Art Matters
I
n countries where pastel is still seen
purely as a drawing medium, estab-
lished societies can go a long way in
legitimizing it as a valid choice in fine
art. This was the thinking behind
Naveed Khan and Sonia Rauf ’s deci-
sion to found the Pastel Society of
Pakistan (PSP) in 2008, as students
(now spouses). Although it tooknearly eight years to find a group of
four other pastelists to join, the soci-
ety staged its first exhibition in 2015.
The PSP joined the International
Association of Pastel Societies in
2017 and obtained official member-
ship in June 2018.
“Unfortunately, pastel is con-
sidered a drawing medium here,restricted to institutional practices,”
says Khan, “nor is it widely used as a
major fine art medium in Pakistan.
Artists and art students generally
use the medium during their drawing
studies. Some practicing artists use
pastels mixed with various other
media, such as watercolor, to create
mixed-media paintings.” Rauf is aChoosing Pastel in Pakistan
One pastel-loving couple in Pakistan founded a national pastel society to spread
their love of pastel and the idea that it’s more than a simple drawing medium.
By McKenzie Graham
4 Pastel Journal AUGUST 2019