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CMPS Newsletter March 2026 |
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Membership in CMPS brings you access to lots of great pastel content -- demos, artist talks, painting challenges, member rates, community and lots more! |
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Welcome, everyone, to CMPS 2026!
If we haven’t met yet, I’m the new CMPS president, honored to step into the big shoes of our past president, Jane Robbins. Jane took a fledgling pastel society in Central Massachusetts and transformed it into a nationally recognized organization. My intention is to build upon the strong foundation she created — something you can hopefully see reflected in our Painting Challenge web gallery and our Facebook and Instagram Featured Artist highlights.
Working alongside Kathy Edmonston, our Newsletter Coordinator, we are striving to provide a more comprehensive view of our organization and refresh the formatting of future editions. Kathy has also recently stepped into the role of Secretary while continuing her newsletter responsibilities.
While I have worked in watercolor, acrylic, and oil for most of my adult life, I began my pastel journey in 2019 and quickly discovered how invaluable CMPS could be. The society helped guide me from novice pastelist to someone now entrusted with leading it. When Jane was looking for additional help, I stepped forward to join this dedicated team of volunteers who were making such a difference in my artistic growth. After three years as Newsletter Coordinator and two years concurrently serving as Secretary, the presidency opened — and here I am.
If you are reading our newsletter and would like to become part of the CMPS family, please email me at president@cmpastels.org to volunteer or share your suggestions.
Volunteers are the heart of our organization. We would truly love to get to know you and appreciate any time you are able to give. If you are interested in learning more about any of the following important positions, please reach out.
- Assistant Treasurer – basically, this year is a learn the ropes to take over next year.
- Web Admin Assistant – learn the ropes and help update pages
- Painting Challenge Assistant – help post our paintings to the web and to social media.
Please take note on big events happening soon!
- Member’s Show Submissions: March 6th - April 6th
- Marks of Distinction National Show Submissions: later this Spring
- Janet Schwartz Portrait Workshop, June 6th, Lexington,MA. Registration opens today, March 1st.
- “America the Beautiful" Painting Challenge in honor of the United States 250th birthday. See the Painting Challenge Section below for more details.
Cheers and Happy Painting!
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Colleen Kean Jensen
CMPS President
president@cmpastels.org |
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The Pastels Plus show is now online! Check it out here.
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You won’t want to miss these workshops, demos and artist talks coming up:
Workshop: Journaling with Self Portraits with Janet Schwartz
You'll learn basics of portrait painting with pastels in this one-day workshop. Examine proportions of the face, how to use values to create facial contours, and how to create your unique characteristics. You'll find a complete description on our Events page.
Sat, June 06, 2026, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM at the Monroe Center for the Arts, Lexington, MA
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Artist Presentation and Discussion: A Skywatchers Thoughts on Painting a Sunset with Katherine Irish
Katherine will share processes and techniques that she uses to paint a New Mexico sunset. The demonstration will be a mixture of powerpoint and a video that illustrates how she approaches her work. You'll learn how she uses color to create that glow and reflection. More information on our Events page.
Wed, October 21, 2026, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM on Zoom. |
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Demonstration: Incorporating Gold Leaf into Pastel with Eileen CaseyEileen will demonstrate incorporating gold leaf into your paintings.
Wed, November 18, 2026, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM on Zoom |
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We regularly feature artists on the CMPS website and now in the newsletter. This is a great opportunity to share your background and work with other member,s as well as the public. We encourage all to take advantage of this member benefit. Watch out for a Members Email to sign up!
Joelle Feldman
Joelle writes:
"Born and raised in Normandy, France, I have made New England my home since 1981. After a lifelong love of art, I left a corporate career in 2015 to dedicate myself to painting.
"I am a representational painter, inspired by places and moments in my immediate environment. I aspire to convey in my landscapes the vibrancy, subtleties and shadows that nature offers at a given season and instant. I also delight in the form, texture and color found in everyday objects: florals, still lifes, and structures.
