still a real question as to whether we will be able to gather safely by then. We will keep you posted, as it is only three or four months away!

VPS WORKSHOPS

Let’s keep our hopes high that we will have workshops this year! So far, the following are in the planning stages:

Lyn Asselta workshop will be Apr 30, May 1 and May 2, 2021 in Bennington.

Dawn Emerson workshop is planned for Oct 23-25, 2021 in Bennington.

BOARD NEWS

At our 2020 Annual Membership Meeting, held via Zoom on November 9, 2020, we elected one new board member, Cristine Kossow, as Hubs Coordinator, but we are down a board member, with no Exhibitions Coordinator. Please visit our website to see who is on the board, and please don’t hesitate to volunteer to serve on the board, especially if you are interested in exhibitions.

We will be holding our next board meeting virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 from 7-9p.m. The link for the meeting will be sent out closer to the date.

Remember, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website with a link to another image and a short bio. If you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/.

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 VPS!

With a vaccine now being distributed, we seem tantalizingly close to being able to meet again in person. But even if that doesn’t happen right away, there is still much to be gained by remaining a member of the VPS, so please renew your membership today.  We are who we are because of the undying support for our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on painting in pastel!

Matt Peake, VPS President

Juror Alain Picard’s Comments on the 2020 Members Show Award Winners

I am honored and delighted to have served as Juror of Awards for the Vermont Pastel Society’s inaugural Members Only Online Show. I’d like to share a few comments regarding how I select award winners before talking about each of the top winners specifically. There are four categories of consideration that I use to evaluate the work.

First off, I look at The Fundamentals.  This is the skillful deployment of color, composition, drawing, proportions, perspective, tonal values, and edge quality. These are the foundational elements of the painting. Have they been executed with skill and mastery?

Next I consider  The Medium.  This is the skillful handling of pastel. The mark-making, surface effects, and creative techniques that are used in the application of soft pastel in all its various approaches.

Moving on from there, I consider  The Artist . Is there a unique point of view in the painting? Can I identify a clear artistic voice speaking through the work? Does the artist use poetic expression in the handling of the medium? Is there a strong concept and a clear intention being delivered? These qualities of the artist are powerful influencers in the resulting painting.

Finally, I consider  The Art . This is that intangible resonance of the work. It’s the painting’s ability to impact the viewer, reach in and stir something inside of you. There is a power in a painting that somehow gets unlocked through the passion of the artist, and it takes on a life of it’s own. This is one reason why great art lives on for generations, why we are moved when we enter a museum and behold a work from generations past as it speaks to us today. I’m searching for this resonant power in the painting.

All four of these categories—the Fundamentals, the Medium, the Artist and the Art—are considered in making decisions as Juror of Awards. Now to the Award winners.

BEST IN SHOW

Last Light  by Patti Braun

Last Light received best in show. As I view this elegant landscape, the design, color harmony, mood and atmosphere all coalesce to create a moment in time that connects with the heart and speaks to the soul. I can feel the air hovering over the mountains and the warm late day light as it moves up the tree line until it’s gone. This wonderful celebration of nature reveals the artist’s admiration for and connection with the scene. I admire in particular the use of color deployed to convey emotion and atmosphere. We feel the moment, and we are rewarded greatly.

Second place went to Tractor Study #5. This piece is a truly unique vantage point on the art of abstraction. Rooted in direct observation of an antique tractor, the artist has transformed the surface environment of this machine into a technicolor delight of texture, light and shadow. Ultimately, it is the compositional drama, created through the play of light and shadow on the surface and conveyed with highly chromatic hues, that won me over. No one else has observed a tractor in such a unique way and shared their unique artistic vision with such joy and celebration.

Nearing Twilight took 3 ^rd  place in this exhibition. The sky in this subtle and restful landscape is painted with such elegant restraint that it creates a sensory experience for the viewer. The depth of atmosphere is felt as much as seen through control of value and edge as well as the unity of color harmony. The soft light dances across the grass and rides over the clouds through sublimely rendered color. The moon is now in view, such a tender and skillful touch revealing thousands of miles of atmosphere and space between the viewer and this lunar sighting. What a beautiful scene, and a sense of place the artist has created for us here.

