Pastel Society of New Mexico
Exhibition artwork

Pastel Society of New Mexico

Enchanted Colors

the Pastel Exhibition from New Mexico & Beyond!

Fine Arts Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

November 6 – 29, 2026

Deadline is August 14th.
Find Open Calls

Opens for entry Jul 1st.

About the Exhibition

Enchanted Colors ~ the Pastel Exhibition from New Mexico & Beyond! will be PSNM's 34th annual "open" show. You are invited to submit up to 3 works for jury consideration to have your works in one of the best pastel shows in the country!

Venue

Fine Arts Gallery
EXPO New Mexico
300 San Pedro ne
Albuquerque, nm

Free admission Thursdays through Sundays, 10am–5pm.

Online 24/7 at pastelsnm.org.

Awards

Numerous Cash & Sponsor Awards (expected to total more than $10,000 in value) will be presented at Gala Opening Reception: Friday, November 6, 2026 from 5–8pm.

Juror of Selection

Ilene Gienger-Stanfield, Andrew McDermott, and Ian Rawling will independently review and score entries.

Judge of Awards

Terri Ford will select award-winning works!

Workshop

Terri Ford will teach a 3-day workshop on Wednesday, November 4, Thursday, November 5, and Friday, November 6, 2026.

Entry Fee

  • Members: $40 for up to 3 works.
  • Non-Members: $50 for up to 3 works.
  • Up to 3 works.
Fees are non-refundable. Must be paid by Friday, August 14, 2026.

Only artists who are PSNM members at the time they submit their entry for the show may accrue points toward Signature Membership. Non-members may join PSNM before paying show entry fee by completing Membership Application at pastelsnm.org and paying annual dues with a credit card via PayPal.

Artist Eligibility

Entry is open to all artists over the age of 18, without regard to geographic location.

Paintings not adhering to criteria below will be rejected.

Artwork Requirements

  • Original artwork only. Source material must be available to PSNM upon request. No portion of the artwork or source material should be created or referenced using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
  • All work must be at least 80% soft pastel.
  • All work must be for sale.
  • Minimum sale price: $500.
Dimensions
  • Minimum work dimension: 8"×10" (or 80 sq. in.)
  • Maximum frame dimension: 42" in either direction.
Framing Requirements
  • Work must be sturdily framed and ready to hang, with strong screws and wire.
  • Hanging wire must peak 3½" below top of frame when under stress. (This is extremely important, because of hanging system used at EXPO NM. Failure to place wire correctly may result in your work not being hung in the show.)
  • No name plaques on the front of the frame or mat, and no signed mats.
  • No metal frames will be accepted.
  • Use glass (please, no "non-glare" or "frosted" glass). For 850 sq. in. or larger shipped works, Plexiglas is acceptable.
Non-Eligible Work (based on PSA guidelines)
includes:
  • Paintings done in a school, school-monitored studio or workshop, or under instructor supervision
  • copied from photographs taken by someone other than the artist without written authorization from the photographer
  • copied from published photographs, compositions from published sources or based on another artist's work
  • works painted over a mechanical print
  • copies or reproductions
  • work older than two years
  • work which has previously won a national award
  • work which won major award from a publication
  • collaborative work
  • work previously accepted by a PSNM National Show

Acceptance Notifications

Acceptance message will include pdf attachment with work labels and forms. You will need to print and complete them. Detailed information regarding framing, delivery, shipping and handling will also be included.
  • PSNM reserves the right to reject work deemed unsuitable for public viewing.
  • All accepted work (no substitutes) that is going to be delivered must be framed and received as specified in this prospectus.
  • If accepted work is not available for the exhibition, artist must donate 40% of stated sales price to PSNM. The artist will also be prohibited from exhibiting in PSNM shows for the next 13 months.

Shipping / Delivery

Hand-Delivered Work must be delivered to Fine Arts Gallery at EXPO NM on Sunday, November 1, 2026 between 11am and 3pm.