"My work is always evolving as I explore new techniques and materials and discover new ways to experiment with the pastel medium, watercolors and oils." https://www.joellefeldman.com/ |
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Joelle Feldman, "Glowing in the Snow"
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Mena Levit Short Artistic Journey An opera singer and voice teacher by trade, I had always wanted to paint, but could never find the time. When Covid brought work to a halt, I suddenly had the time in abundance – and that was the beginning of my pastel journey. Art, like music, has become another language of my soul. It offers a fascinating journey of unlimited possibilities of self-expression. In art, I find the truest version of myself. My creative process begins with observing the quiet poetry of the everyday world. I’m drawn to fleeting moments of light and shadows, subtle emotional states, and the atmosphere of a place. Working exclusively in soft pastels I build my pieces through layered color, intensive mark-making, very light touch, and gradual refinement. As a performer, I often find myself attracted to the story behind the character, and try to bring my own experience and feelings into my work. Being able to accomplish this with soft pastels, pencils, and my fingers seems absolutely magical to me, and the results of the creative process never cease to amaze me. I’m convinced that art must go far beyond technique in order to touch people. I am attracted to the story behind the character, and try to bring my own experience and feelings into my work by capturing a very specific emotion and moment. Being able to accomplish this with soft pastels, pencils, and my fingers seems absolutely magical to me. My artistic goals are to create work that resonates on a human emotional level, paintings that feel intimate, contemplative, powerful, and mos t importantly – tell a story. https://www.menalevitartist.com/
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Mena Levit, "When Life Gives you Lemons"
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Shuk Susan Lee
Shuk Susan Lee is a pastel artist based in Newton, MA. Inspired by her love of travel, legends, mythology, dances, and songs, Susan has developed a series portraying figures in a variety of urban, natural, and occasionally surrealistic settings. This year, Susan has been exploring watercolor in combination with pastel in her Figures in Action series, taking advantage of the strengths of both media. The transparency and fluidity of watercolor capture rhythm, atmosphere, and motion, while the opacity of pastel adds strength, clarity, and expressive definition to the figures. Susan’s goal is to engage the viewer through personal storytelling, as she believes that art must go beyond technique to touch the heart. https://www.shuklee.com/ |
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Shuk Susan Lee, "Whisper of Heaven"
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Alexia Rosoff Wilbur
Alexia Rosoff Wilber is Artist in Residence and Curator of Exhibitions at Newbury Court Independent Living Community in Concord, MA. Extensively trained in communication design, painting, printmaking, digital art and filmmaking, and art history, she is actively engaged as a teacher of drawing, painting, portfolio development, color theory, and monotype printmaking at multiple venues throughout Massachusetts. In her own work, which is represented by NOA Gallery in Groton, Massachusetts, Alexia freely combines her knowledge of mediums and surfaces as she pursues a goal of continuous learning and change. Alexia is Vice President and Website Administrator of the Central Mass Pastel Society. She holds a BA in Art History from Williams College and a MA in Visual Media from Emerson College. https://www.alexiarosoffwilber.com/ |
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Alexia Rosoff Wilbur, "Guardian"
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Keith Demanche I am a pastel painter from Rochester, NH. But there is no place better for me than at my easel on a riverbend or in a desert canyon where I can find a little corner that speaks to me. When out painting, I find the interaction of man and nature captivating - those sometimes dreary intersections of wildness and urban sprawl often reveal a lot about how I see the world. www.keithdemanche.com |
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Keith Demanche, "Backyard Blues"
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Upcoming Events From Our Members |
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Heather Quay, "Confident"
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Karen Israel will be teaching a 2 day workshop, 4/18-4/19,at the National Arts Club for the Pastel Society of America called Narrative in Pastel: Creating a Story with FIgures. Find more information and register at her website. |
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Karen Israel, "Growing Closer"
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Jeanne Rosier Smith’s upcoming solo show "Time and Tides," opens May 1 at Dare Gallery in Charleston, SC. |
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Jeanne Rosier Smith, "Joyful", 40 x 27
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Keith Demanche will be doing workshops at the Thornhill Art Gallery in February and March, details will be available on his website and on the Thornhill Art Gallery site. |
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Mena Levit is having a Solo show of 25 paintings at the COA Gallery at the Community Center, 20 Alphabet Ln, Weston, MA. It opens on February 20, and runs through May 22, 2026. |
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Mena Levit has been accepted as a Member of the Copley Art Society in Boston, MA. Three of her paintings are currently on view in the Small Works exhibit "Embark" https://copleysociety.org/exhibitions/smallworks-embark/
Three of Mena Levit’s paintings - "Beyond the Stillness", "Feathered Diva", and "Groomed to Perfection"- were accepted into the Gallery Twist Show "Illumination" (December 5 - January 4, 2025) in Lexington, MA |
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Mena Levit, "Winter's Journey"
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Mena Levit, "Beyond Stillness" |
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Cindy Rodday’s pastel, "The Landmark", was accepted into Concord Art’s Member’s Juried 1: Painting + Sculpture 2026 exhibit. The exhibit opened on January 15 and ended on February 15, 2026.
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Cindy Roddy, "The Landmark", 7 x 5
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Jane Robbins was pleased to have her interiors painting "Ready for Service" juried into the "Inside Story" Exhibition at Lyme Art Association.
