It isn’t as easy as you might think to come up with a name for a monthly column in a pastel newsletter. At this point we will stick with the Latin word for pastel - pastellus - because it’s fun to say and because it is the beginning of written history - not pastels, just words. The beginning of pastels goes back to pre-historic cave paintings in southern France, Spain and South Africa. The first popular pastel artist was Rosalba Carreira, born in 1675 in France. She used rubb

Tue, July 18, 2017 – Thu, July 20, 2017, 10am – 4pm Tue, July 25, 2017 – Thu, July 27, 2017, 10am – 4pm Location: Studio of Susan Nicholas Gephart, 351 E. Bishop St, Bellefonte PA Price: $80 per day with 1 day only options Class Size: 3-4 people Class description: Each day we will meet at Nicholas Studios for a morning demonstration. Late morning we will travel in my car loaded with our gear (or car pool) to a local site to plein air paint. Contact Susan Nicholas Gephart to

Bill Sweeney recently had his pastel painting, Hay Shoot, juried into the 116th Anniversary Philadelphia Watercolor International Exhibit of Works on Paper where it received the Chandler Bellows Memorial Award. The exhibit was held at West Chester University's John H. Baker Gallery from September 6 through October 15. The juror of awards was Stewart White of Design Collective Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland. Recent pastel work by Anne Kenyon will be featured at the Elk Creek Cafe

In honor of the Museum’s 20th anniversary, we invite all area artists to participate in the plein air painting contest, Paint Us. Modeled after the Paint Out, the contest invites artists to paint, en plein air, the SAMA-Ligonier Valley Museum, its grounds, and gardens. Artists may also paint the Museum’s interior, although pre-scheduling is required. The contest begins January 1, offering artists an opportunity to paint the Museum throughout the seasons. Paint Us artwork will