Call for Entries: The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2027

The Call for Entries for the 128th Exhibition by the Pastel Society in January 2027 has been published on the Mall Galleries website. 

Artists working in pastel and contemporary dry media are invited to submit their work for the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2027

This post summarises what you need to know. 

• Submissions are ONLINE ONLY and 
• open from 17 August to 20 November 2026

Benefits of Exhibiting with The Pastel Society

This is an OPEN ART EXHIBITION. If you submit and are selected for the exhibition your artwork will be

• included in the catalogue
• seen by visitors to the Mall Galleries - and it gets a LOT of visitors
• viewed online via the Mall Galleries website and that of the Pastel Society - before, during and after the Exhibition
• eligible for a number of prizes & awards - and some have significant cash awards (see below)if you want to become a member, you first need to get exhibited via the open entry
• may well sell - but ONLY if you pay attention to what I have to tell you below about pricing and sales!!

Pastel Society | Annual Exhibition 2027 | Key Facts and Dates

What drew me to the Pastel Society was the thought of being surrounding by other people fascinated by dry media in particular
Curtis Holder

Venue: Mall Galleries, The Mall, London
Exhibition Dates: Wednesday 27th January - Saturday 6th February 2027
Private View (invite only): Wednesday 27th January 2027 - 5pm to 8pm, official opening at 6:30pm

Submissions: ONLINE ONLY and open until 12 noon Friday 20 November 2026
Notification of selection: Friday 4th December 2026, 12 noon
Receiving Day (if selected): Saturday 16th January 2027 10am to 5pmCollection of unsold work: Thursday 11 February 2027 10am to 5pm
Awards and Prizes - see listing near the end of this post

One of the walls in the Pastel Society's Annual Exhibition in 2026

Call for Entries

What you read below is most - but not all - the terms and conditions of entry and information about what and artist must and must not do. 

It's down to you to read the Full Details, Entry Terms & Conditions

Find out more about how to enter:

Entries for PASTEL SOCIETY's 127th Annual Exhibition 2026 - closing soon

You have just under three weeks left to get a submission into the Annual Exhibition 2026 of The Pastel Society.

I've been trying to get round to this post for a while, which makes it much later than usual. However you still have time to start and finish a new work, or review what you did last year that you are proud of and submit that to the exhibition.

Benefits of Exhibiting with The Pastel Society

This is an OPEN ART EXHIBITION. If you submit and are selected for the exhibition your artwork will be

• included in the catalogue
• seen by visitors to the Mall Galleries - and it gets a lot of visitors
• viewed online via the Mall Galleries website and that of the Pastel Society - before, during and after the Exhibition
• eligible for a number of prizes & awards - and some have significant cash awards (see below)

Pastel Society | Annual Exhibition 2026 | Key Facts

What drew me to the Pastel Society was the thought of being surrounding by other people fascinated by dry media in particular
Curtis Holder

Venue: Mall Galleries, The Mall, LondonDates:
Exhibition Dates: Wednesday 21st January - Saturday 7th February 2026
Private View (invite only): Tuesday 20th January 2026 - 5pm to 8pm, official opening at 6:30pm

Submissions: ONLINE ONLY and open until 12 noon Friday 14 November 2025

Notification of selection: Friday 28th November 2025, 12 noon
Receiving Day (if selected): Saturday 10th January 2026, 10am to 5pm

Collection of unsold work: Thursday 12 February 202610am to 5pm

Awards and Prizes - see listing near the end of this post

Call for Entries

Find out more about how to enter:

• Open Calls - Pastel Society on the Mall Galleries website
• and BELOW.....

Who is eligible to enter?

• This is an OPEN exhibition and is not limited to work by members.
• There is also no restriction of where you live. It's open to artists in the UK, EU, and outside the EU
• Any artist over 18 may submit.

What media is acceptable for entries?

• All types of pastel including: soft pastel, hard pastel, oil pastel, ink pastel, water-based pastel, conté crayons or sticks, sanguine, and other dry mediums that are similar in their application including charcoal, chalk, and pencil.
• Mixed media and three-dimensional works are welcome where pastel or another dry media is the primary medium.
• HOWEVER.....

ALL work that is submitted must have a full description of the media used and any process which has been employed in the finished work beyond drawing and painting, e.g. printing, photography. 

Please note that failure to do this may result in unnecessary rejection on the grounds that work deserves to be judged on a like for like basis and because any buyer should be made aware of what they are buying.

