Pastel Society of the West Coast
Hilbert Museum of California Art
Pastels USA: 99 Voices
39th Annual International Open Exhibition August 23 – November 29, 2025 |Hilbert Museum of California Art
Deadline is July 1st.
5 weeks left to enter.
Open to Members and Non-Members.
Deadline is July 1st. Open to Members and Non-Members. To enter, visit:
showsubmit.com/show/pswc-pastels-usa-99-voices-2025
showsubmit.com/show/pswc-pastels-usa-99-voices-2025
2024 Best of Show, The Artist's Scarf by Laura Mocnik
Open Calls
or to submit.
Deadline for entry: July 1, 2025
There will be only ONE painting selected for admission to the show per artist.
Venue
Hilbert Museum at Chapman University
167 N. Atchison Street
Orange ca
(714) 516-5880
Hilbertmuseum.org
facebook.com/hilbertmuseum
167 N. Atchison Street
Orange ca
(714) 516-5880
Hilbertmuseum.org
facebook.com/hilbertmuseum
Awards
Judging for acceptance and awards will consider all entries together, regardless of painting style.
There will be an estimated $15,000 in awards, including cash awards for Best of Show, First, Second and Third Place.
Daniel E. Greene Memorial Award For Best in Show - $3,000
Wakeham/Sutherland Award First Place - $2,000
There will be an estimated $15,000 in awards, including cash awards for Best of Show, First, Second and Third Place.
Daniel E. Greene Memorial Award For Best in Show - $3,000
Wakeham/Sutherland Award First Place - $2,000
Exhibition Details
The 39th Annual Pastels USA – 99 Voices in Pastel International Exhibition will be presented at the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University from August 23 to November 29, 2025. There will be an estimated $15,000 in awards, including a Best in Show Daniel E. Greene Memorial Award of $3000 and a First Place Wakeham/Sutherland Award of $2000. All accepted artists will have their painting displayed in the PSWC magazine, on the PSWC website, and on the PSWC Facebook Group page. Artists will include a brief bio on the submission form for use by PSWC and the Hilbert Museum.
Our Awards Judge is Colette Odya Smith, Maître Pastelliste - Société des Pastellistes de France, IAPS- EP, MC, PSA-MP, PSNM-DP, WPA. Our jurors of selection are Marla Baggetta, Michael Freeman and Sandra Burshell.
Our Awards Judge is Colette Odya Smith, Maître Pastelliste - Société des Pastellistes de France, IAPS- EP, MC, PSA-MP, PSNM-DP, WPA. Our jurors of selection are Marla Baggetta, Michael Freeman and Sandra Burshell.
There will be only ONE painting selected for admission to the show per artist.
Judge of Awards
Colette Odya Smith is a lifelong Wisconsin native, and a painter of contemporary landscapes that often blur the distinctions between realism and abstraction. She earned her degree in Fine Art, Humanities, and Education at Macalester College in St. Paul, then taught public school art and raised two children. A pastel class at MIAD, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design set her on her career path for nearly 30 years now. Her paintings have been featured in several books and art publications and exhibited widely in the United States, France, Germany, and China. They have received over 70 regional, national, and international awards. Ms. Smith has written articles and juried for the Pastel Journal and The Artists Magazine. She has judged the prestigious international exhibitions of the Pastel Society of America and the International Association of Pastel Societies. She has been honored as a Maître Pastelliste by the Societe des Pastellistes de France, Master Pastelist and Advisory Board Member by the Pastel Society of America, Eminent Pastelist and Masters’ Circle member by the International Association of Pastel Societies, and Distinguished Pastelist by the Pastel Society of New Mexico. Her work hangs in public, corporate and private collections, including the Ming Gallery Museum of Pastel in Suzhou, China. She offers her work in the spirit of service.
