The Pastel Society
of the West Coast
BREAKING NEWS
Pastels USA: 99 Voices in Pastel Prospectus is now available!
Online submissions now open through August 1st
See the 2024 MOOS Show here MOOS 2024!
Join the Painting Challenge!
July 1st – 10th, 2024: Sunshine and Shadows 10-day challenge- Summers days are filled with contrasts of bright sunshine and deep shadows, or dappled sunlight through the trees. Capture a bit of summer in this challenge. Learn more here.
We Talk Art is a quarterly (or more) Zoom presentation for members of the PSWC begun at the end of 2022. Bonnie Zahn Griffith chats with well known artists in an informal virtual setting. These distinguished guests share their stories, processes, tips and more. The link to these interviews are sent to members and posted on our Facebook page. The series features “live” interviews, so participants may post questions and comments during and after the interview.
Upcoming: July 13, 2024, 12:00 Noon – Featuring Mark Ivan Cole
From Mark’s website: My paintings have been juried into local, regional and international shows, and some have garnered top honors. My work has been shown in the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, the Art Museum of Los Gatos, and the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California, as well as in galleries in Florida, Oregon, California, China and Taiwan. My piece “Titan” is part of the MingART Gallery’s permanent collection. I have also published magazine illustrations in colored pencil, alkyd and watercolor, and have done graphite illustrations for a series of five books for young adults, the fourth of which is due to be published in late 2023. I also do concept art and illustrations for my own writings.
WORKSHOPS
Artists are lifelong learners, and we offer great learning opportunities through in-person and virtual workshops. Upcoming workshop is with Judy Leeds.
Go to our workshop page here for more information and go to the Event Calendar to register for a workshop here
Need help to access workshops? Find out about our workshop SCHOLARSHIPS by contacting us here.
WELCOME!
You don’t have to live on the West Coast to become a member! With PSWC members located throughout the United States 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 among the most recognized 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 in public venues and the MEMBERS ONLY ONLINE SHOW (MOOS)
Our organization publishes the PSWC Magazine exclusively for members. Click here for the PSWC Magazines.
Because our society members are spread far beyond the West Coast, we offer a Regional Representatives program to support regional activities.
We provide optional, individual Members Art Gallery pages connected to our Member Directory.
PSWC sponsors an Art Scholarship for qualifying students interested in the further study of art and pursuing an art career.
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 or going to our Donations page.
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 recent shows. Please see show art by clicking the Current Shows or Past Shows tabs at the top of the page to see titles and artists.