Bottom line - no sleight of hand! This exhibition emphasises the use of dry media and the expertise of the artist in using it.

 

What can you enter?

Entries for Pastel Society's 126th Annual Exhibition 2025 - closing soon.

Somehow or other I neglected to do my normal Call for Entries for the Annual Exhibition of The Pastel Society. Below is me making up for this omission in time for the deadline foe entries to the 126th Annual Exhibition 2025

This is your chance to take part in a contemporary, adventurous and creative show, presenting a positive challenge to those with pre-conceived ideas about pastel and dry media.

This is an OPEN ART EXHIBITION. If you submit and are selected for the exhibition your artwork will be

• included in the catalogue
• seen by visitors to the Mall Galleries - and it gets a lot of visitors
• viewed online via the Mall Galleries website and that of the Pastel Society - before, during and after the Exhibition
• eligible for a number of prizes & awards - and some have significant cash awards.

Pastel Society | Annual Exhibition 2025 | Key Facts

What drew me to the Pastel Society was the thought of being surrounding by other people fascinated by dry media in particular
Curtis Holder

Venue: Mall Galleries, The Mall, London
Dates: 

• Exhibition: Wednesday 22 January - Saturday 8 February
• Private View: Tuesday 21 January
• The Pastel Society Art Event Evening: Tuesday 28 January, 6pm to 8:30pm

Submissions: 

• ONLINE ONLY and open until 12 noon Friday 15 November 2024
• Notification of selection: Friday 29 November, 12 noon
• Receiving Day (if selected): Saturday 11 January 2025, 10am to 5pm
• Find out more about how to enter:  
• Open Calls - Pastel Society on the Mall Galleries website
• and BELOW.....

This is a video about the exhibition and the Call for Entries

Call for Entries

Artists are invited to submit work in pastel and dry media for the Pastel Society’s 
126th Annual Exhibition, BENCHMARK, sponsored by Caran d'Ache.

Who is eligible to enter? 

• This is an OPEN exhibition and is not limited to work by members.
• This exhibition also has works exhibited by people who live outside the UK. There is no restriction of where you live. It's open to artists in the UK, EU, and outside the EU
• Any artist over 18 may submit.

What media is acceptable for entries?

• All types of pastel including: soft pastel, hard pastel, oil pastel, ink pastel, water-based pastel, conté crayons or sticks, sanguine, and other dry mediums that are similar in their application including charcoal, chalk, and pencil. 

Mixed media works are welcome where pastel or another dry media is the primary medium. Such work should be submitted with a full description of the media used and any process which has been employed in the finished work beyond drawing and painting, e.g. printing, photography.

Bottom line - no sleight of hand! This exhibition emphasises the use of dry media and the expertise of the artist in using it.

What can you enter?

Review: The Pastel Society 125th Annual Exhibition (2024)

I'm very pleased to say that this year I'm very impressed with the 125th Annual Exhibition by The Pastel Society. I've also been hearing lots of very positive comments by those who have visited in recent days.

The Pastel Society Exhibition on the afternoon of the Private View

It's very obvious to me that a lot of well directed effort has gone into making this a much better exhibition to mark yet another benchmark in its history. This is after all the oldest pastel society in the world which held its first exhibition in 1899!

• It had 1300 entries - of which 366 were hung (28%)
• There were excellent numbers at the Private View yesterday 

Private View: Speeches starting in the evening
- with Sarah Bee's very colourful artwork behind the speaker

• BOTH the content and hanging of the exhibition is hugely better than the one which I criticised last year. 
• It's much more colourful this year and looks all the better for it
• each of the walls is well anchored by strong paintings - with the most obvious being the end wall of the West Gallery where Sarah Bee's artworks absolutely sing out across the entire gallery
• artwork is grouped to very good effect - eg a wall of landscapes

A Wall of Landscapes by different Pastel Society members

• There's a great diversity of artwork on show - from abstracted to hyper-realistic

Abstracted landscapes by Malcolm Taylor on the left
Hyperealistic still life by Ian Rawlings in the centre of the wall

• The PS Annual Exhibition is also back in its "near the beginning of the year" slot which I tend to think of as being a very much better time for art exhibitions and sales - as there's absolutely no competition from summer weather and outdoor pursuits and holidays! 
• However "last year" was only in May - just 8 months ago 
• so the Society has also done very well to put on a second annual exhibition in this short timescale.
• The pricing on the wall looks as if most have had a rethink about the range of prices that help promote sales in the current climate - although not all artworks did. I've been hoping to see some evidence that artists were becoming more sensible and this exhibition seemed to me to be the first one where pricing has changed. I still think the starting price should be £300. There's still a lot of scope for sales at the bottom end of the range.

