The Pastel Society

of the West Coast

BREAKING NEWS

Our #PSWC10in10 Challenge is back. Ten paintings in ten days. Register here and check out our Facebook page for results!

See our members in Voices in Pastel

at the Hilbert Museum in Orange, California!

September 3, 2022 to December 3, 2022.

The Hilbert Museum is delighted to host “Voices in Pastel: Pastel Society of the West Coast” – a beautifully chosen exhibition that is sure to appeal to a wide audience.  The Hilbert Museum’s mission is to present works of narrative art – that is, visual storytelling – as well as to engage, entertain, educate and inspire visitors of all ages. The works of these wonderful pastel artists fit the bill in superb style.  Artworks created in the pastel medium may not be as familiar to museum visitors as the works they usually see in oil or pastel – but that is where the “educate” portion of our mission comes in. We believe our visitors will thoroughly enjoy and be intrigued by these works, and will want to know more. Perhaps we can even inspire some folks to take up the pastel medium, and join the many artists through the ages, including many of the Old Masters, who have worked in this versatile and spectacular medium.

To the artists who are new to the Hilbert Museum, we welcome you – and we are excited to present this exhibition showcasing the pastel medium to both aficionados and those new to the art form.

We are also grateful to the leadership of the Pastel Society of the West Coast for helping to arrange this exhibition on very short notice, as the Hilbert Museum was required to stay in its current location for another five months before our much-anticipated museum expansion can begin.

WORKSHOPS

Go to our workshop page here to see what’s available and go to the Event Calendar to register for a workshop here

Find out about our workshop SCHOLARSHIPS!

WELCOME!

You don’t have to live on the West Coast to become a member! With PSWC members located around the United State and around the world, the Pastel Society of the West Coast offers a strong voice for expanding the presence of soft pastel as a major fine art painting medium. PSWC was organized in 1984 to promote pastel artists and the soft pastel medium. Today, PSWC is the among most recognized of pastel societies.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

• PSWC provides social media channels for pastel education, communication, and exposure for members.
• PSWC sponsors two annual juried exhibitions: the PASTELS USA open exhibition to showcase award-winning pastel artwork to public venues and the MEMBERSHIP ONLINE SHOW
• Our organization publishes the PSWC Magazine exclusively for members. Click here for the PSWC Magazines.
• Pastelist Passion Store.
• Artwork critique program with PSWC pastel masters.
• Members Art Gallery page on the PSWC website.
• PSWC sponsors an Art Scholarship for qualifying students interested in the further study of art.
• Because PSWC is a member of IAPs, our members automatically become IAPS artist members and are eligible for IAPS juried exhibitions at prestigious galleries and on the web, as well as participation in the IAPS Convention at discount rates.

The Pastel Society of the West Coast is incorporated as a non-profit organization. The PSWC is run completely by volunteer Board Members. Endowments and bequests are welcome; please contact our President.

As a PSWC member, you are welcome to join our Facebook Group page and please follow us on Instagram as well!

Note: Artwork featured on the website is from artists who entered shows in 2020 Please see show art by clicking Members Only Online Show 2020 to see titles and artists.

© Copyright 2014-19 PSWC
Any images containing original art, or any other creative endeavor on this web site, are copyrighted by the artist, and may in no way be used for any purpose other than viewing online, unless they are part of a written contract agreement, or with specific permission. This restriction INCLUDES: downloading for personal or public use, use in other electronic formats, emailing images or text, re-printing or publishing in any format, resale, copying an image or product idea to pass off as your own. All images are the intellectual and creative property of the artist and/or the client for whom they were created — as the case may be in a contractual agreement. Any alteration or unauthorized use violates the copyright restrictions that have been here set forth.