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Pastel Society of New Mexico brings All-Member show to Weems Gallery
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The Pastel Society of New Mexico is showcasing a range of diverse styles — abstract, landscape, portrait and beyond — with its All-Members Art Show, now open at the Weems Gallery.
“The great thing about this show is it gives all members a chance to get their work into, in this case, a pretty top gallery, Weems Gallery,” John DeSpain, gallery chair assistant and Pastel Society member, said.
The All-Members Art Show will run until Nov. 22.
This will be Gail Sacharczuk’s fourth All-Members show. She said shows like the All-Members are important for getting artwork out to the public, as well as building camaraderie among artists.
“We have many shows, or many times we’re entering other shows where maybe some of us will get in, some of us won’t get in, but we always attend each other’s shows,” Sacharczuk said. “We always support each other in our community.”
Renee’ Marz Mullis, a society member, said that pastel stands out from other mediums, such as watercolor and oil, due to its unique texture.
“I think it has a very distinct texture, and the texture can be different depending on the substrate, the support you use,” Marz Mullis said.
She said she finds inspiration primarily from light and the way it can transform ordinary objects into extraordinary ones.
“The same object can look very different at different times of the day,” Marz Mullis said. “I’m fascinated by how light moves across a still life or a landscape.”
Sacharczuk said the color intensity of pastels inspires her.
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“You can get that intensity right off the stick, or you can blend colors without having to spend a lot of time mixing like you would have to do with liquid paint,” Sacharczuk said.
DeSpain said that shows that are focused on pastels can help bring to the forefront a medium that can sometimes take a backseat to oil painting.
“So it’s really, I think, somewhat of an underappreciated art form,” DeSpain said.
“It’s kind of coming into its own, and it’s becoming more and more discovered, I think, and that’s part of what the society is trying to do.”