Richard Rees, the President of the Pastel Society, told me yesterday that of the 1300 entries 

• a third were monochrome
• a third were portraits

I have to say that neither are reflected in the same proportions in the exhibition itself - although there's a good representation of both. Those entering next year's exhibition might like to bear this in mind.

Call for Entries: Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2024

The Pastel Society has published its Call for Entries for its 125th Annual Exhibition in January next year.

The Pastel Society seeks the best in contemporary pastel and dry media, combining technical skill with creative originality for the Society's 125th Exhibition.

This is an OPEN ART EXHIBITION. If you submit and are selected for the exhibition your artwork will be

• included in the catalogue
• seen by visitors to the Mall Galleries - and it gets a lot of visitors
• viewed online via the Mall Galleries website and that of the Pastel Society - before, during and after the Exhibition
• eligible for a number of prizes & awards.

READ ON If you work in pastels, oil pastels, charcoal, pencil, conte, sanguine, or any other dry media and would like to achieve a higher profile for your artwork - and maybe a sale or a prize!

The 125th Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society: 
SUMMARY of the Call for Entries

• Artists are invited to submit work for exhibition alongside members of the Pastel Society
• All submissions are online. 
• DEADLINE for entries - for a digital image, application form and fee - is noon on Friday 24 November 2023
• All artwork submitted is judged virtually, after which selected works should be delivered to Mall Galleries, London, for inclusion in the exhibition
• Exhibition Dates: 23rd January (PV Day - Invite only) to Saturday 10th February 2024.
• Venue: Mall Galleries, The Mall, London

Below you can find MY version of the Call for Entries. Note that:

• it includes TIPS and additional comments which those who have not entered before may find useful.
• Some of those who have entered before and been unsuccessful might also like to have a read.

Submission: key dates and points to note

ALL artworks must be submitted online. 

It means that the quality of your digital image is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.

REQUIRED READING: On the Mall Galleries website you can find:

• Call for Entries for the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2024
• Full Details, Entry Terms & Conditions
• Website to use for Entries
• Exhibition Contact: exhibitions@mallgalleries.com

Note: The Frequently Asked Questions Page (FAQs) appears to have disappeared from the website.

TIP: If you don't read all the relevant information, do NOT be surprised or irritated if your entry is not selected.

Below is a summary of the stages of entry.

1. ELIGIBLE ARTISTS: Who can enter?

This is an OPEN exhibition and is not limited to work by members.
This exhibition also has works exhibited by people who live outside the UK.

• Any artist over 18 may submit.
• There is no restriction of where you live. 
• It's open to artists in the UK, EU, and outside the EU

Review: 124th Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society

I visited the 124th Annual Exhibition of The Pastel Society on Wednesday. The theme of this year’s Pastel Society Exhibition is ‘Pastel Without Boundaries’.

This post covers:

• general observations about the exhibition - compared to the previous 17 previous annual exhibitions - all of which I have seen and commented on (except for last year when I was immobile post surgery)
• artwork I liked
• things which IMO need to change and/or improve

Some exhibition metrics will follow after the end of the exhibition.

This post is later than I intended as I ran into major problems yesterday with Blogger absolutely refusing to upload images. So I waited 24 hours and it's now back to normal. However this left me more time to mull over over my thoughts on the show. 

Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2023: Catalogue Cover

The Annual Exhibition is on at the Mall Galleries until 3rd June 2023. 

• Admission is £5 but is Free for Friends of Mall Galleries, Friends of the Pastel Society, and under 25s.
• You can read the catalogue online via Issuu
• The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2023 | Award Winners - has been posted on the Mall Galleries website, so I'll not cover those in this blog post unless they happen to be one I was impressed by.

You can see my photos of the exhibition on my Facebook Page

• West Gallery [UPDATE] where I comment further on some of the points made in this review
• East Gallery
• North Galleries

Observations about the Exhibition

All that follows needs to be viewed from the perspective that I am a very big fan of dry media and pastels - so some of the comments made below are hard to make - but I think need making. 

Call for Entries: Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2023 + TIPS!

The Call for Entries for the 124th Annual Exhibition of The Pastel Society has been published.  