Jurors of Selection
Marla Baggetta is a nationally acclaimed artist, a gifted instructor, and a pioneer in the realm of online art education. With a career spanning over three decades, Marla’s artistry has flourished in pastel, oil, and notably, abstract acrylic. Born with a passion for art, Marla honed her skills at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Following her graduation, she embarked on a successful 20-year journey as a commercial illustrator. Marla’s contribution to the art world extends beyond her paintings and workshops. She is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and an International Association of Pastel Societies Master Circle Recipient and a member of the American Impressionist Society. Her paintings have been featured in several books and publications and exhibited throughout the United States. She has been featured in the Pastel Journal, Plein Air Magazine, the Pastel Society of the West Coast Magazine and is the author of “Step by Step Pastel” by Walter Foster Publishing. She has judged the prestigious international exhibitions of the Pastel Society of America and the International Association of Pastel Societies.
Michael Freeman is an international award-winning hyper-realistic pastel artist from New Zealand. He has had a fascination with realism since childhood and in his paintings, he is always striving to create greater depth and feeling than can be achieved with a photograph. Michael is in an Eminent Pastelist in the International Association of Pastel Societies, Master Pastelist in Pastel Artists of New Zealand, Master Pastelist in Pastel Society of Australia, Signature Member in the Pastel Society of America, and has a Master of Fine Arts degree (University of Illinois, USA). Michael went to Elam School of Fine Arts (University of Auckland) to be a painter and left a product designer. However, after a long successful design career he decided to return to his passion for painting in 2010, starting initially with acrylics, before discovering the wonderful medium of pastel. Michael has won many awards internationally and has been exhibiting his work regularly since 2015. Michael and his wife, Julie, together teach workshops internationally and provide mentorship as Mastrius Master Artists.
Sandra Burshell is an Eminent Pastellist in the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) and a Master Pastellist in the Pastel Society of America. Her award-winning moody, atmospheric, and figurative pastel interiors have been exhibited internationally. Her pastels have been featured in many leading art magazines, such as Pratique Des Arts’ Special Pastel Issue, 2019 “La Figure Dans Tous Ses Etats," Pastel Journal Magazine May/June 2010 "The Romantic Space," Pastel Artist International "Ambience You Can Cut with a Knife," Artist’s Magazine "Creating Movement with Light," and American Artist Magazine "Picturing What People Leave Behind." Sandra was the IAPS Vice-President from its inception in 1994 through 2006, and a Degas Pastel Society Signature Officer. She has been represented by Carol Robinson Gallery, New Orleans, LA, for over 25 years. She was one of thirteen female U.S. pastel artists at the “Pastels of the World, Orangery of the Castle of Louviere, in Bourbonnais, France, June 2022. Sandra is the founder of the New Orleans Drawing Group (2005), a weekly figure drawing session, now in a Zoom format. Sandra gives pastel workshops nationally.
Michael Freeman is an international award-winning hyper-realistic pastel artist from New Zealand. He has had a fascination with realism since childhood and in his paintings, he is always striving to create greater depth and feeling than can be achieved with a photograph. Michael is in an Eminent Pastelist in the International Association of Pastel Societies, Master Pastelist in Pastel Artists of New Zealand, Master Pastelist in Pastel Society of Australia, Signature Member in the Pastel Society of America, and has a Master of Fine Arts degree (University of Illinois, USA). Michael went to Elam School of Fine Arts (University of Auckland) to be a painter and left a product designer. However, after a long successful design career he decided to return to his passion for painting in 2010, starting initially with acrylics, before discovering the wonderful medium of pastel. Michael has won many awards internationally and has been exhibiting his work regularly since 2015. Michael and his wife, Julie, together teach workshops internationally and provide mentorship as Mastrius Master Artists.
