Jan. 19, 26 & Feb. 2, Sunday Afternoon at B.Marie's Atelier & Gallery via the Art Verve Academy.
Are you eager to explore the delicate beauty of clouds? Whether you're looking to get started or deepen your understanding of the pastel medium, you'll learn the techniques needed to capture the ever-changing nature of the sky, from soft, wispy clouds to dramatic storm clouds, all in rich, vibrant colors.
Invited to demonstrate and lecture!
Sponsored by the Tucson Pastel Society (TPS), this event will be held in the TPS Art Center in Tucson, Arizona. It is open to the general public and members of the guild. Admission is at no charge.
Pastel is a medium used for sketching, drawing, or painting since the Renaissance, not an aesthetic. PanPastel® is the world’s first range of pastel colors that can be mixed and applied like paint. They are professional artists’ quality soft pastel colors in a unique cake-like or pan format. They may be used by themselves or with the pastel medium.
This demonstration will have PanPastels® available for the audience to experiment with throughout the demonstration. We’ll do some mark-making exercises focused on techniques specific to PanPastel® medium and then demonstrate how to use them with regular pastels.
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| Donatello. 5x7. Pastel and panpastel on paper by Christy Olsen. |
November 20, 2024 (2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
TPS Art Center
2447 N. Los Altos Ave. Tucson, Arizona 85705
The Tucson Pastel Society (TPS) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization established to advocate and promote the pastel medium and have fun doing art in the communities it serves. TPS is an active and vital art organization for pastel artists to flourish, fostering the skills and camaraderie of its members while encouraging community awareness of dry pastel fine art by offering exhibitions and events. For more information, visit the Tuscon Pastel Society.org.
Sep. 14, 21, & 28, Saturday Afternoons at TPS Art Center via the Art Verve Academy.
Pastel is a medium used for sketching, drawing, or painting since the Renaissance, not an aesthetic. It is unique in that you only need a piece of paper to get going. These classes are perfect for those who want to start working with pastels. We'll focus on using the materials to achieve a specific desired outcome or to enhance visual art effects.
Daisies Unite was juried into the museum art gallery exhibition!
Pastel (dry medium) over ink. On toned paper. 18x24.
Thirty paintings will be exhibited in the Amerind Museum art gallery and priced for sale. Each fine art piece captures the artist's inspiration to create an original using the traditional medium of pastels in our modern world. The collection of works will demonstrate the unique beauty of pastel painting, truly revealing "The Power of Pastels." Thirty juried pieces include a wide range of subject matter, such as landscape, figure, abstract, or still life.
Nancie King Mertz is an internationally recognized fine artist and master pastelist.
June 1, 2024 - November 30, 2024
This event is open to the general public. Admission to the museum is required for any dates and times.
Saturday, October 5, 2024 (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM)
Light snacks and refreshments will be served.
Members from the Tucson Pastel Society will be painting from life around the museum grounds prior to lunch on the day of the reception, and they welcome anyone to watch them paint. Note that if you plan to stay all day, bring a lunch. There are no restaurants close by.
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| Exhibition Invitation |
Explore Amerind, a museum of Native American art, history, culture, archaeology, and Western art. Amerind is an academic research center, museum, art gallery, historic property, scenic destination, and community gathering place where you may learn about Native American history and their contemporary lives. Indigenous communities share their traditional knowledge with all who visit.
Since 1937, they have been dedicated to preserving and illuminating the cultural objects and traditions of the Native Peoples of the Americas. What began as founder William Shirley Fulton's passion for archaeology grew into decades of research advancements and cross-cultural understanding.
2100 N. Amerind Road PO Box 400,
Dragoon, Arizona 85609
Amerind is located in Cochise County, Arizona, one mile south of I-10, an hour east of Tucson, between Benson and Willcox.
Take Exit #318, Dragoon Road (I-10 to Exit 318)
The Amerind entrance is on the left (just past mile marker 1)
2100 N. Amerind Road, Dragoon, Arizona 85609
Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Closed: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM for lunch each day
Closed: Mondays and any Major Holidays
The Tucson Pastel Society (TPS) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization established to advocate and promote the pastel medium, unite pastel artists, and organize professional development and artistic growth opportunities that increase the community's awareness of the versatility and value of pastel fine art.
Published by Canvas Rebel on January 1, 2024.
We were lucky to catch up with Christy Olsen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Christy, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
On a hot summer’s day in 2015, a local artist’s guild in Tucson, Arizona, received an unexpected donation that changed everything. A non-profit organization called “Singles & Friends” decided to disband their organization after 43 years and donate their building and assets.
The Tucson Pastel Society (TPS), an existing 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, accepted the 1,832 sq. ft. open space building conveniently located at 1st and Grant. It was perfect for studio art classes and workshops. Soon after, TPS would call upon the community to help fund building maintenance and renovations to bring it up to city code.
A small group of artists with the determination and vision to cultivate the visual arts community of Southern Arizona stepped up to assist. They rented the building to teach adult art classes. Their program was well received, and more classes were requested.
