Marsha Savage, “Providence Canyon”
2025 ‘All About Pastel’ Juried Members Exhibition,
Second Place (Master Pastelist)
Exhibitions
Southeastern Pastel Society's 2025 Spring 'All About Pastel' Juried Members Exhibition
March 22 – April 30, 2025
The SPS juried In Person Members Only Exhibition titled “All About Pastel” again demonstrates to the art community just how luminous, vibrant and versatile this medium behaves on varied surfaces. Members and their guests were invited to attend the opening reception and ceremony March 22, 2025, held from 5-7pm EST at the Alpharetta Arts Center. We are thrilled to announce that we received 213 paintings from 74 artists residing in 13 states in the US and from 1 additional country. A total of 101 paintings were selected from an impressive body of work and will be displayed through April 30th.
It was not an easy choice for the Juror of Selection and Awards, Karen Margulis, a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and a Masters Circle recipient of the International Association of Pastel Societies, as well as faculty member of IAPS to choose the winning paintings.
As SPS includes artists at many levels of proficiency, we are on our fourth year of implementing two categories:
Master Division and Member of Excellence/Member Division. Our Master Division allows the individual to add SPSMP to their signature. The designation indicates the artist has won awards in three of our SPS shows.
Our organization has been showcasing the pastel medium for 38 years. We are grateful for our Sponsors who have supported SPS. We’d like to thank Austin Hamby at ShowSubmit for providing a user friendly exhibition website as well as working fluidly with the artists and submissions chair. Also, thanks so much to the volunteers at SPS who give their time to produce an exciting art exhibition.
We awarded $5,800 in cash awards and $2,300 gift prizes to 13 artists. We would like to thank our In-Kind Exchange with Pastel Society of Japan, PSA, and Chicago Painters.
Juror's Comments
Karen Margulis is a full time artist and art educator. She lives in Atlanta Georgia with her husband Michael. Karen received her BA in Education from the University of Florida. She currently teaches painting workshops around the world.
Karen is a contemporary landscape painter. She works in most painting media but has achieved recognition for her pastel paintings. She has exhibited her award winning work around the world and has been reviewed by Pastel Journal for her wildflower paintings. She is a Master Pastelist member of the Pastel Society of America and has achieved Eminent Pastelist status with the International Association of Pastel Societies. She has been a faculty member at the prestigious IAPS Convention, the Plein Air Convention and the online Pastel Live conference.
JUDGE’S STATEMENT
It was an honor to judge this exhibition. It is always wonderful to see the versatility of our beautiful medium of pastel. The paintings were of a high caliber which made selecting the award winners especially difficult. When I judge I first look for the successful handling of the ‘nuts and bolts’ of a strong painting as I describe below.
Does the design/composition of the elements in the painting lead me through the painting? Is there an area with more clarity (the star) and other areas to add interest and support the ‘star’? Are there areas of rest along the journey through the painting? Are there interesting shapes and negative shapes? Is there an interesting visual journey for the viewer?
Is there a strong and simple map of values in the painting? Are the values cohesive? Is there an interesting arrangement of value shapes?
Color. Is there pleasing color harmony in the painting? Is there interesting use of color? Is there a balance between intense and neutral color?
In addition paintings have an emotional component. Does the painting draw me in and tell a story? Do I want to keep coming back to discover more? Sometimes a painting may not be strong in every category but has a strong emotional pull or story. Or a painting may be technical perfect yet have no emotion. Ultimately I look for art that pull me in and keep me looking.
I enjoyed this show immensely. The quality of the work was excellent and it wasn’t easy to choose the awards. I ‘d like to congratulate everyone who entered the show. As Irwin Greenberg tells us: “Prizes are nice but the real competition is with yesterday’s performance”. Keep painting with joy!
Best in Show Award, Jeff Slemons A Second Slice
This is such a joyful painting and it made me smile every time I viewed it. It conveys such a happy time and the image stayed with me even after I was no longer viewing the paintings in the exhibition. It has staying power! At first glance it seems like a simple still life set up but the attention to value, color and composition is elevated. The forks do the work of leading the viewer from one piece of cake to the next. The color is moving us around by the way of the expressive mark making. Look at the yellow marks for example. The blue marks at the top of the painting draw the viewer into the painting and the smaller colorful marks echo the shape of the sprinkles on the cake. The expressive use of color and marks create visual pathways so the viewer enjoys the entire painting. There is such a joyful and confident handling of pastel in the painting!
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Master Pastelist Awards
First Place Award (Master Pastelist), Connie Lynn Reilly, Bouquet
This painting has it all. There is excellence drawing and handling of pastel.The softness of the background allow the girl to be the star! This painting is an excellent example of creating a visual journey for the viewer.The ribbon on the girl’s dress pulls up into the painting where we get a peek of her expression through the flowers. The swoop of her hair pulls the eye to her bow and back around to enjoy her expression. The colors in the flowers and bow are moving around the painting and are echoed in the background for a good visual connection.