Shipped Work must be delivered to:

PSNM Enchanted Colors
c/o Peli, Inc.
4812 Jefferson ne
Albuquerque, NM 87109

Shipping Instructions

Works must arrive at PELI by Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
  • Ship with commercial carrier, such as UPS or FedEx. Do not ship with the United States Postal Service!
  • Cost of shipping the work(s) is the responsibility of the artist, both to and from show.
  • Peli Handling Fees:
    • Airfloat Strongbox or U-Line Deluxe Art Shippers: $50 per container
    • Other types of corrugated shipping containers: $75 per container
    • Wooden crate: $60 per container
    • Additional works shipped in same container of any type: $20 each.
  • Include check made payable to Peli Inc. in package with your artwork. (Fees cover receiving, storing, delivering, unpacking before show, pick up, re-packing and shipping after show, exclusive of any shipping charges.)
  • Storage Rental Fee: Works arriving at Peli earlier than October 23 will be charged $5 per day, up to October 28, payable by artist.
  • Replacement shipping container cost is payable to Peli by artist for any box damaged in transit and deemed by Peli as no longer usable.
  • Return shipping by FedEx or UPS only. Return label and all other information must accompany your work.

Artwork Pickup

All unsold hand-delivered works must be retrieved from Fine Arts Gallery at EXPO NM on Monday, November 30, 2026 between 9am and noon.

Sales / Commission

  • All work must be for sale. Minimum sale price: $500. Artist will receive 60% of sale price.
  • Artists will be notified when work(s) sell.
  • Customers/collectors shall pay all packing and shipping charges, insurance costs and other handling expenses for the shipping and delivery of artwork purchased by them.

Liability / Insurance

All reasonable care will be taken with works. However, neither PSNM, its officers or volunteers, nor shipping agent, its officers or employees will be responsible for loss or damage.

PSNM strongly recommends artists carry independent insurance. If you rely on shipper's or carrier's insurance, be certain you understand their policies. Investigate insurance coverage options and your carrier's insurance policies. Each artist is encouraged to obtain their own insurance.

Use of Images / Publicity

PSNM reserves the right to reproduce accepted artwork for publicity purposes.

About the Organization

Pastel Society of New Mexico
PO Box 3571, Albuquerque, NM 87190
pastelsnm.org

Questions / Contact

Any shipping questions should be directed to Nicholas Tesluk:
Phone: 505-908-6803
Email: [email protected]

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on September 16, 2026.

If you do not receive your email, login and view the notification in your account. We cannot respond to inquiries regarding the status of notifications.

Image and Filename Specifications

  • File Format: Submit original, high-quality JPEG image files. Other formats (e.g., PNG, TIFF) are not accepted.
  • Crop Your Image: Ensure only the artwork itself is visible in the image. Do not show any visible matting, frames, or background distractions.
  • Orientation: Make sure your image is oriented correctly (right side up) so that the artwork appears in its intended viewing direction.
  • Image Size: You do not need to resize your image files before uploading. The system will automatically resize them. Smaller images cannot be enlarged to meet the requirements, so ensure your images are high resolution before uploading.
  • File Names: You do not need to rename your files before uploading them. The system will handle any file naming requirements.
  • File Size: There is a 30mb maximum file size limit. Larger image files will take longer to upload and process.

Additional Entry Information

  • You will pay for your entry by credit or debit card using our secure checkout system.
  • After your entry is submitted and paid for, you may log back in to review your entry, edit artist and image information, and add or substitute images up until the entry deadline (August 14, 2026.)
  • Entry fees are not refundable and must be submitted and paid by the entry deadline.
  • Entries cannot be accepted or changed after the deadline. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Support

Questions about this exhibition?
Contact ([email protected]) for questions about the Prospectus, PSNM, eligibility, artwork requirements, drop-off, pick-up, sales, etc.

Need help with ShowSubmit?
Visit our Help Center or Entry Guide for guidance on image uploads, payments, and managing your entry. If you still need help, email ShowSubmit Support ([email protected]). We respond Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm Eastern.