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Jane Robbins, "Ready for Service"
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Katherine Mahoney held a solo exhibit at the Boyden Library in Foxboro for the month of December. In January, Katherine led a demonstration on pastel techniques for the Foxboro Art Association. Most recently, her painting "Sunset Cruise" was juried into the Arizona Pastel Artists Association 10th International Exhibition which opened at the Phippen Museum at the end of February. |
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Katherine Mahoney, "Sunset Cruise"
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Katherine Mahoney, "Walpole Pond" |
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Karen Israel's painting "Point of Departure" won Second Place in the Pastel Society of the West Coast (PSWC) Members Online Exhibit. Karen’s painting "Udder Foolishness Again" won First Place in pastel/graphics in the East Granby Public Library Art Show
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Karen Israel, "Udder Foolishness Again" |
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Karen Israel, "Point of Departure" |
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Dina Gardner is now being represented by “Walstory”, a contemporary art gallery in Manhattan Beach, CA. Her most recent piece, “The Limelight “ is one of eight pieces currently on display.
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Dina Gardner, "The Limelight" |
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Jeanne Rosier Smith, "Shining Through", 20" x 60"
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Keith Demanche was honored to have his painting "Some Days Are Worse Than Others" win the Tom Bradley Memorial Award in the Pastel Society of New Hampshire Annual Show, the painting was also awarded an Honorable Mention in the Pastel Society of the West Coast Members Only Show - his first award for PSWC. He was also interviewed by Kim Essex for the PSWC Winter Magazine, https://pswc.ws/new-pswc-magazine/ Keith also had a number of paintings in the Pastel Society of New Hampshire's Signature Member show in Jaffrey, NH, including "Through the Woods". |
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Keith Demanche, "Some Days Are Worse Than Others"
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Keith Demanche, "Through the Woods"
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Donna Rossetti Bailey was awarded the “Laurinda Phakos O’Connor Memorial Award" in the Pastel Painter’s Society of Cape Cod (PPSCC) Signature Show. Donna’s painting “Down the Road” was also included in this online exhibit. She has two pastels in "In From the Cold" exhibit at North River Arts Society, Marshield Hills, MA. “Before the Thaw” and “Last Breath of Winter” were on exhibit through February 12 at the Gar Hall. Donna also has two pastels in the Cape Cod Art Center’s Inspired by Nature Exhibit. ”Driftway Tapestry” and “Forsythia Path” will be on display through March 9 in Barnstable, MA. In addition, “Morning Greeting, Duxbury” has been juried into the Hull Lifesaving Museum 2026 "Sea and Sky Art Show" through March 29, 2026.
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Donna Rossetti Bailey, "January Song"
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Donna Rossetti Bailey, "Driftway Tapestry"
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Heather Quay was awarded First Place in the Pastel or Drawing Category in the Duxbury Art Associations 53rd Annual Winter Show for her painting "Leaving the Beach". Duxbury Art Association |
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Heather Quay, "Leaving the Beach" |
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Our Winter Wonderland paintings were truly beautiful! Thank you to everyone who participated and made the challenge so special. We hope you enjoyed our new presentation format, featuring the gallery on the CMPS home page along with your individual Featured Artist highlights on Instagram and Facebook.
Congratulations to Joelle Feldman, winner of our Winter Wonderland random drawing! She will receive a $25 gift certificate to her favorite art store. |
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Our Next Challenge In celebration of our country’s 250th birthday, our next challenge will be “America the Beautiful.” We invite you to share a painting from anywhere in the United States — the more states and territories represented, the better! We will accept one painting per artist from Patriots' Day through Memorial Day. Look for a Members Email just before Patriots' Day with submission information. We can't wait to see the beauty of America through your pastels! |
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Since 2019, CMPS has been dedicated to sharing the joy, fulfillment, and inspiration of pastel art with its members and the broader community through a range of exhibitions, educational programs, and community engagement activities.
As we step into our eighth year, we remain fully committed to sustaining and growing the programs that bring us together, programs that foster creativity, encouragement, and genuine connection through the arts.
Your donation, in any amount, truly makes a difference. It helps bridge the gap between our dreams for what CMPS can offer and the real costs of making those opportunities possible. We are deeply grateful for your support. Our Donors
Kate Bergquist • Anne DeBenedictis • Gillian Draleau • Joelle Feldman • Ronnie Gold • Elaine Hardman • Mary Anne Laning • Heather Quay • Paula Romano • Jeanne Rosier Smith • Loretta Smith • Geoffrey Staniford • Christine Supple • Diane Tarantino • Lisa Townson • Cheryl Wildermuth
Our Sponsors
Airfloat • MASTERPAK • HOLBEIN • EARTHBERRY • MAMUT
Thank you to our Donors and Sponsors!
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