"Glimmer" in the IAPS Show at Vose Galleries

Thrilled to be showing in, "The International Association of Pastel Societies' 24th Juried Exhibition at Vose Galleries"

On Saturday, May 10 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. the public is invited to the opening festivities at Vose Galleries, 238 Newbury St., Boston, which will feature an afternoon of artist demonstrations and tours of the exhibition

The International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) is pleased to announce its 24th Juried Exhibition to be held from May 10 – June 21, 2014 at the venerable Vose Galleries of Boston. This IAPS exhibition will feature soft pastel paintings by 76 contemporary artists, selected from over 850 entries. Hailing from twenty-nine states, British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, and Queensland, Australia, the finalists are some of the most prolific and important contemporary pastel artists in the world. The show will display how this luminous medium is inspiring artists and advancing the quality, prestige and value of pastel painting.

Weekend Portrait Workshop

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I recently taught a weekend workshop with a group of inspiring artists as we developed our portrait techniques and approaches. What a wonderful time we had together!

The weekend began Friday evening with a full portrait demonstration in pastel. 

It's so exciting to see workshop participants push themselves right out of their comfort zones to apply these new techniques and learnings to their work. The results are always amazing!

How To Sharpen Hard Pastels

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Sharpening Hard Pastels can be an art in itself and make a difference in your mark-making. Many have contacted me, asking how I sharpen my hard pastels. This video will show you how! Learn my simple technique for sharpening your hard pastels and improving the details of your pastel paintings.

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Delayed Gratification

I’ve been working on a pair of heirloom portraits for months now. These life-sized, oil on linen portraits of two lovely siblings have been developing steadily under my constant care. Every stage of the process stewarded with the greatest attention to detail and ongoing collaboration with the wonderful family I was commissioned by. We’ve charted quite a journey together bringing this art to life.

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You know, sometimes we paint for immediate gratification, and enjoy the finished result in just a few hours. Yet at other times—in an effort to create work that will benefit generations to come—we paint with a much longer-term view. This kind of creative work requires much patience and perseverance, but it's well worth the wait knowing that I’m creating art that will last. Perhaps in art-making, as in many areas of life, greater satisfaction is derived from delayed gratification. Looking forward to sharing the finished products with you very soon!

Pastel 100 Competition Honorable Mention Winner

I'm thrilled to announce that my pastel painting, "Prima Ballerina," has won an Honorable Mention in the Portrait & Figure Category of the 15th Annual Pastel 100 Competition, hosted by the Pastel Journal magazine. For the complete list of finalists, visit artistnetwork.com

 I’ve been fortunate to win many competitions over the years and now I help other aspiring artists do the same in my Courses and Workshops.

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Take a look at my upcoming pastel painting courses to see how you can join us to hone your skills and become the next award-winning artist.

Videos No. 2 & 3 Pastel Techniques for Painterly Portraits and Painting Skin Tones in Pastel

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These DVDs are no longer available but if you or looking for more of my educational content visit the Store for the latest videos and books or sign up to learn about our upcoming live workshops and courses.   

New Video: Essential Techniques For Pastel Portraits

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Coming this summer, my new three-DVD set of art instructional videos focused on pastel portraits from North Light DVD. The first video reveals a host of portrait techniques to fill your visual toolbox. Look for the set to be available on artistsnetwork.tv and northlIghtshop.com by August. 

These DVDs are no longer available but if you or looking for more of my educational content visit the Store for the latest videos and books or sign up to learn about our upcoming live workshops and courses.  

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Art About Town, Opening Night Street Party

Live Street Portraits by Alain J. Picard

Westport's Art About Town kicked off with an opening night street party on Thursday night, May 30. I had a wonderful time painting live pastel portraits on the streets of downtown Westport. With all the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the excitement of artists painting, live dance performances, and music, it really was an amazing experience.