The 124th Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society

• Artists are invited to submit work for exhibition alongside members of the Pastel Society
• Dates: 24th May - 3rd June 2023 Venue: Mall Galleries, The Mall, London 
• DEADLINE for entries - for a digital image, application form and fee - is noon on Friday 24th March 2023

The Pastel Society seeks the best in contemporary pastel and dry media, combining traditional skills with creative originality for their 124th Annual Exhibition.

If selected for the exhibition your artwork will be 

• seen by visitors to the Mall Galleries - and it gets a lot of visitors), 
• viewed online via the Mall Galleries website and that of the Pastel Society 
• eligible for a number of prizes & awards. 

READ ON If you work in pastels, oil pastels, charcoal, pencil, conte, sanguine, or any other dry media and would like to achieve a higher profile for your artwork - and maybe a sale or a prize!

Note: All quotes come from the official Call for Entries.

 

Pastel by Felicity House PS

SUMMARY of Call for Entries

Below you can find MY version of the Call for Entries. Note that:

• it includes TIPS and additional comments which those who have not entered before may find useful.
• Some of those who have entered before and been unsuccessful might also like to have a read.

Submission: key dates and points to note

ALL artworks must be submitted online. It means that the quality of your digital image is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL this year.

REQUIRED READING: On the Mall Galleries website you can find:

• Call for Entries for the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2023
• FULL Terms and Conditions for all 'Calls for Entries'
• Call for Entries Frequently Asked Questions
• Website to use for Entries

TIP: If you don't read all the relevant information, do NOT be surprised or irritated if your entry is not selected.

Below is a summary of the stages of entry.

Call for Entries: Pastel Society 123rd Annual Exhibition 2022

READ ON If you work in pastels, oil pastels, charcoal, pencil, conte, sanguine, or any other dry media. 

The Pastel Society is calling for entries for its 123rd Annual Exhibition in February 2022.

SUMMARY of Call for Entries

 

EXHIBITION: The 123rd Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society

• Dates: 16th - 26th February 2022
• Value: Mall Galleries, The Mall, London
• DEADLINE for entries - for a digital image, application form and fee - is 12 noon Friday 3rd December.

The Pastel Society seeks the best in contemporary dry media, combining traditional skills with creative originality for their annual exhibition.

The Society accepts pastels, oil pastels, charcoal, pencil, conté, sanguine, or any dry media

MORE INFORMATION about the Call for Entries

The Call for Entries from artists other than members of the Pastel Society has been published.

Below you can find my version of the Call for Entries:

• it includes additional comments which those who have not entered before may find useful.
• Some of those who have entered before and been unsuccessful might also like to have a read.

Submission: key dates and points to note

ALL artworks must be submitted online. This required meant started in 2021,. It means that the quality of your digital image is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL this year.

On the Mall Galleries website you can find:

• Call for Entries for the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2022
• FULL Terms and Conditions for all 'Calls for Entries'
• Website to use for Entries

Below is a summary of the stages of entry.

Book Review: Pure Pastel: Contemporary Works by Today's Top Artists

This is about a book about Pure Pastel: Contemporary Works by Today's Top Artists edited by Anne Hevener

The last thing I did when I was leaving the Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society on Wednesday was pick up a book I'd not seen before in person. 

This is the latest book about pastel artworks and pastel artists published under the auspices of the Pastel Journal - also edited by Anne Hevener (until 2019). She invited 100 of those she considered to be the top contemporary pastel artists to contribute works to the book.

Normally I would have bought it on the spot - but I'm currently carrying a rollator up and down stairs on the tube and even thought this is carbon fibre, there was absolutely no way I could possibly carry this large and heavy book!

So I took a photo of the cover (so as to remember the title and details) and ordered it from Amazon as soon as I got home!

and this is the photo of the cover
- for this review
- in my sitting room this morning!

Essentially, it's a giant picture book - with artworks by leading pastel artists. Each gets

• details of the artwork
• a paragraph from the artist about how it came to be created - which are very diverse and also provide some useful tips in terms of approach and development of the artwork
  

What I like about it

• It includes many pastel artists from the USA whose names are very well known to me - including the late Bill Creevy whose book for Watson Guptill first got me switched on to pastels.
• It includes six artists members of the Pastel Society in the UK. These include:
• Angela a'Court (who lives in New York)
  