In the spring of 2016, a mobile school was born called the Art Verve Academy with the mission to enable adults at any skill level to learn, create, or practice the 2D visual arts within a studio environment, community, or in-person setting.
It was the best investment I ever made regarding time, funding, and personal commitment! Starting into our 8th year, it’s been an enormous return on inspiration, creativity, and personal gratification.
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| Desert Mesquite, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen |
Christy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a fine artist. My work has been shown in multiple juried exhibitions, galleries, and selected solo shows across the United States. I teach adult studio art classes at the Art Verve Academy. I am an active member of the local Tucson Arts Community and have also instructed multiple international art workshops abroad in Italy.
My most recent juried exhibition was at the Herberger Theater in Phoenix, AZ. My most notable juried exhibition was the Power of Pastels, exhibited in the Ironwood Gallery at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, where I received an honorable mention for my work. I have also shown in juried exhibitions at the Porter Hall Gallery in the Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Best and the Brightest juried exhibition at the Scottsdale Artist’s School Gallery.
I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, as a third-generation artist and grew up within a family of oil painters who encouraged me to be creative. My family took me to multiple museums and notable art exhibitions that I remember affectionately.
My visual art skills developed from formal education, drafting, self-directed practice, experimentation, and tutelage under several contemporary masters. When most university curriculums did not offer representational or figurative arts in the ’90s, she chose to study the Old Masters via the classroom instead. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in Art History & Anthropology.
I am also a member of the last generation of drafters formally trained to draw with pencil on vellum paper before computer-aided design software. My earliest professional drafting experience was architectural blueprints and technical drawings I meticulously drew by hand. I also successfully worked as a systems engineer and earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
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| Saguaro on a Sunday, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen |
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There are numerous aspects, but if I had to pick one, it would be the connections I create with others through art. Working alone in the studio can be solitary, but it doesn’t have to be. You can create with others or build an entire community around art with other artists or creatives, which enriches my life.
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| Saguaro on a Sunday, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen |
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Yes, I always want to keep learning and growing. I’ve been a perfectionist for most of my life, but those days are over! I have since learned “how to fail” early and as often as possible. I have gotten used to working outside my comfort zone so I can take my work to the next level.
Reference
Wright, James (2024, January 18). Meet Christy Olsen. Canvas Rebel Magazine. Retrieved from canvasrebel.com/meet-christy-olsen-2 on January 18, 2018.
Delve into the captivating world of monotypes, an enchanting printmaking technique that needs no traditional press and may be taken with you on the go! Monotypes combine the spontaneity of drawing, painting, and printmaking and are renowned for their individuality and expressiveness via the Art Verve Academy.
Discover the freedom of spontaneous mark-making. This class will have everything you need to try this unique and forgiving medium! Learn the various methods, tools, and materials to produce one-of-a-kind evocative prints. Learn to manipulate ink, textures, and surfaces. The possibilities to create stand-alone artwork that may be realistic, painterly, or abstract are limitless!
Meets: Saturday Afternoons, 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Dates: Feb. 3, 10, & 17
Location: TPS Art Center (2447 N. Los Altos Ave., Tucson, Arizona 85705)
Instructor: Christy Olsen
Format: Lecture & demonstration, studio practice with individual feedback, and one-on-one instruction.
Level: No prior experience is necessary. Just be open to trying new drawing methods or tools!
Medium: Printmaking (Akua ink or waterbased oils)
Technique: How to create a monotype using the additive and subtractive methods.
Materials: The instructor will email the materials list before the first day of class.
Review by Ellen Cholski, published by TPS, December 2023. p. 2.
Christy Olsen was the guest speaker for our November meeting. She is a noted Tucson pastelist who is our vice president, a teacher at the Art Verve Academy, and an engineer. She has a B.A. degree in Art History and Anthropology as well as a B.S. in Computer Science.
All about Degas was the title of her interactive presentation. Edgar Degas was a French impressionist famous for his pastel and oil paintings, especially of dancers. He was also an avid user of monoprints in his paintings. While showing examples of his work, Christy shared that these monoprints helped him be painterly and loose.
Monoprints or monotypes create an image that can only be printed once with sometimes one additional ghost image. Christy demonstrated how to make a monoprint. She uses Akua ink because it dries quickly and prefers Strathmore printmaking paper. First, she placed ink on a glass pane and then rolled the ink smooth with a brayer. Then she drew in the ink with her finger covered with a baby wipe and mentioned how a variety of devices could be used to make a design. Once she had her desired design, she placed paper over it and pressed the paper with a clean brayer to make the monoprint. This is printing without a press.
Christy enjoys responsive drawing on paper that already has a design. Sometimes instead of a monoprint, she will use an inked brayer to make the marks for her background. Her advice was not to be meticulous and always experiment to make new discoveries. At the end of her presentation, we had the opportunity to either make a monoprint or paint on an already prepared monoprint. Thank you, Christy.