Second Place Award (Master Pastelist), Marsha Hamby Savage, Providence Canyon
This painting is an explosion of interesting colors and expressive marks with a touch of mystery. I am pulled into the story and my eye moves around the painting by the effective use of repetition of colors and marks with enough variation to make it exciting. There is just enough detail for the viewer to participate and explore. The artist has done a wonderful job of keeping me engaged.
Third Place Award (Master Pastelist), Luana Luconi Winner, Wheeling Series: Rack & Roll
It is the emotional pull of the story that grabs me first. Where are they going? I feel the excitement of the road trip. I enjoy this interesting point of view with the focus on the bicycles and the wonderfully painted detail. The expressive quality of the background treatment gives depth to the scene. Overall this is a joyful painting that invites the viewer to participate in the story.
Honorable Mention (Master Pastelist), Junko Ono Rothwell, Weaver
Not only is this a beautifully painted figure, it has an intriguing story that keeps me coming back. I want to know more about what the figure is weaving. The composition and treatment of light and shadows are perfect. The viewer is drawn to the light and the figure’s gaze draws us to the red square. The more abstract quality to the background contrasts so well with the more refined center area which keeps us engaged. I want to linger and learn more about this woman and what she is making.
Member of Excellence Awards
First Place (Member of Excellence), Mary Ann Cox, Horseplay
This painting pulls you into the story! There is so much movement in the figures and activity in the distant figures in the water. I can almost hear the laughing and excited squeals of the people in the water. The figures are painted with simple strokes and an excellent use of suggested detail yet so much is conveyed here. I want to know more about the dynamics between the two children. The boy running towards the water leads us perfectly to the action in the water where we become a part of the scene. I enjoy the way the artist portrays the light and effectively uses color to create a scene that pulls me in over and over.
Second Place (Member of Excellence), Diana L Coidan, Mom’s Teapot
There is a subtlety in this painting that is captivating. This is a beautifully painted still life that has excellent drawing and treatment of composition, value and edges. The spare use of color allows the kettle to be the star and the dents and rust help tell a story. This painting takes an ordinary subject and elevates it. I enjoy the simplicity and calm of this painting.
Third Place (Member of Excellence), Catherine LaPointe Vollmer, Greet the Dawn
I want to linger in this landscape and enjoy the view! This painting has a wonderful composition and visual journey for the viewer with the trees perfectly framing the view and inviting us into the distance. The color palette works well to capture the light and warmth of the day. There is a great connection between the sky and ground with the yellow and touch of green in the sky. I enjoy the mark making in this painting. The marks help describe the elements in the painting giving it rich texture and depth.
Honorable Mention (Member of Excellence), Hilda Kurtz, Ready
This portrait makes me smile! The drawing is excellent and the treatment of the pastel is wonderful. I enjoy the composition giving extra space above the boy. Beyond the wonderful technical aspects it is the attitude and expression on the face of the boy that captivates me. I am intrigued and want to know the story behind his expression and that keeps me coming back to figure it out!
Member Awards
First Place Award (Member), Alex Eisenzopf, Wyman’s Alley
This painting keeps me coming back. My eye keeps moving around exploring the nooks and crannies of the buildings. I follow the shadow shape up the side of the building and the roof angle and linear marks pull me back to the sliver of light. This is when I discover a hidden surprise….a figure along the back wall! The figure is the same value as the wall so he blends in but adds interest to the scene. I enjoy the handling of pastel in this painting. It really shows the versatility of pastel with the linear drawing marks contrasting with the expressive marks on the buildings. It is both simple and complex at the same time.
Second Place Award (Member), William Schneider, Nightlife
This is a beautifully painted portrait which has an intriguing story. There is a masterful handling of the medium with expressive mark making and use of color. I enjoy the simplicity of the background that hints at the story behind the expression on the girl. I am interested in what she is thinking about. What is her story? This keeps me coming back.
Third Place Award (Member), Kaitlin Giada Craig, Marshland Lullaby
I can feel the warm sunlight and can see myself sitting on the bench and enjoying the view. There is wonderful play of light and shadows in this painting. The build up of linear marks in the trees trunks shows a wonderful use of pastel and is an interesting contrast to the smoother marks in the foreground. I enjoy the composition of the tree which gives the viewer the perfect window to enjoy the distant view.
Honorable Mention (Member), Linda Richichi, Hidden Waterfall
This painting is a good example of creating a visual journey for the viewer. The stream pulls the eye back into the painting to the sunlit rocks and up to the top of the waterfall. The plant of light and shadows helps creates ‘stepping stones’ around the painting. I enjoy the expressive quality of the mark making with a good use of suggestive detail.
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