• Tony Allain
• Glenys Ambrus
• Victor Ambrus
• Cheryl Culver
• Felicity House
• I like the way it organises the artwork. I very much liked the fact it didn't go for the basic (and can be boring) categorisation of subject to organise the artworks. Instead, there are five chapters focusing on some much more interesting aspects of any artwork:
• Colour and Light
• Composition and Design
• Mood and Atmosphere
• Style and Expression
• Concept and Story
  
• There's an Artist Index at the back which provides 
• the artists' credentials (members ship of societies / awards etc)
• an indication of where they live (town; state/county; country) 
• website address (however I found not all are current and/or live - which might be something to do with security certificates for the site)
  
• email address
  
• Reproduction values and colours and tones look very good to me. Certainly the clarity of how pastel is used by the artist is there - I tested these on Cheryl Culver's pastel works which I know well!
  

What I'm surprised about

There's a few things which surprised me

Review: 122nd Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society

This is a review of the 122nd Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society - as in the hung version - currently on view in all three galleries at the Mall Galleries in London.

I'm going to start with a number of comments about the exhibition and then highlight a number of artworks I liked - by Gallery.

I'll be referencing artworks by linking to the photos I took yesterday.

Portraiture featured on the end wall in the West Gallery
- with different dry media, different styles and different approaches to
making a mark with dry media

Overview of the Exhibition

There are some exhibitions you like a lot and some which include art you like but overall the exhibition somehow just doesn't quite grab you as others have in the past

This is one of those. I'm wondering if this is because it does NOT include all the artwork which sold when the exhibition had to be "online only" at the beginning of the year. 

That said I'd still recommend a visit - because some of the artwork on display is very good and I'd certainly recommend a visit for anybody who aspires to be in next year's exhibition!

I made notes while I was in the exhibition (thanks to Evernote!) of things which I noticed and these are as follows....

I think this was my favourite wall - in part because of how it was hung

Positive Notes

• There are some large and very colourful artworks by non-members which I regard as a very good thing.  Many will not remember the works on Mark Leach (who died while President Elect) but I still miss his large and colourful artworks. It's good to see others contributing large and interesting pieces which embrace colour.

Winner of the Young Artist Award
The Beast's Negative Space by Charlotte Bullock

• There are lots of artworks in this show which show off the breadth and scope of what's possible when using pastels and other dry media. I always enjoy the artwork which really shows off the unique characteristics of the media employed i.e it's trying to look like pastel and not an oil painting!
• There seems to be much more abstracted artwork than hitherto - which is no bad thing

Pastel drawings by Fellcity House

• I ALWAYS like to see good drawing - and there's very definitely examples of good draughtsmanship within the show
  
• There's some examples of an innovative use of pastel. I saw my first (I think) pastel and thread artwork by Marsha Roddy
• The exhibition includes rather less lockdown art than I was expecting - however what is included is unusual. Sometimes keeping it simple says a lot.
  

Face to Face by Peter Vincent PS

Less Impressed

• I saw rather more of artists trying to mimic leading members in this exhibition than in past exhibitions.  I'm not impressed by this - in part because I've never quite understood the point of trying to emulate leading members.
  
• The exhibition includes some artwork which is trying to be photorealistic without quite pulling it off. I'm quite picky about photorealism. I tend to have an attitude of "don't show it until it's excellent". It's a notion worth pondering on for all those who try to reproduce photos.

You can see my photos of the exhibition - in sections, as if you were walking around the three galleries - on my Facebook Page (whether you are a member of FB - or not!). Links are at the end of each Gallery section below.

 

East Gallery - artwork I liked

Set of landscapes in pastels by Norma Stephenson

 

The standout artist for me was Norma Stephenson PS - who produced a knockout set of pastels. I think I maybe like them a lot as I very much like the palette she used for the works which seems to me to be lighter and more cheerful than some of her paintings which have always seemed to me to be quite grey. What I like about Norma's work is that she produces what are recognisably landscapes while making them semi-abstract by playing with colours and mark-making in an impressionistic way.

It's obviously working as the red dots indicate that two have already sold after the preview on Tuesday - helped I think by realistic prices!

Pastel Society 122nd Annual Exhibition now on view - for real!

The Pastel Society's 122nd Annual Exhibition can now be seen in person at the Mall Galleries in London until 24th July 2021. You need to book a ticket online and visit between 10am and 5pm.

