‘Art of the Pastel’ Opens Saturday in Fayetteville

The Pastel Society of Southeast Texas, based in Houston, opens its competition and exhibition, Art of the Pastel 2023, at Arts for Rural Texas on Saturday, April 15 at 4 p.m. The exhibition features 50 pieces of artwork by artists from across the country and as far as Italy.

ARTS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit joins the Pastel Society of Southeast Texas in celebrating the contributions that art and culture make to lives. PSST enthusiastically embraces the opportunity to offer its international competition at ARTS, an organization that focuses on bringing exhibitions and opportunities to the communities in South Central Texas. The two organizations recognize that when arts and culture interweave in the fabric of a community, it helps attracts tourists, develops diverse talent, brings about innovation and grows the economy.

Art of the Pastel celebrates just such diversity. Pastel artists from around the world have entered the competition with 50 pieces being selected for exhibit. Figurative, floral, landscape, and non-objective artwork will celebrate the beauty of pastel painting.

Prized for its brilliant color, pastel was first used in the sixteenth century, notably by Leonardo da Vinci. It flourished in the eighteenth century, again in the late nineteenth century, and remains popular today.

The medium is available in a variety of forms, including loose powdered pastel and pastel pencils. Most often, however, pastel is applied directly with the color stick of compressed powder. The broad side, when gently applied, produces areas of light tone revealing the texture of the paper or substrate, while more defined, saturated strokes may be achieved using the tip of the stick and applying it with greater pressure.

For many artists, this manner of applying color as separate strokes rather than as mixtures provides opportunities to create striking tonal relationships. Edgar Degas, for example, placed strokes of complementary and contrasting hues side by side and interwove them to produce tapestries of color.

Pastel offers artists the ability to passionately express their subject in bold, aggressive strokes or to render the story in quiet, gentle passages of extreme realism. Pastel provides layers of colored pigment and offers shimmering light as the pigments dance across the illustrated surface.

ARTS Executive Director Karen Vernon states, “We are honored to host this wonderful exhibit. ARTS is thrilled to bring quality exhibits such as this into our communities. It allows our youth and our citizens the opportunity to view these beautiful works of art without having to travel long distances. As well, it draws visitors to our communities and contributes to the economy of our region.

Why are these exhibits important? Cultural education is critical to the development of humans. It makes our children more competitive in the world market. Music, literature, theater, the arts create spaces where members of the community can interact and tap the power of the cooperative spirit. Through these interactions, communities can grow the area’s social capital. A rich social capital makes it easier to involve the community in preserving and protecting its history and environment. The arts provide an environment that allows us to celebrate who we are. The arts are for everyone and touch every aspect of our lives. They exist in everything, from our morning coffee mug to our work vehicle, from our newspapers to our novels. The arts nurture the ability to problem solving and develop great leaders who make great discoveries and contribute to better lives for all.”

The opening reception and awards presentation for Art of the Pastel 2023 is from 4 pm to 6 pm on Saturday at Arts for rural Texas located at 114 North Live Oak on the historic square in downtown Fayetteville. The event is free and open to the public. All are invited to enjoy the casual and relaxed event. Exhibition dates are April 15 – May 27. The gallery is open 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday. For more information visit https://www.artsforruraltexas. org or call (979) 378-2113.