The Maryland Pastel Society Juried Members Exhibit at The Ratner Musuem, Bethesda, MD

As one of my goals for 2008, I became a member of the Maryland Pastel Society. There are many local pastel societies throughout the country, but the Maryland Pastel Society is the oldest state society, and is an active member of the International Association of Pastel Societies.

The MPS holds quarterly meetings and invites signature members to give demonstrations, critiques, or other instruction at the end of each meeting. Since all of my education in pastel has been self-directed, I thought this would be a great venue for me to learn from nationally recognized master pastelists.

The Maryland Pastel Society also hosts a Juried Members Only show at the Dennis & Phillip Ratner Museum, 10001 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Maryland, from December 31, 2008 through January 28, 2009. All members of the Maryland Pastel Society were invited to submit work for selection by Juror Joe Fitzgerald. Among the submissions, he selected approximately 45 works for this show, including the painting above Morning Sustenance.