View of part of the West Gallery

 

I visited today and I'll post my review tomorrow. (see Review: 122nd Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society)

However, you can see my photos of the exhibition on my Makingamark Facebook Page where I've uploaded the photos I took this morning into three albums. (see end of post for links to the albums)

(NOTE: Now I'm using a rollator to cope with walking, I'm finding I'm very tired when I get back from exhibitions - hence the delay between photos and review)

It is essentially an exhibition of work in dry media by leading pastel artists - most of whom (but not all) live in the UK. The artwork is created in pastel (soft, hard or oil), pencil, coloured pencil, chalk or charcoal. 

It was previously on display online on the Mall Galleries website as it was originally due to be hung during the third lockdown.

Since then, some artwork sold online and has been shipped to its new owners. So what the Society have done for this exhibition is invited those artists who sold work to submit new work to "fill the gaps"

Sales include some of the artworks which won prizes, so I'm going to refer you to these two blog posts to see the artworks which won awards

• The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2021 Prize & Award Winners | Part One featuring
  
• Tom Hudson-Davies
• Janine Baldwin PS
• Halla Shafey PS
• Margaret Glass PS
• Rebecca Hardaker
• Dave Roberts
• The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2021 Prize & Award Winners | Part Two
• Maximillion Baccanello
• Anne Magill
• Janine Shute
• Charlotte Bullock
• Christine Watson
• Susan Relph PS
• Caitlin Heslop
• Nicholas St John Rosse RSMA

View of the East Gallery

 

You can also see my photos of the exhibition on my Making A Mark Facebook in three albums - and you can see them whether you are a member of FB - or not!

• Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2021 - West Gallery
  
• Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2021 - East Gallery
• Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2021 - North Gallery

 All the works are for sale

• prices start from £300 
• all artwork can be purchased using the Own Art scheme that allows for the cost to be spread, interest-free over 10 months.

Pastel Society 122nd Annual Exhibition 2021 - Call for Entries

If you work in pastels, oil pastels, charcoal, pencil, conte, sanguine, or any other dry media you can submit your artwork to the Pastel Society's Annual Exhibition next year.

• The 122nd Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society will be held between Wednesday 27th January - Saturday 13th February 2021 at the Mall Galleries.
• The Call for Entries has been published and is summarised below.
• The DEADLINE for entries - for a digital image, application form and fee - is 12 noon Friday 4th December.

The Pastel Society seeks the best in contemporary dry media, combining traditional skills with creative originality for their Annual Exhibition.

Below you can find my version of the Call for Entries - with additional comments which those who have not entered before may find useful.

Some of those who have entered before and been unsuccessful might also like to have a read.

The Society was founded in 1898, and the first exhibition held in the Royal Institute in Piccadilly. Founder members and early exhibitors included Brangwyn, Degas, Rodin, Rothenstein, Whistler and G.F. Watts. There are currently over fifty-five Members who are professional artists living and working in this country and overseas. Membership is granted through a strict assessment of technical skill, originality, innovation and enthusiasm.

Submission: key dates and points to note

NEW FOR 2021: ALL artworks must be submitted online.

To make the process of submitting and selecting work simpler and safer, the Society will select works for exhibition from online only this year.

Which means the quality of your digital image is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL this year.

On the Mall Galleries website you can find:

• Call for Entries for the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2020
• Pastel Society Entry Requirements
• FULL Terms and Conditions for all 'Calls for Entries'

Below is a summary of the stages of entry.

121st Annual Exhibition of The Pastel Society

I visited the The Pastel Society's 121st Annual Exhibition earlier this week for the Private View. It is currently on display in all the galleries at the Mall Galleries,  The Mall, London SW1

• It's open every day 10am to 5pm (closes 3pm on final day) until 16 February
• Admission is £5
• HOWEVER you can have FREE ENTRY for Two to the exhibition  (normal price £10) if, as regular readers, you quote "Making A Mark" to the people at the Gallery Desk at the entrance.

I'm probably going back tomorrow afternoon to see which paintings and drawings won prizes which were announced just before I left on Tuesday. More of these anon.

It's a good exhibition whether or not you are a fan, as I am of dry media.

A Table at Seven by Kitty Glavin
Winner of the Pastel Society Young Artist Award
Her work was created in oil pastels on several pieces of paper which were stick together
and hung without a frame!

Below you can find out:

• how to view all the artworks online - both members, open entry and my photos
• how you can meet individual artists in the gallery, and what talks and demos are happening during the remainder of the exhibition
• my commentary about this exhibition and, if you like, review my past reviews of this exhibition!

View all the works online

You can view a folder of my photos of the exhibition on my Making A Mark Facebook Page (it's public - no need to be a member) - and you can see general views and images of the works I liked in this post.

