Pastel Society of Southern California
14th Annual Members’ Exhibition
2023 Official Prospectus
REQUIREMENTS & EXHIBITION INFO:
- To be eligible to participate in this show, you must be a current paid member of the PSSC at the time of entering the exhibition.
- Each member in good standing is guaranteed at least one piece in the show, as anonymously selected by our Special Invited Juror, Susan Kuznitsky, PSA, NWPS, CPP, PSWC, IAPS MC
About
Susan Kuznitsky is an accomplished, award-winning artist and a gifted teacher, comfortable working and teaching in oil, pastel and various drawing media. Her representational style is arresting, perceptive and dramatic without being staged.
After studying at American Academy of Art in her hometown Chicago, Susan moved to Woodstock, New York, where she became the studio assistant for Master Artist Albert Handell. For the next two years Mr. Handell not only taught her about pastels and oils, but also how to teach.
Moving back to Chicago in the mid 1980’s Susan began painting at the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art with another living Master Painter, Richard Schmid. She now resides in the Pacific Northwest.
Susan is an IAPS Master Pastelist as well as a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America, the Pastel Society of the West Coast and the Northwest Pastel Society. She is also founder and honorary member of the Chicago Pastel Painters (formally the Midwest Pastel Society).
- Each member may submit up to 2 images for an entry fee of $30. You may enter as many additional images as you like for an additional fee of $10 each. You must enter online. All entries must be submitted as digital files to www.onlinejuriedshows.com. Image files must be jpg and under 4 mb. For help with your entries, contact onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com or 888-666-1351.
- To begin your entries, log in and click Enter This Show
- Participation requires gallery docents to sit in the show to keep the exhibition open. Sign-up time slots will be available via the “Sign Up Genius” website. (Out-of-area members more than 100-miles away from the exhibit venue are not obligated to fulfill this responsibility.)
DEADLINES and OTHER IMPORTANT DATES:
· Friday, March 31 -- Final day to submit digital images and pay jurying fee to onlinejuriedshows.com
· Wednesday, April 5 -- (Tentative date) Notification (by email from onlinejuriedshows.com) Results will be in your Artist Profile
· Saturday, April 22 -- 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. – Take-In: Deliver your accepted and ready-to-hang painting(s) to Promenade on the Peninsula, 550 Deep Valley Dr., Suite 117, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274. The gallery is located on the lower level. It was formerly the Loft. Free parking in the Mall parking structure. *Note: Out-of-area members, please see Shipping Instructions, below.
· Wednesday, April 26 – Show opens 11:00 a.m.
· Saturday, April 29, 1-4 p.m. -- Show gala reception and awards ceremony at the Promenade PSSC Gallery space.
· Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily beginning April 26.
· Sunday, May 21, 5 p.m. – Show ends.
· Sunday, May 21, 5-6:00 p.m., or Monday, May 22, 10-1 p.m., or Tuesday, May 23, 10-1 p.m. – Pick up any unsold painting(s) from Promenade PSSC Gallery space.
AWARDS:
· The accepted paintings will be judged in person by our Invited Distinguished Judge, Patricia Prescott Sueme, PSA
About:
Patricia Prescott Sueme is a fine artist and graphic designer working and residing in Southern California. She grew up drawing and painting, with a family lineage overflowing with artists and creative people. After two years studying Fine Art and English Literature at Pomona College, Claremont, she transferred to Art Center College of Design where she graduated with honors in 1985. In 2000, after years of a fulfilling career as a graphic designer, Prescott returned to creating art from her soul and imagination and began to paint again (oil on board).
Prescott’s first show at Lisa Coscino Gallery in Pacific Grove, Calif., sold out. From 2000 to 2006 she participated in nine group or solo exhibitions, alongside operating her graphic design studio. She became noted for her graphic eye and an obsession for layering and subtleties of color. Her body of work was often comprised of pared down, idealized imagery with uncomplicated compositions using oil paint on simple plywood panels.
In 2016, after taking gap years to raise two boys and run her busy design studio, Prescott finally opened a vintage box of pastels she had inherited from her grandmother. Thus, her new obsession with soft pastels began. In a short time, she has received great press and accolades for her innovation and approach to soft pastel. Primarily based on the land and seas of California, Prescott’s pastel paintings have best been described as ‘interpretive jewels of experiences in nature’. She has shared her passion for pastels by teaching workshops and offering techniques to her Instagram followers. Her next steps will include reaching out to a broader audience and offering online soft pastel tutorials, in the hopes of introducing every art lover to the amazing versatility and freedom the medium offers.