Pure joy. That is the direct emotion I encountered when setting eyes on this painting entitled, The Blues. It’s a clever composition that emphasizes energetic diagonals to evoke a musical celebration of the genre. The artist has captured a feeling of music so well. I can’t as much hear the sounds as I can feel them resonating in my body in cadence with the fingers of the musician’s hand. That’s what makes this painting more than a portrait of a man or a description of a jazz player. It is a true visceral expression of joy.

A History of Baseball #3 is a narrative still life painting that sensitively and lovingly observes articles of our national past time. The surface effect of the leather gloves, well-worn and aged, is treated with great care. The color and value of aged and crackled leather depicted with wonderful grace. I enjoy experiencing the meandering line created by the outside edges of the gloves as you travel from one old soul to the next. What a special homage to the game of baseball, and to the art of pastel.

QUARTERLY QUOTE

An empty canvas is the safest addiction in the world; art is the only drug that won’t kill you, instead it’ll save your life.

Nikki Rowe

 Our first Online Juried Show will be accepting submissions October 1-31, 2020.

• Regional hubs are still in need of innovation for activities.
• Workshop planning is continuing for 2021.
• Our upcoming Board Meeting will be on Zoom on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, and our Annual Members’ Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, 2020, also remotely.

 Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

October 1-31, 2020: Entry into the Online Juried Show via ShowSubmit.

October 7, 2020: VPS Board Meeting 7- 9pm via Zoom

October 17, 2020: VPS Annual Members’ Meeting 1- 4pm via Zoom

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

It’s not surprising, with continued physical distancing and many of us not comfortable being inside closed spaces, that most in-person hub activities have not been happening since February or March. VPS SouthWest continues to meet via the Zoom app. VPS Midstate got together again this fall, but we haven’t heard from the other hubs. With summer coming to a close and fall arriving, there may be time to get together for outdoor events, which are safer. Please let Judy Albright know of your activities as we want to continue the connection with our artistic communities, especially during these isolating times.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

Our first ever Online Juried Show is happening—entries are being received through the ShowSubmit app from October 1-31, 2020. The entries will be looked at by two jurors—Lyn Asselta and Jeanne Rosier Smith—much like our live shows were juried. They will score the pastels we submit, and from their scores, 30-40 pastels will be chosen to be in the show. Then our judge, Alain Picard, will look at those paintings to pick winners in first, second, third places with three runners-up. All that will happen in mid November, right before the show goes online for the public from November 24, 2020, through January 31, 2021. We hope that everyone will enter one or two pastels. There is an entry fee to cover the costs of ShowSubmit and the jurors and judge, but the commission originally listed in the prospectus has been removed. You receive full price if your painting sells. We hope to promote the show to the other IAPS member societies to get a wider viewing audience.

VPS WORKSHOPS

Let’s keep our hopes high that we will have workshops this year! So far, the following are in the planning stages:

Lyn Asselta workshop will be Apr 30, May 1 and May 2, 2021 in Bennington.

Dawn Emerson workshop is planned for Oct 23-25, 2021 in Bennington.

BOARD NEWS

We had a vote recently on bylaws changes allowing us to hold remote meetings via apps like Zoom, which means we can have board meetings and our annual members’ meeting online. We are having our next board meeting Thursday, October 7 from 7- 9pm. Here is the zoom link Please join us if you can.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88516259072?pwd=cnFVWEd1Q1VkdFA2RmNzU1h0WU53Zz09

Our annual members’ meeting will be October 17, 2020 from 1- 4pm via Zoom. We will be electing new board members, as each year 5 of the 10 members’ 2-year terms are up, so we need your votes! We will be sending an agenda and Zoom link closer to the date.

Remember, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website with a link to another image and a short bio. If you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/.

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 VPS!

Even with our world being turned upside down, we are who we are because of the undying support for our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on painting in pastel!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE

Art is a step in the known toward the unknown.