Some of my photos from the Private View

You can also see artworks as follows

• Members Gallery
• Open Entry Gallery

117th Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society

This year's Annual Exhibition of The Pastel Society - NOW @ The Pastel Society - opened to the public at the Mall Galleries on Tuesday. It continues until 3pm on Saturday 5th March.  The Society very kindly invited me to their pre-PV Lunch and I spent a very long time at the exhibition on Monday afternoon!

Featuring works created in pastel, pencil, chalk and charcoal, the Pastel Society exhibits abstract and experimental works alongside traditional representation.

View the images online

You can view the e-catalogue for the exhibition on Issuu. You can also see a brand new website which also has ALL the images of the artwork produced by:

• members and 
• non-members

I'm finding it a little slow and this might be due to the number of images but hopefully this can be sorted out with time.

View of the Main Gallery during the Private View

Thankfully the society has gone back to being known as The Pastel Society - which is certainly the prerogative of the oldest pastel society in the English-speaking world!  (The French lay claims to the oldest society - the Société des Pastellistes was founded in 1870.)

Maybe it could also go back to recording the number of annual exhibitions it has held? I'm hanging on to the count (see the title of this post) which has sadly left the catalogue and all publicity for the exhibition. IMO both tradition and heritage (age!) count when it comes to credibility and buyers!

Images of the Exhibition

Overall, the exhibition is an interesting exposition of the many different ways in which pastels (and charcoal) can be used.

Members work is typically hung in the Main Gallery - usually in sets of four or five works. There are some strong sets in the exhibition. However I was very surprised by the work of some of the artist members whose work I've liked a LOT and raved about in the past. It just did not stand out for me this time around.  This left me looking around to see whose work I did like a lot this time.....

Notes on the pastel portraits and techniques of Jean-Etienne Liotard

These are some notes I made when visiting the exhibition of artwork by Jean Etienne Liotard at the Royal Academy of Arts - after I saw the new exhibition 'Painting the Modern Garden' on Wednesday.

I'd been meaning to visit this exhibition for quite some time as it includes a lot of pastel portraits and I wanted to take a close look at them from a technical perspective.

If you like pastels or create art using pastels and have the time to visit before it ends of Sunday then I'd recommend you do so if only learn more about pastel paintings were created in the 18th century.

Jean-Etienne Liotard, Archduchess Marie-Antoinette of Austria, 1762
Black and red chalk, graphite pencil, watercolour and watercolour glaze on paper, heightened with colour on the verso, 31.1 x 24.9 cm 
Cabinet d'arts graphiques des Musees d'art et d'histoire, Geneva. On permanent loan from the Gottfried Keller Foundation, inv. 1947-0042
Photo Musee d'art et d'histoire, Geneva. Photography: Bettina Jacot-Descombes 

So here are the notes interspersed with images from the exhibition.

Pastel Society Workshops and events

One of the things I very much like about the national art societies that exhibit at the Mall Galleries is they always have a good range of events, demonstrations and workshops.

In February, the main gallery at the Mall Galleries will reopen after a major refurbishment and will be boasting a new energy-efficient heating & air conditioning system and more natural daylight.

The first two exhibitions to benefit from this will be:

• The Columbia Threadneedle Prize 2016: Figurative Art Today (3-20 February 2016)
• The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition (23 February - 5th March 2016)

Details of the workshops, events and demonstrations associated with the Pastel Society exhibition are now published on the website.

I've included a summary of them below - except I've added in links to websites and profiles and videos where available plus quoted how they like to work with pastels

Pastel Society Workshops

Events Page: a sample of the pastel workshops being held during the exhibition

All of the workshops:

• take place between 11am and 5pm allowing people to travel to London from some distance. 
• are priced at £60 for the day. 
• Easels and drawing boards are provided by students are expected to bring their own pastels and drawing materials/supports. 

The tutors providing the workshops are all experienced artists and tutors and signature members of the Pastel Society.

• Tuesday 23 February 2016 - Michael Norman 'The Water's Edge' - his profile page (b.1943 / elected PS 2007) and website

I usually work from sketches made on site. I often take a Unison pastels colour chart, which I use to annotate my sketches with colour references. I also use a digital camera for back-up information, and for detail that I may have omitted to record at the time. I paint in soft pastel on either pumice paper, solid-core mountboard, to which I apply a coloured pumice surface, Sennelier pastel card or Canson paper.

