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UPCOMING SHOW PREVIEW / SORREL SKY GALLERY
3/1-3/31 Santa Fe, NMPleasant Pastels
O
nce again, Sorrel Sky Gallery’s Santa
Fe location will host the Pastel
Society of New Mexico’s annual National
Pastel Painting Exhibition, returning for its
27 th year. This national juried exhibition is
one of the leading pastel painting events
in the country, promoting the education
and appreciation of this versatile medium.
Each year, close to 150 artists from across
the country, as well as Canada and Europe,
submit up to three works for consideration,
with jurors ultimately selecting about 140
to 145 pieces in total.
The exhibition, which runs for the
entire month of March, features a variety
of subject matter, including portraits, still
lifes, landscapes, wildlife and cityscapes.
Artists whose work will be showcased
this year include Marilyn Drake, Allen
Garns, Denali Brooke, Paul Murray,
Katherine Irish and Susan Ogilvie,among many others. “With their enduring
and luminous nature, pastel paintings
are experiencing a resurgence of interest
among collectors and art enthusiasts,”
says Sorrel Sky Gallery owner Shanan
Campbell Wells. “We see it as an honor
to once again host this show for the Pastel
Society of New Mexico.”
Irish’s And the Birds Sang features a
dramatic sunset with dark, texturized
clouds looming overhead. “And the Birds
Sang tells of a summer evening in New
Mexico. A cooling breeze begins. Birds
sing in the pinon trees as the sun gifts us
with the beauty of its waning light,” the
artist says.
“To me, this young woman perched on
a wall represents modern activists,” Drake
says of her pastel Fiery Redhead. “I chose
to focus on her posture and expression to
convey her strength. Of course, her strikinghair color also alludes to long held stereo-
types and became a major factor in the
color choices used in the painting.”
Other works that can be seen in the
exhibition include a maritime scene by
Wells, in which a blue boat sits in an
anchorage in Santa Barbara, California,
casting a rippling reflection in the mellow
waters. “I liked the early morning backlit
boat,” says Wells. “I had to ramp up and
invent some of the color, plus it was a very
complicated image so simplifying was the
hardest part. I feel the water reflections are
the key to the whole image. It’s very calm
and quiet with the implication of a blazing,
warm sun.”
An opening reception for the exhibition
will be held on March 1 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.Sorrel Sky Gallery 125 W. Palace Avenue • Santa Fe,
NM 87501 • (505) 501-6555 • http://www.sorrelsky.com1 2