The Pastel Society of Maine (PSME) promotes public awareness of soft pastels and creates a network for regional and international pastel artists. The membership of PSME meets regularly, often with an educational program or artist demonstration, either live or via Zoom. Other activities include paint-outs, paint-ins, retreats, workshops and exhibitions. We publish a newsletter on the website each season and have a well-stocked lending library available to all PSME members. PSME was originally established in 1999 as the Pastel Painters of Maine (PPOM). The organization is a 501c3 tax-exempt status and is, therefore, eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.

PSME currently has a membership of about 110 from Maine, across the U.S. and Canada. Our International Juried Exhibition Pastels Only, an annual event since 2000, includes a workshop or demonstration conducted by a nationally-known pastel artist who also usually judges the show. In 2020 the Exhibit went virtual on the website and included many international as well as local artists. We now alternate live and virtual international Open Exhibits.

Members are invited to participate in our annual non-juried member shows and Signature Member Shows and submit to the Open Exhibit and any IAPS Exhibit as being a member of PSME automatically makes one a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS).

Soft Pastel - the medium 

Pastel is the most pure and stable of all painting media as it is combined with the least amount of binder. Pastel is actually dry ground pigment mixed with a liquid binding solution such as gum tragacanth or gum arabic to form a paste that is then formed into a stick. Microscopically a particle of pastel is like a flake of mica with many reflecting surfaces.

Historically, pastel can be traced back to cave paintings such as Lascaux, where ground minerals were mixed with sap to create paint. Leonardo da Vinci used it for tinting his drawings. Pastel emerged as a major force in the 1700s. Rosalba Carriera was among the first to work exclusively in pastel. The impressionist era experimented with new pastel techniques in subjects such as landscapes and nudes. Artists Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Georgia O'Keeffe, Frank Reaugh, and James McNeil Whistler all feature pastels among their most vital works.

A good intro video to soft pastels by artist Michael Chesley Johnson HERE

2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SOCIAL MEDIA & CONNECTIONS

PSME Facebook page & PSME Instagram account share updates and promotions. [click for link]

PSME YouTube Channel with some public videos and unpublished videos for Members (contact PSME for the links)

PSME NEWSLETTER: PSME publishes a quarterly newsletter highlighting upcoming meetings, shows, workshops and classes, members' news, and notes and reminders from the PSME Board.

PSME MEMBERS: Please send your newsletter items to Mary Barrett, PSME Newsletter Editor, by completing the inquiry form here:  CONTACT PSME.