• Wednesday 24 February 2016 - John Tookey 'Buildings and People' - his profile page (b. 1947 / elected PS 1982) Below is a short video of him working and providing tuition on YouTube

My pastels are mostly worked onto mountboard using a watercolour or acrylic underpainting.

• Friday 26 February - Jason Bowyer PS PPNEAC RP - Master Class 'Pastel Alchemy' - his profile page (b.1957) and website, Below is a short video of him working and providing tuition.

I draw and sketch from life, using pen and ink, pencil and charcoal. These works are often completed in-situ, then used to influence larger paintings, done in the studio.

• Saturday 27 February - Jenny Halstead PS - Exploring Imteriors - (elected PS 2010) Her website

Currently involved with teaching drawing and painting abroad and in the Berkshire area and tutor to the Medical Artists’ Education Trust at the Royal College of Surgeons, London

• Sunday 28 February - Sue Relph PS - Derwent Sponsorship Workshop ' Life and Portrait for all Abilities' - her profile (b. 1944)

I prefer to make pencil, pastel, charcoal or graphite pencil over soft pastel drawings from different positions, if the eventual portrait is to be an oil painting. Sometimes these drawings are the main commission and so become a prelude to a more intensive study.

• Monday 29 February - Tony Allain PS, PSA, MPANZ - Colour and Light in Landscape - his Profile and website (Note: His profile lacks word as does the description of the workshop) Tony is an impressionistic user of pastel - this link to his book about Colour and Light on Blurb shows you his work and describes how he likes to work. This is an interview with him on Jackson's blog

• Tuesday 1 March - Eiko Yoshimoto PS - Dynamic colour of Pastels her profile (elected PS 1991) and website

"The way I work is to launch straight in with colour, without any underpainting or other preparation that might interfere with my spontaneity and energy."

• Friday 4 March - Tom Walker PS - Secrets of the dust - his profile (b. 1949, elected PS 2012) and website. He has worked in pastel for over 40 years. He always works on black paper.

Pastel Society Art Event Evening

• The Pastel Society Art Event Evening will be on 1st March - between 6pm and 9pm and is a ticketed event - with a glass of wine, live music and drawing.  Those attending can work alongside members of the Pastel Society.

Demonstrations

All demonstrations are free with admission and in my experience the artists are generally very happy to discuss what they are doing, what sort of materials they use etc.

The artists giving demonstrations are:

• 25 February 2016 - Ann Wilkinson PS her profile (b.1934, elected PS 2004) and website

Ann's aim is to produce a picture with an interesting surface pattern. She likes to achieve this with a composition that takes into consideration every shape, the objects and the spaces between. Ann uses a limited pallet and strong tonal variations to emphasise the overall unity.  

• 26 February - Peter Vincent PS - profile (b.1941)

I use pastels rather like watercolour artists - by creating a pallet of colour and dipping into I using tissue paper and hands to apply the pastel. I use paper masks, all the time, rather like a screenprinter lays on different areas of colour. I love the blank sheet of card or paper and not knowing what I will end up with.

• 1 March - Roger Dellar PS RI ROI - his profile (b.1949 elected PS 2003) and website

Roger will work on several pieces in order not to become to precious, and thereby more critical. In the studio he often uses sketches and photography to gain his first idea, and not to copy but to interpret.

• 3 March Susan Relph PS See above for details of Susan. Come and watch her working, talk to her and find out more about portrait painting.
  

The 3rd Derwent Art Prize - Call for Entries

The Cumberland Pencil Company announced the Call for Entries from international artists for The 3rd Derwent Art Prize on Monday. 

The deadline for entry is 1st June 2016.

The competition is now a biannual competition - so the next one will be in 2018.

Astri Saunders, Marketing Manager at Derwent, said

“We are proud to launch the Derwent Art Prize for the third year. Our aim of the exhibition is to showcase artworks created in pencil and increase the profile and importance of drawing as a fine art medium”.

This is a digest of who can enter, what you can enter and how the process works - with an overview of the timeline of dates. The competition is organised by Parker Harris to whom all queries should be addressed.

Approximately 80 drawings will be selected for exhibition at the Mall Galleries. The exhibition will be held between 19th - 24th September 2016.  You can see my video of the last exhibition below



After this the exhibition will go on a short tour of venues in the UK between October and December 2016.

The organisers have not yet resurrected the Facebook Page for the competition but you can reasonably expect that selected artists might also get some promotion for their artwork via this channel of communication as well.