Workshop Coordinator

If you have questions about our workshops, please contact Jean Myers here.

REGISTERING FOR WORKSHOPS

To register for workshops go to Programs – Event Calendar and click on the workshop you want to attend within the calendar. HERE

On the Calendar…


“Puzzled by Perspective?”
A 3-day virtual workshop with Nancy King Mertz, Master & Eminent Pastelist

November 16-18, 2023

Open to Members and Non-Members $360

In this workshop Nancy intends to help artists understand 1 & 2 point perspective when including man-made structures in their work. Cityscapes, villages and rural subjects will be provided as reference if painters do not have their own photos. An hour and a half demo will start each morning, with questions encouraged along the way. Artists will paint until 3-3:30 with frequent progress photos emailed to me for assistance. Near the end of each session, the work will be shared with the class for group critique.

This workshop is appropriate for Beginners with some pastel experience, as well as Intermediate and Advanced pastelists. Register here.

About Nancy:

Nancie King Mertz, has spent her lifetime painting in oil & pastel. She was awarded the Master Circle by Int’l Assoc. of Pastel Societies, Eminent Pastelist in 2018, and is a Master Signature member of Pastel Society of America & Chicago Pastel Painters. Nancie juries, demos & teaches numerous workshops across the US, Italy, France & Croatia.  She is on the faculty for the Plein Air Convention, Plein Air South, and the IAPS Convention. 

IAPS awarded her the Prix de Pastel in 2018. She was the lead juror for the 2019 IAPS Masters’ Show, and juried the 2022 PSA Enduring Brilliance Exhibition.  Her work has been featured in Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, American Artist, French & Chinese magazines, as well as the cover and several articles in Pastel Journal.


Nancie was a 3 year Instructor of Art at Eastern IL University where she received her MA in Painting two years after completing her BFA in Painting at the University of IL. She and her husband owned a gallery for 19 years in Chicago’s Lincoln Park/Lakeview. Nancie has owned a framing company since college, and they recently opened a Learning Center & gallery in their home in Rockford, IL for pastel immersion, where artists can stay.
Her pastels are included in exhibits in museums in the US, China and Europe. She was the Guest of Honor of Art Du Pastel En France with a workshop and show of her work in Giverny in May, 2022. 


A virtual workshop with Vianna Szabo, PSA, IAPS-EP
January, 2024


“Layering the Light”
A 3-day virtual workshop with Rita Kirkman, PSA-MP, CPS, IAPS-MP
February 23-25, 2024

Open to members and non-members $285

In this virtual 3-day workshop, you will learn how to create a vibrant sense of glowing light in your pastel paintings. Instruction emphasizes value and temperature as keys to unlocking the light. Learn an underpainting method to “nail the values!”  The workshop is appropriate for adventurous beginners all the way to advanced pastelists.  

This workshop is not subject specific. Students may work from their own photos, and Rita will supply some of her own to share.  Demos will be mostly animals, in addition to one or more landscapes. 

About Rita:

Rita Kirkman was born an artist.  She has been using pastel since she was 11 years old and had her first paid portrait commission at 17.  Since 2003, Kirkman has improved her own style and technique with pastel through independent study and workshops with renowned artists each year.  This effort has been consistently rewarded with major awards in national and international competitions. Her work has been featured in the Pastel Journal and the Pratique des Arts Spécial Pastel, and published in many others. She is a Pastel Society of America Master Pastelist and an Eminent Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies. Her portraits and paintings are in private collections all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, Africa and Australia. 

In 2011, Kirkman took a workshop with internationally known daily painter Carol Marine, which had an incredible impact on her career. Painting small and posting frequently improved Kirkman’s work and expanded her name and artwork recognition thoughout the pastel world. She has since become a popular workshop instructor. At the heart of her teaching is recognizing value and temperature over color, simplifying and strengthening composition, and of course the benefits of painting small.

Kirkman’s latest venture, in 2020, has been to create a Patreon Page, where she shares behind-the-scenes video clips and exclusive content from the studio, along with demo videos and Paint-Alongs from her Virtual Open Studio Days and various other art tips from her 40+ years as an artist.

StartsFri Feb 23 2024
EndsSun Feb 25 2024
Supply List for Rita Kirkman Workshop

Click here to see the daily schedule and to register


A Virtual Workshop with Judy Leeds, PSA, IAPS-MC

May, 2024


Workshop & Class Submissions

PSWC Members are invited to list classes and workshops in the PSWC magazine and on our Facebook page. For magazine ads, please send exact wording to be used, in third person and single paragraph format. New listings should be sent in for each calendar year. To add your workshop to the magazine, contact us here.

Ongoing Workshops

In addition to the specific workshops listed below, these members offer workshops on a regular basis. Please check out their workshop list on their websites.

Doug Dawson Workshops

For more info and dates, email Doug dougdawson8@cs.com.

Christine Debrosky, PSA Workshops

For latest workshops: www.christinedebrosky.com.

Alan FlattmannPSA Hall of Fame Workshops

Check Alan’s website at www.alanflattmann.com. Or email,art@alanflattmann.com.

Terri Ford Workshops

Visit: TerriFordArt.com Private instruction by appointment. tford@terrifordart.com

Albert Handell Workshops

Albert is both PSWC Pastel Laureate™ and PSA Hall of Fame. Contact him at 505-983-8383, and ask for Virginia Stark, or write to P. O. Box 9070, Santa Fe, NM, 87504-9070, or go to the website at www.alberthandell.com; or emailalberthandell@msn.com. Please view his website to read about the new Paint-A-Long Mentoring Program.

W. Truman Hosner

Ongoing classes in Detroit Area and California. See website for additional information. http://www.wtrumanhosner.com

Nancie King Mertz, IAPS-MC & EP, PSA-MP, CPP-MP
Cityscapes and Correct Perspective:  http://nanciekingmertz.com/events

Richard McKinley Workshops

This Pastel Laureate of the PSWC and excellent teacher can be reached at www.mckinleystudio.com for workshops.

Alain J. Picard, PSA, IAPS MC

For information about Alain’s inspiring workshops visit picardstudio.com 


Sally Strand, PSA-MP, IAPS-MC

Sally conducts in-person and virtual workshops for artists of all levels. For more information visit Sally Strand Workshops at www.sallystrand.com or send an email to info@sallystrand.com

Clark Mitchell

Pastel workshops: cgmitchell.com

Clark Mitchell is one of the top pastelists in California. He‘s been designated a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America as well as a Distinguished Pastelist by the Pastel Society of the West Coast. Mitchell’s numerous awards include top prizes at the Laguna Plein Air Festival, the Carmel Arts Festival, and Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational.

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