Kahlil Gibran

•  Our Members Exhibition finally came down.
• Regional hubs are in need of innovation for remote activities, using platforms like zoom.
• Workshop planning is continuing for 2021, as our workshops this year have been cancelled.
• Our Juried Show for November/December is being changed to an Online Show.

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 17-21, 2020:  Alain Picard workshops “The Painterly Landscape” and “The Painterly Portrait,” East Montpelier, both canceled, rescheduled date is pending.

October 2-4, 2020: Lyn Asselta workshop, North Bennington canceled, rescheduled for April 30-May 2, 2021

November-December 2020: VPS Juried Show will be Online

 VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

It’s not surprising, with physical distancing, that most in-person hub activities have not been happening since February or March. VPS SouthWest, which has been meeting regularly via zoom during the winter months, when many of their members are not in Vermont, continues to meet via this platform. VPS Midstate is planning to start up again in the fall, but I haven’t heard from the other hubs as to what they are planning for their activities, given the restrictions of physical distancing. Please let Judy Albright know of your activities as we want to continue the connection with our artistic communities especially during these isolating times.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

The coronavirus has really been a log jam in the river of VPS exhibitions this year and may continue to be so in the coming years. Our Members Exhibition was interrupted by the shutdown back in March, and although the exhibition remained in place for several more months, the takedown was complicated.

Some galleries and museums are now opening up, including SVAC, where we were going to have our juried show this November/December. But with the uncertainty of the times, the possibility for another wave of CoViD-19 coming, and the prospect of a complicated hanging and take down process, not to mention a limited reception, the board decided to make it an online show this year. Interestingly, other pastel societies are doing the same. Right now, Susannah is laying the groundwork for the 2020 VPS Juried Show to be online Nov/Dec 2020, our first—and maybe–first annual. Details will be coming soon and we hope to get many of your entries.

Susannah‘s grand plan for ongoing exhibitions is still in the works.  Depending on the coronavirus trajectory, however, it may not be able to be implemented in the coming year. The hope is that every year there will be two VPS shows–one, a Members Exhibition, and the other, a Juried Show. As we have six hub regions, that means that a hub will host one or the other of those exhibitions every three years. Further, we hope that each region would have a venue that could be depended upon every three years for that exhibition. Susannah has secured venues in some of the regions so far, but not in all. She does have SVAC committed to showing our work in May/June of 2021 if the situation is positive. Needless to say, we all need to stay tuned. For now, however, set your sights on the first VPS Online Juried Show this fall.

VPS WORKSHOPS

Unfortunately, the workshops that were planned this summer had to be canceled. The participants were divided as to wanting an online course versus an in-person one, and there was not a critical mass for either option to make it financially feasible to hold either of our two workshops. It is disappointing to have a workshop cancelled, especially to those who have been working so hard on plans so far in advance. This is one of those painful lessons of impermanence, but with the indefatigability of our VPS members, they assure me the workshops will happen again.

BOARD NEWS

Because we have an occasion for email meetings from time to time—and now even more of a need for remote meetings–we are working on a process to allow more streamlined voting for our members. Because this requires bylaw changes, we will need to put these changes to a vote of our membership, information for which I will be sending out soon. Given that we will most likely not be having an in-person membership meeting this year–and may have to do it via a zoom platform–these bylaw changes will be important to implement ahead of time. Please stay alert for Constant Contact mailings with regard to these bylaw changes.

The job of putting on two exhibitions per year has become less complicated, but it would be even easier if there were two or more people collaborating with Susannah on the many little jobs that need to be done. Most hubs have agreed to provide this assistance when a Juried Show or Members’ Exhibition comes to their area, which will happen every 3 years. The board thanks you!!

As a reminder, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website and have it linked to another image and a short bio. So if you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/.

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 VPS!

Even during pandemic times, we are who we are because of the undying belief in our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on making pastel art!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE
“The memories of influenza, it seems, are surreal, and to write them is seemingly to write nonsense or dreams or poetry. Perhaps this meant that even those who might vividly describe injuries to the body (like those caused by the war) would have found themselves incapable of representing to others the experience of having the flu.”

