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Central Mass Pastel Society
Central Mass Pastel Society

1st Pastels Plus

International Online Exhibition March 15, 2023 – March 15, 2024 | Online
Deadline was February 28th. Open to Members and Non-Members.
This Is Where You First Hear the River by Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna
This Is Where You First Hear the River by Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna

Deadline for entry has passed.
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Deadline for entry was February 28, 2023

Awards

1st Prize: $400 
2nd Prize: $300 
Third Prize: $200 
Honorable Mentions 

About Pastels Plus 

We’re pastel artists, and we love the work we do that is at least 80% soft pastel. But have you ever wanted to step outside the box and experiment with using pastel with other mediums, which could break that “80% rule”? Or are you already doing it, but find there are limited venues for submitting your work? Or simply like the idea of trying something new? If so, this show is for you! 

Pastels Plus lowers the 80% rule to 50-70%, meaning your painting can be 30-50% other medium  or mediums of your choice, limited only by your imagination. While pastel should visibly be part of the final surface, it does not have to be all of it: your final surface can be mixed soft pastel and other. 

We are excited to offer this show to push the boundaries of pastel. This online show is open to artists around the world, so get inspired and enter on ShowSubmit starting January 6. 

Juror of Selection and Awards 

Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna Finnish pastel artist Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna uses pastel on many different surfaces to explore the meaning of everyday experiences and relationships with the environment, moving between realism and abstraction. A Master Pastelist of Pastel Society of  America and winner of Pastel Journal’s 2022 Pastel 100 Gold Award, Pirkko has shown her work extensively in group and solo shows, and exhibitions throughout Europe, Asia, and the US. Pirkko will do an artist talk in association with the show. 

Who Can Submit 

Open to all artists over the age of 18 from anywhere in the world 

Submission Process and Fee 

  • Submissions must be made online at Show Submit. 
  • Submit your original image file. You do not need to resize or rename your files. 
  • Enter your description, including materials, surface, and any unusual process used. 
  • The submission fee for members is $25 for 1; $35 for 2-3 pieces. Membership must be fully  paid before entering the show.  
  • The submission fee for nonmembers is $35 for 1; $45 for 2-3 pieces. Consider joining; there  are many “virtual” benefits for members. 
  • 1 or a maximum of 2 pieces per artist may be accepted to the show.

Submission Requirements  

  • Work must be at least 50% soft pastel, but not more than 70%. That is, any other mediums  may be 30-50% of your submissions. 
  • The final layer should have visible pastel, but it may be in combination with the other  mediums. 
  • Work must be less than 3 years old. 
  • Submissions are limited to 2-D work on any surface. 
  • There is no maximum size for this online show. 
  • Work must be based exclusively on the artist’s own photo reference, life set-up or plein air  experience, concept, and composition. 
  • Work must be directly and individually drawn or painted by the artist, not traced or  otherwise created over a base photo. 
  • Work must be exclusively the product of the artist. Work done in a class or workshop, online venue, or otherwise under the guidance or advice of an instructor, is not permitted. 
  • Work that has previously won a top award in any nationally or internationally competitive show (Best, 1,2,3), is not permitted. 

Pricing and Sales 

  • Work may be either For Sale or Not for Sale. For-sale work must be available exclusively through CMPS from March 15-April 30. Prices should reflect market value for similar work  by the artist. 
  • CMPS will process sales. CMPS will receive a 20% commission on all sold work, and will remit the balance to artists within 30 days of show close. All payments will be based on US dollar exchange rate for the local currency at the time of payment. 

For questions about this prospectus: [email protected] 

Show Staff 

Chair: Jane Robbins 
Pastels Plus on the Web: Alexia Rosoff Wilber

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on March 10, 2023.

You may view the notification in your ShowSubmit account by logging in and tapping the Notifications at the top right of the screen, or in your Entry History (Accepted works will be notated by a green check.)

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.

Note: Entries made prior to 2023 may not display the View Notification link.

Image and Filename Specifications

  • Submit your original JPEG image files.
  • Crop out all parts of the photo that are not the actual work; do not show mat, frame, etc, only the work itself.
  • Image must be displayed right side up.
  • You do not need to resize your image files.
  • You do not need to rename your image files.

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 (February 28, 2023.)
  • 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

For questions about the entry process or this website please contact ShowSubmit Support at [email protected]. We will get back to you between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday to Friday. You can also view the Support Center, Entry Guide, or our FAQ.