· Awards will be given at a gala awards reception for the following: First Place, Second Place, Third Place and two Honorable Mentions in the Gold, and Silver categories, and Best in The Novice category. One overall People’s Choice Award also will be given at the reception, as voted on by the attendees. You may enter one category as defined below.
Gold Category:
· This category is for all eligible PSSC members who are professional artists, art teachers, or painters with years of experience. The submitting artist will determine if his or her painting will be submitted into this category. Artists entering in this category are not eligible to enter the “Silver” or the “Novice” category.
Silver Category:
· This category is for emerging artists who do not consider themselves established at a professional level. The submitting artist will determine if his or her painting will be submitted into this category. Artists entering in this category are not eligible to enter the “Gold” or “Novice” category.
Novice Category:
· This category is open to all eligible PSSC members who are beginning artists and/or student artists. The submitting artist will determine if his or her painting will be submitted into this category. Artists entering this category are not eligible to enter the “Gold” or “Silver” category.
RULES:
· The artwork’s final layer must be (80%) soft pastel.
· Artwork DOES NOT have to be for sale.
· Artwork must be original and personally executed, not copied from other artists or from published or copyrighted materials or from someone else’s real life/still life set-up or photo. Artists working from reference photographs must use their own photo that they have personally taken. Paintings using photos taken by another photographer, even used with permission, will not be accepted.
· Artwork may not have been accomplished in a directed, step-by-step class or workshop.
· Artwork must have been completed in the last 3 years and may not have been exhibited in a PSSC show before.
· Artwork image size must be no longer than 36” in either direction (not including frame).
· Painting must be wired for hanging. Use D-rings or screw eyes only, placed 1/3 down from the top of the frame. Saw tooth hangers are unacceptable. Use braided wire that is sturdy enough to support the artwork. The peak of the hanging wire should be approximately 3 inches from the top of the center of the frame. Frames must be sturdy, neat, and simple. Mats, if used, are to be clean, well cut, and neutral in color. Mats must be in proportion to the frame, i.e., frame must be the correct size for the painting. (Alternative: Mat openings must be cut to the same aspect ratio as the frame. This is the length to width relationship of the frame.)
· Artwork may not be removed from the show until the exhibit closes. Artwork may not be moved on exhibit walls after placement by the Exhibition Director.
· All paintings shall be delivered with an attached label specifying: Artist Name, contact information, Painting Title, Painting Size (H” x W”), Sales price (If not for sale, please indicate NFS), and the category being entered, (Gold, Silver, or Novice).
· In addition, print the artist name on the back of the painting, stretcher bar or frame so that we can identify the painting in the event the label is inadvertently detached
REVENUE FROM SALES:
· If an artist sells a painting at the show, a commission of 20% of the full sales price will be due and payable to PSSC.
LIABILITY:
· Artwork will be handled with the utmost care. PSSC and CPY LLC and CCC & R Property Management, LLC will make every reasonable effort to keep artwork safe. Artists are responsible for insuring their own pieces. PSSC, CPY LLC and CCC & R Property Management, LLC and their representatives will not be responsible for loss, theft or damage of artworks while in the organization’s possession or in transit, including those artworks sold during the exhibition. A signed waiver form for accepted works at the take-in shall constitute agreement with ALL conditions set forth in this prospectus.
*SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS:
• If artists cannot drop-off accepted artwork in person during the designated date and time, artwork must be shipped. SHIPPING INFO is as follows: Out-of-town shipments MUST arrive on one of the following five days: April 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Artists will be responsible for the cost of crating, handling, and shipping artwork to and from the Exhibition. Include the return pre-paid shipping label inside the box. Remember to allow up to 4 days delivery time for your artwork. Both UPS and FedEx Ground recommend a minimum of 3 inches padding around paintings to ensure safe delivery. AirFloat Artwork boxes are recommended. Please ship artwork to: Kath Anderson, PSSC Member’s Show, 32039 Sea Ridge Circle, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA., 90275.
• Any unsold out-of-town artwork will be returned after May 21 via FedEx or UPS, depending on which carrier was used for the original delivery. Please make sure your pre-paid return slip is included in the packaging and that it has a bar-code for scanning. All paintings will be returned in the original package only, and we are not responsible for damage due to re-use of inadequate packaging material. Please notify Christopher Stillians, 310-714-2108, or cmsdesignphoto@aol.com, if you need to schedule an alternate take-in or pickup date or time.