get ready!

March 28–April 28 2026
SHOWSUBMIT GALLERY

JUROR OF ACCEPTANCE AND JUDGE OF AWARDS:
MARK IVAN COLE, IAPS/MC, PSA

Total Awards $5,600.00

Important Dates:

• Entry Opens: December 15, 2025
• Entry Closes: March 16, 2026
• Notification of Acceptance: March 25, 2026
• Award Presentation via Zoom: March 27, 2026
• Spirit of pastel exhibition goes online via ShowSubmit Gallery: March 28, 2026.

Eligible Work:

• Open to all North American and Pastel Artists of Oregon Member Artists over the age of 18. Open to all Pastel Artists of Oregon International Members. All PAO Member International entrants must have a working PayPal Account to be eligible for an award. International Artists who are not members of PAO are not eligible for entry.
• All paintings must be original, developed from the artist’s original reference and composition.
• Paintings of nudes will be considered.
• All works submitted must be 80% dry pastel.
• Work previously accepted into any open juried pastel competition, any PAO members-only competition, SOP Exhibition or any art magazine or art material supplier competition is not eligible.
• Failure to meet any of the requirements for eligibility may result in the artwork not being juried. Entry fee forfeited.

Download the 2026 Spirit of Pastel Prospectus.
Link to ShowSubmit.

September 9, 10, 11, 2026
10 AM – 4 PM Daily
Woodburn Art Center
Woodburn, Oregon

Award-winning artist Mark Ivan Cole has lived in mountainous areas in three of Earth’s four quadrants. He enjoys painting plein air and studio pieces alike. Fluent in several media, Cole has a large catalog of works in pastel, acrylic, ink, graphite and colored pencil. He has received his Master Circle designation from the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). Currently, he is focusing on emotional landscapes inspired by his continuing explorations around the world. He also creates illustrations and fine art entirely from his imagination. Cole enjoys discovering new techniques and sharing them via workshops and demos. He is also an accomplished composer and recording musician, and a published novelist and poet.

Have you ever looked at a painting and thought, “Wow, that’s a LOT of detail,” only to discover that it’s really not? We can paint every leaf and twig, every blade of grass–and that’s fine—but what if we don’t? It’s a whole different experience.

Our brains are designed to enquire. As a painter, not “spelling everything out” can leave room for imagination, inviting the viewer to contemplate the mystery.

This three-day in-person workshop focuses on playing with implied details, using the natural world as our inspiration. I’ll talk about how I select a reference photo and approach a landscape painting. Then I’ll demonstrate my process and pastel techniques for creating a pleasing composition that communicates my response to the particular place I’m painting. You’ll see how I block out the key elements and then create the suggestion of detail. Special focus will be given to getting the emotional essense of the scene rather than just the photographic details.

You’re welcome to paint along with me during that time, or you can just hang out and ask questions as I paint. Either way is fine! We’ll break for lunch, after which you’ll have time to paint! We’ll wrap up with a review of the day’s work.

I will bring several images for reference, with copies for everyone. I recommend trying to paint from at least one of them. You can also bring your own references of landscapes that inspire you.

Materials List

We will send you a materials list once you have registered.
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The workshop is limited to 14 participants.
Fee: PAO Members $350
Non-Members $425
PAO members have priority. Nonmembers will be placed on a waiting list. To join PAO, look on the “Join PAO” tab on the website. Dues are $40 annually.

Register using the PayPal button below. Alternatively, you may SendMoney via your personal PayPal account to treasurer@pastelartistsoforegon.com or make a check to Pastel Artists of Oregon and send it to:

Pastel Artists of Oregon
PO Box 80096
Portland, OR 97280

Paint Where You Are (PWYA) is a fun opportunity that PAO members look forward to each year. The idea is to paint from life, either on their own or in the company of other pastelists during the week long event. At the end of each painting session, members post images of themselves or their groups with their paintings on our private Facebook Group Page with the #PWYA2026. If member is not on Facebook, they can email their images to the Coordinator. These images will be collected and produced into a slide show presented at the reception. All who participate and attend the reception have a chance to win gift certificates in a drawing at the end of the reception. See the Events list below for this year’s dates and happy painting…wherever you are!

2026 Southern Oregon Regional Pastel Artists of Oregon Exhibition
September 2–27, 2026

This Non-Juried Exhibition offers a unique opportunity to present your pastel art in a renowned gallery in the heart of historic Jacksonville, Oregon.

AWARDS: $100 Gift Certificate to Central Art Supply People’s Choice Award

ELIGIBLE WORK:

• Open to PAO MEMBERS living in the Southern Oregon Region; Grants Pass, Roseburg Area, Medford and Surrounding Cities, Ashland, and Brookings.
• Originality: The artists certify that the artwork submitted is their original creation.
• All works submitted must be 80% dry pastel; no oil pastel will be considered.

PAO reserves the right to exclude from exhibitions any artwork deemed offensive, or any artwork that violates the laws of the United States, or of state or local governments.

THE ABOVE IS A SYNOPSIS OF ELIGIBILITY RULES AND OTHER DETAILS. DOWNLOAD THE PROSPECTUS WITH COMPLETE DETAILS.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• ENTRY OPENS  May 15, 2026
• ENTRY CLOSES  June 15, 2026
• NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE July 1, 2026 by email
• DELIVERY OF ARTWORK August 31, 2026, between 10:00am–12:00pm.
• LOCATION: Art Presence Art Center, 206 N. 5th St, Jacksonville, OR 97530. 541-414-3234
• RECEPTION and People’s Choice Award Saturday, September 5, 2026 1:00–4:00
• PICK UP PAINTINGS September 28, 2026, between 10am–12pm.

● February 7: General Membership/Deborah Stewart demonstration 10 – 12

● May 2: General Membership/Lana Ballot demonstration 1 – 3

● July: No scheduled meetings.

● September 12: General Membership/Casey Klahn demonstration 10 – 12

● December 5: General Membership/Adrian Giuliani demonstration 10 – 12

● December 15–March 16, 2026 Entries Accepted for “Spirit of Pastel” Fourth Biennial Open Online Juried Exhibition on ShowSubmit website.

● September 9–11: Mark Ivan Cole workshop, Woodburn Art Center, Woodburn, Oregon.

● March 28–April 28: “Spirit of Pastel’ Fourth Biennial Open Online Juried Exhibition.

● September 2–27: Pastel Inspirations Exhibition — 2026 Southern Oregon Regional Art Exhibition at Art Presence Art Center, Jacksonville, Oregon. Reception Saturday, September 5, from 1:00–4:00 pm. Prospectus

● October 3–10: Paint Where You Are (PWYA).

● October 17: Zoom reception — Paint Where You Are (PWYA), Time TBA.

● Facebook Challenge on the PAO Members Only page. The purpose of this challenge is to encourage members to try a different way of looking at their subject. A photo is posted with a challenge to members to change the photo however they want to make their painting different from the photo. No copying the photo exactly as presented. The photos can be painted any month after they are posted, so if the current month doesn’t inspire the artist, look back for another. Every member who participates will be eligible for gift certificate drawings at the end of the year.

Challenge will occur in two phases, January through May, then September through November. We will take a summer break and then a December break. The December break will occur after our December Membership meeting, when we draw the name of participants for the gift certificate.