Pastel Society of the West Coast
Pastel Society of the West Coast

99 Voices in Pastel

37th Annual International Open Exhibition
Deadline is June 19th 2 weeks left to enter
Open to Non-Members
Grand View by Nancie King Mertz
Grand View by Nancie King Mertz
Open Shows

or to submit.

Deadline for entry: June 19, 2023

Exhibition Details

Pastels USA 37th Annual Pastels USA - 99 Voices In Pastel International Exhibition will be presented at the Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA August 31, - October 29, 2023. There will be an estimated $12,000 in awards, including a Best In Show Daniel E. Greene Memorial Award of $2,500. All accepted artists will have their painting displayed in the PSWC magazine, on the PSWC website, and on the PSWC Facebook Group page. The exhibition will have three Categories of Submission. Each category will have one juror of selection. Each show entrant will select the Category of Submission for their entries.

Our Best In Show Awards judge is Mary Platt, APR. Judging for Acceptance and Awards will be divided into three categories:

  1. Modern and Experimental · Marcia Holmes, Juror of Selection
  2. Contemporary Impressionism (includes plein air) · Tony Allain, Juror of Selection
  3. Contemporary Realism · Cuong Nguyen, Juror of Selection
There will be only ONE PAINTING selected for admission to the show with only one award per artist in any of the three categories.

Each category will have a $1000 First Place winner. There will an estimated $12,000 in awards along with 5 Juror cash and materials awards in each category.

Daniel E. Greene Memorial Award for Best in Show - $2500

Judge of Awards

Mary Platt, APR
Executive Director of the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University Orange, California, United States

Executive director of the Hilbert Museum since 2017 and a professor at Chapman University, Platt has demonstrated a history of successful leadership in working with museums, higher education, and major performing arts institutions across the United States. Nationally accredited public relations professional (APR), with deep experience in Arts Communications and Marketing, Higher Education, Nonprofit Organizations, Arts Education, Museum Education, and Curatorial. Prior to accepting the executive directorship at the Hilbert Museum, she served as Communications and Media Relations Director for Chapman University for over 12 years.
B.A., M.A., Michigan State University.

“You never know where life will lead you when you follow your muse—so never stop learning.”
— Mary Platt

Juror of Modern/Experimental

Marcia Holmes
New Orleans area artist, and native to Mississippi, she is a PSA Master, IAPS Eminent-MC, primarily an abstract pastelist, for 23 years. She has exhibited in over 17 solo gallery shows, with enumerable distinctions in juried group and museum exhibitions; notably, the prestigious Ogden Museum of Southern Art Louisiana Contemporary Exh.(LA), Butler Institute (OH), Lauren Rogers Museum of Art (permanent collection-MS), Festival International du Pastel - Feytiat & Salon du Pastel International-Giverny, France, Vose Galleries (MA), Salmagundi Club & National Arts Club (NY). Known for her water lily paintings, Marcia received Best Floral for her pastel by Plein Air Magazine (Oct. 2022-Plein Air Salon). Spring 2022, Marcia received Pastel Journal’s top Founder’s Award-Pastel 100 feature, and her abstract expressionist painting was juried into AWA “BREAKING THROUGH: The Rise of American Women Artists” - Customs House Museum (TN).

Juror of Contemporary Impressionism

Tony Allain
An award-winning painter instructor and author and has been painting for over 50 years. Memberships include the Pastel Society UK, A full member of the Royal Society of Marine Artist, UK. He is also an Eminent Pastelist and a member of the Master Circle of IAPS (International Association of Pastel Societies), a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and a Master Pastel Artists of New Zealand. Exhibitions include The Pastel Society of America in New York, The Royal Society of Marine Artists in London the inaugural International Pastel Exhibition in Suzhou China and the Pastel Society at the Mall Gallery in London.

Juror of Contemporary Realism

Cuong Nguyen
Trained to be a traditional portraitist at the age of 10 in his native Vietnam, Cuong has always had a passion for drawing human faces. His paintings depend on the dramatic portrayal of light, shadow, and environment to create their mood and sense of realism. He believes that a successful painting requires that he establish an emotional connection with his subject, so that the viewer in turn connects at an emotional level with his work. Cuong has been invited to teach around the globe, in places such as China, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Argentina, and Mexico. Cuong has won many awards for his paintings, including Prix de Pastel at the IAPS’s 2011 Master Circle Exhibition, Grand Prize Award 2010 Pastel Journal Magazine. Cuong earned his PSA Master Pastelist, Master Circle status of IAPS, and Distinguished Pastelist of PSWC.

Sales

All artwork must be FOR SALE. A 40% commission will be taken on all sales and sales will be handled by the PSWC.

Shipping

Monday, August 7, 2023: Shipped artworks deadline for receipt by Shipping Agent.

All Accepted work will receive email confirmation which will include Shipping Instructions.

Awards

Awards are both cash prizes, and gift certificates. In addition to donated awards, there will be a Best In Show Award, First Place, Second Place, and a Third Place Awards in each of the three Categories of Submission. Awards will be announced online, on Facebook, YouTube, and through an eBlast on August 25, 2023.

Eligibility

  • NO OIL PASTELS. DRY PASTELS ONLY.
  • Open to all artists over the age of 18.
  • At least 80% of the piece must be DRY PASTEL. Composition of work may not be taken from published photos or other artists' work.
  • Paintings based on photo must be from photo(s) taken by the artist themselves.
  • No use of optical projection, and no student work produced under supervision or instructor is eligible.
  • Work must have been completed within the last four (4) years.
  • No work accepted into any previous PSWC Pastels USA-99 Voices In Pastel will be accepted.
  • Paintings that have been accepted in the 2023 PSWC’s MOOS are eligible for entry into Pastels USA 37th Annual Pastels USA - 99 Voices In Pastel International Exhibition.
  • Entry fees are NON-REFUNDABLE; over-payment of any fee will be considered a donation to our Annual Scholarship Fund.

Entry Fees

  • 3 entries for $60, each additional entry is $15 up to 5 paintings for $90.
  • Entry fees are not refundable.
  • Overpayments will go to the PSWC Annual Scholarship Fund.
  • A maximum of ONE (1) painting per artist will be accepted into the exhibit.
  • Credit cards accepted.

Important Dates

Monday, August 7, 2023
Shipped artworks deadline for receipt by Shipping Agent

Friday, August 18 - 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM 
Art arrives at Museum directly from Artists and shipping agent

Tuesday, August 22 - 24 - 10:00 AM 
The Exhibition will be judged, and award winners determined

Thursday, August 31
Opening date of Exhibition

Saturday, September 9 - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM 
Opening Reception and Awarding of Prizes

Sunday, October 29
Closing date of Exhibit

Tuesday, October 31
Pick up of artwork by Shipping Agent

Wednesday, November 1 - 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM 
Pick up of artwork by individual artists

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed by the end of the day on July 5, 2023. We cannot respond to inquiries regarding the status of notifications before then.

Please add [email protected] to your email safe senders list.

After notifications are sent, you may view the status of your entry in your ShowSubmit artist account’s Entry History. Accepted works will be notated by a green check.

If you do not receive your email, you may also view your notification letter using the View Notification link in your Entry History.

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

Image and Filename Specifications

  • You do not need to resize or rename your image files.
  • 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 files are automatically resized to 300 dpi and 1500 pixels on the longest edge.
  • Image files are automatically renamed using your last name, first initial and the title of the work. e.g. Hamby_D_BeautifulDay.jpg

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 (June 19, 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.