Sandra Burshell is an Eminent Pastellist in the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) and a Master Pastellist in the Pastel Society of America. Her award-winning moody, atmospheric, and figurative pastel interiors have been exhibited internationally. Her pastels have been featured in many leading art magazines, such as Pratique Des Arts’ Special Pastel Issue, 2019 “La Figure Dans Tous Ses Etats," Pastel Journal Magazine May/June 2010 "The Romantic Space," Pastel Artist International "Ambience You Can Cut with a Knife," Artist’s Magazine "Creating Movement with Light," and American Artist Magazine "Picturing What People Leave Behind." Sandra was the IAPS Vice-President from its inception in 1994 through 2006, and a Degas Pastel Society Signature Officer. She has been represented by Carol Robinson Gallery, New Orleans, LA, for over 25 years. She was one of thirteen female U.S. pastel artists at the “Pastels of the World, Orangery of the Castle of Louviere, in Bourbonnais, France, June 2022. Sandra is the founder of the New Orleans Drawing Group (2005), a weekly figure drawing session, now in a Zoom format. Sandra gives pastel workshops nationally.
Sales
A 20% commission will be taken by PSWC on all sales. Interested buyers will be referred directly to the artist by the museum. All sales transactions will be between the buyer and the artist.
Awards
Awards include cash prizes and merchandise. Best in Show, First, Second and Third place awards will be cash. Awards will be announced on Facebook, YouTube, on the PSWC website, and through email to all PSWC members. There will be an awards reception at the Hilbert Museum on August 30 from 6–8pm.
Eligibility
- Open to artists over the age of 18.
- At least 80% of the piece must be DRY PASTEL (no oil pastels).
- Submissions must be entirely the work of the artist and not copied from other artists’ work, photos or publications. Any reference photo used must be taken by the artist themselves. No use of optical projections, digital assistance, or work produced under supervision of instructor is eligible.
- Work must have been completed in the last 3 years (July 1, 2022 or newer), as confirmed on submission form.
- Paintings of nudes will be considered.
- Once accepted, works cannot be withheld from the exhibition under a penalty of a two-year exclusion from future juried PSWC exhibitions. Please consider shipping costs, shipping agent fee ($60), insurance and potential sales commissions prior to submission of work.
- Work cannot have won any award in a national or international open juried pastel show (or the PSWC MOOS) by the time of the submission deadline for Pastels usa.
- Work cannot be exhibited in any other national or international open juried pastel show concurrently, whether online or in person.
- Work that has been accepted into MOOS, without winning an award, or work that has won an award in a member only show other than PSWC MOOS is still eligible for entry.
- Artists are strongly discouraged from submitting works that appear to duplicate, or be closely derivative of a painting previously accepted into any PSWC show.
Please note: Works that are accepted or receive awards will only count toward PSWC signature or higher status if the artist is a current member at the time of submission. A lapse in membership may result in lost points toward member status.
Entry Fees
Does not include your cost for shipping and handling of accepted works.
- 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 are accepted.
Note regarding accepted works
- The Museum reserves the right to remove pieces from the exhibit that are poorly prepared or not compatible with the exhibit or framing/matte/hanging guidelines.
- Works must be framed with these framing standards: mats must be white, off white, tan, beige, black, or gray; frames should be simple in design (no ornate, bright, or carved frames).
- Artwork must be ready to hang on picture hanging wire, or D rings.
- Absolutely no sawtooth hangers.
Shipping Agent note
- You may choose to ship to our agent or deliver your painting directly to the Museum.
- If shipping, you must use an Airfloat Systems box or Uline Deluxe Artwork Shipper box. No other packaging will be accepted.
- Be prepared to insure your painting from the time it leaves your door to its return. No other insurance will cover damage or loss of your painting except while it is hanging at the Museum.
Disclaimer/Legal
Accepted images may be used in Pastels USA advertising and on PSWC and/or Museum websites. Entry into this exhibition constitutes agreement with this understanding.
Additional Notification Information
Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on July 10, 2025.
You may view the notification in your ShowSubmit account by logging in and clicking tapping the Notifications at the top right of the screen, or in your Entry History.
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
- 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 (July 1, 2025.)
- 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 PSWC or this Prospectus, please contact Lynn Attig ([email protected]) or Pam Comfort ([email protected]).
For technical support or entry questions, first check our Help Center or Entry Guide. If you still need help, email ShowSubmit Support ([email protected]). We’ll respond between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.