“Pastel as a medium is rapidly gaining recognition around the world, and it’s one that simply cannot be ignored,” said Eric Rhoads at the 4th annual Pastel Live (September 18-20). “Whether you’ve already mastered other art forms or are just beginning your artistic journey, pastel offers something unique, vibrant, and incredibly rewarding.”
We saw this first-hand with incredible pastel painting lessons from the likes of Lisa Skelly, Shawn Dell Joyce, Judy Leeds, Robert Lemler, Vera Kavura, Carol Peebles, Suzanne Godbout, Alain Picard, and many more.
And we had attendees from 14 countries and 49 states. Were you one of them? If you missed out, join us next year!
“Tell yourself right now: I can do this. It’s not a question of whether or not you can — it’s simply that you haven’t learned how yet,” Eric said. “All it takes is paying attention and then using the techniques you’ve seen done.”
Highlights from Pastel Live
In “Composition and Strong Design,” Lisa Skelly shared what she wishes she had learned (or listened to) when she started her pastel journey years ago. She painted a field of lavender, starting with the rule of thirds to decide on the focal point.
“Excellent instruction! So enjoyable…cannot wait to dive in. I’ve been painting for years, and still learning so much already!” ~ Sandra B.
Shawn Dell Joyce, who founded the Wallkill River School of Art, led us through her mark-making and pastel application techniques, including a handy tool she uses to apply the rule of thirds to her compositions. For Pastel Live, Shawn painted a near-crashing wave coming onto the beach.
Sharing a demo from her donut series, Judy Leeds painted a “jelly sandwich” still life with an emphasis not only on technique, but also composition and movement.
“Having a unique, personal point of view in your painting is very important,” Judy says. “Also, a bit of humor doesn’t hurt.”
Robert Lemler led us through the last demo of the day, painting a compelling side-profile portrait from a model. He used a smoothly finished black paper and very soft pastels, which he says allow him to establish his blended underpainting in a relatively short time frame. Working from the general to the specific (big shapes to small shapes), he brought together the elements of tone, color, and shape. He also explained that the drawing or shape refinement is not a preliminary step, but an ongoing process.
Carol Peebles worked mostly with hard pastels and ended with soft pastels, which she says are the “icing on the cake” for a variety of color textures in her approach. She then used pencils, as you can see here, for the final details of the portrait she created.
French-Canadian pastelist Suzanne Godbout explained how she uses the golden ratio for her still life composition, featuring a silver pot with intensely yellow lemons, which she balanced with touches of red and blue in the rest of the painting. She says, “Feelings and artistic choices are what guide me to decide when to stop refining, just enough to express my vision.”
Alain Picard shared a painterly approach to the figure with rich color and expressive mark making. While painting a ballerina, he demonstrated how there’s power in big shapes versus details, how dramatic light and shadow capture the essence of form, and how to vary the edges so you can direct the viewer’s eye.
“[Alain] makes magic happen.” ~ Michele G.
“Can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this demo. Extraordinary teaching and beautiful portrait. Thank you, Carol. Will be watching this again!” ~ Helen H.
“Unbelievable experience. So excited for the rest of the week!” ~ Wendy P.
“Excited that a lot of this is really sinking in and impacting my abilities.” ~ Eugenia G.
“Great program…4th time here, still learning something new every time. Worked last night and rushed home to be here👍😁just super wow!” ~ Ruth S.
We’d like to thank every single one of our attendees for being a part of this event – you are the ones who help us keep going, as we all continue to inspire each other to grow, learn, and connect in this incredible world of art. We hope to see you at the next online event, Realism Live in November, along with more master teachers that we’re bringing to you.
And visit PastelLive.com now and register for the best personal instruction and live interactions with artists from all over the world at the 5th Annual Pastel Live, taking place September 17-19, 2025, with an Essential Techniques Day on September 16. We’ll see you there!
