Will be participating in this event!
You're Invited!
Join us for an open house during the 2025 Open Studio Tour weekend, Nov. 14 -16! Come and see our new classroom, studio, and workspace.
Will be participating in this event!
Join us for an open house during the 2025 Open Studio Tour weekend, Nov. 14 -16! Come and see our new classroom, studio, and workspace.
Christy Olsen was the guest speaker for last month's Tucson Pastel Society general meeting. She is a noted Tucson pastelist, our vice president, a teacher at the Art Verve Academy, and an engineer. She has a B.A. in Art History and Anthropology and a B.S. in Computer Science.
Review by Ellen Cholski,
Published by Tucson Pastel Society,
Newsletter, April 2025. Vol. 4, p. 2.
| Published Newsletter Article |
Christy explained the different pastel painting types, which include blended and smooth, broken color techniques, and underpaintings created with alcohol and a brush. Using alcohol with a brush can create a look similar to oil paint.
The ink underpainting process begins with a brayer. You can create random marks on any color of paper, let the ink dry, and then set it aside for later use in planning a pastel painting.
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| Gel Plates and Botanicals |
Ink can be applied over botanicals, household items, or stencils. By using a Gelli plate, with a softer and more yielding surface, you can achieve clearer and more defined images in your ink prints.
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| Demonstrating ink underpainting with expressive marks |
Different brands of ink can provide either a shiny or matte finish when dry, and using various colors of ink adds interest to your work. Your imagination is the only limit, often leading to surprising results.
You can access information about inks and pastels on the Art Verve Education blog website at artverve.info. The Art Verve Academy website at artverve.org has information on classes taught by Christy and other teachers.
Thank you, Christy, for an informative, interesting, and fun program!
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. Find them online at tucsonpastelsociety.org.
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April 16, 2025 (2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
TPS Art Center
2447 N. Los Altos Ave. Tucson, Arizona 85705
This event was open to the general public and TPS art guild members. Admission was free.
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. I
Combine the spontaneity of drawing, painting, or printmaking using ink in your underpaintings. Underpaintings may be seen in the final piece or covered completely. Join us for an interactive demonstration where we'll use a gel plate, brayer, or brush to create your own unique aesthetics or mark-making, which does not require a lot of expensive materials.
This demonstration will have some materials available for the audience to experiment with throughout the demonstration.
Caught on a Limb.
Pastel (dry medium) over ink. On archival paper. 9x12.
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. Find them online at tucsonpastelsociety.org.
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April 16, 2025 (2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
Tucson Pastel Society Art Center
2447 N. Los Altos Ave. Tucson, Arizona 85705
This event was open to the general public and TPS art guild members. Admission was free.
Seeking New Pastures and Daisies Unite were juried into this museum art gallery exhibition!
Seeking New Pastures.
Pastel (dry medium) over ink. On toned paper. 18x24.
Daisies Unite.
Pastel (dry medium) over ink. On toned paper. 18x24.
For the spring 2025 season, the Four Corners Gallery will host a spectacular juried art show and sale, Pastel Expressions, in collaboration with the Tucson Pastel Society. The exhibition opens on March 19 and runs until April 26. Jurors selected sixty fine art pieces in the pastel medium, which include a wide range of subject matter, such as landscape, figure, abstract, or still life.
| Website Announcement |
This juried art show and sale is open to the general public from Wednesday, March 19, through Saturday, April 26, 2025.
Admission to the gallery and the exhibition is free. Admission to enter the Museum is required.
The exhibition awards, sponsored by Holbein and Uart, will be announced at the artist's reception on Saturday, March 22, 2025 (12:00 PM—4:00 PM). Refreshments and live entertainment from Christopher Archer will also be provided.
Christopher Archer is a professional musician, and his chosen instrument is the 4-string plectrum banjo. He prefers to play soft background music with familiar songs from the 1930s through the 1960s. His music career began at age 15, winning 2nd place in the American Banjo Competition. Since then, he has played everything from Ragtime to Beethoven, headlining shows in Branson, Montana, and he spent years as the starring act on Holland America cruises and stints at Disneyworld.
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. Find them online at tucsonpastelsociety.org.
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Tony Allain and Jen Evenhus are internationally recognized fine artists and master pastelists.
The Tucson Desert Art Museum presents thought-provoking exhibitions that explore the Southwest's art, history, and cultures. Nowhere else in Tucson will you find such a variety of regional art drawn from many cultural traditions. Find them online at TucsonDArt.org.
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The Museum hosts national exhibitions from the Smithsonian Institution, Women Artists of the West, and American Women Artists to display various artistic styles and intriguing artwork. The Museum artifacts features a world-class collection of Native American textiles, classic and contemporary paintings, photography, and digital media.
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| Tucson Desert Art Museum Complex Front Door, located in Santa Fe Square, advertising the show. |
The Museum rotates special exhibits annually, and the Four Corners Gallery offers original paintings and sculptures for purchase, as well as Native American jewelry and pottery.
| Tucson Desert Art Museum Complex Courtyard, located in Santa Fe Square. |
Located at 7000 East Tanque Verde Road, just west of Udall Park, and surrounded by magnificent panoramic views of the Catalina and Rincon mountains, the Museum is becoming a center for art, culture, and education on Tucson's east side. Its motto is "Visualize history through art." It invites guests to immerse themselves in history through beautiful art!
7000 E Tanque Verde Rd,
Tucson, Arizona 85715
Located in Santa Fe Square, the entrance faces Sabino Canyon Road on the east side of the complex, behind Chase Bank.
They offer our museum members free parking in the parking lot opposite the Museum. Other parking spaces are located within the complex off of Tanque Verde Road.
Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays, and any Major Holidays
Wednesday - Saturday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
520-202-3888
Museum: TucsonDArt.org
Four Corners Gallery: TucsonDArt.org/shop
Photos from the installation.
| Installation |
| Installation |
Received first place award from the exhibition juror, Tony Allain, for Daisies Unite..
| Installation |
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.