Catherine Belling, from The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: Perspectives from the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas (2014)

In the age of CoViD-19, the time of our pandemic, we have perhaps the same difficulty describing how it is affecting us, as people, let alone as artists. For us pastel painters, and our VPS, things have changed for now, and for the foreseeable future. For that reason, we can only hope for a resolution in the next several months, but until we know for sure, we must follow the guidance of those we trust, keeping ourselves, our families, and our friends and neighbors safe from the infection. And we must keep painting, if we can.

• Our Members Exhibition is still up until the pandemic is over.
• Regional hubs are in need of innovation for remote activities.
• Workshop planning continues, although we can’t be sure they will be held.
• We need an Exhibitions Co-Chair and …
• We have a new Secretary, Anne Taylor!

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:
Thursday, January 16 to date uncertain, 2020: Members’ Exhibition, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 4th floor

August 17-21, 2020: Alain Picard workshops “The Painterly Landscape” and “The Painterly Portrait,” East Montpelier

October 2-4, 2020: Lyn Asselta workshop, North Bennington

November-December 2020: VPS Juried Show, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE
In the last quarter, just before the pandemic hit us, 5 of 6 hubs met once. One of those hubs, VPS: SouthWest, did it remotely via Zoom. VPS: Upper Valley hosted the monumental Joint Members Exhibition at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. With the recommendation to limit our contacts and stay in place, we will need innovative solutions to help us continue hub activities within the parameters of social distancing and restricting our travel to essential needs.

VPS EXHIBITIONS
Our Members Exhibition for 2020 featured a coordinated show of the Vermont Pastel Society with the Pastel Society of New Hampshire. Nearly 120 works from 60 artists lined the expansive medical center hallway where hundreds of people walked through to view them every month. Or did so until recently, when the corona virus pandemic struck New England. Now the show still hangs, and fewer viewers will be seeing it per month, but it remains in place indefinitely until the threat of infection is gone. Still, for those who helped receive the paintings, hang them, and attend the reception, this was an exhibition to remember—not only in scope and scale, but in the quality of the works on display. Thank you to VPS Upper Valley for making it happen, and thank you to Susannah Gravel for the fabulous idea of a combined show!

Our Juried Show will be in November 2020 at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, enough months away to be optimistic about it happening. We will be using a new on-line submission platform this year, ShowSubmit, which has a great reputation among many pastel societies in the US.

VPS WORKSHOPS
Alain Picard will offer a combination of workshops in East Montpelier, VT: The Painterly Landscape, August 17-19, 2020 and The Painterly Portrait, August 20-21, 2020. Artists can sign up for one or both. Details will follow. Given the late summer dates it is scheduled for, this workshop may still happen!

Lyn Asselta will offer a workshop October 2-4, 2020, at the Taraden Art Barn in North Bennington. Stay alert for details coming to you, and again, given the autumn dates that it is scheduled for, this workshop may also still happen!

BOARD NEWS
As you may recall, in December, we elected Mark Grasso, VPS: SouthWest, as our Vice President, and in January, we elected a new Secretary, Anne Taylor, from VPS: MidState. Thanks to the two of them for offering to serve on our VPS board, and to everyone who voted. Our board is once more complete!

But, before celebrating too soon, we need someone to volunteer to join Susannah Gravel as Exhibitions Co-Chair. The job of putting on two exhibitions per year has become less complicated, but it would be even easier if there were two people collaborating on the many little jobs that need to be done. Please contact your hub point person(s) if you are interested, and please consider it, as exhibitions are one of the offerings that encourage pastel artists to become members of VPS.

The Board will be holding its meeting on April 18, 2020, from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. via Zoom. Anyone may attend, so if you would like to do so remotely, contact Mark Grasso ([email protected]) who will be the Zoom host and can give you the link to join the meeting.

As a reminder, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website and have it linked to another image and a short bio. So if you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/policies-procedures/.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN VPS!
We are who we are because of the passionate participation in our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on making pastel art!

Matt Peake, VPS President