Central Texas PASTEL Society
ctps board
President
Holly Read
I began an interest in artistic expression while frequently visiting my grandmother, a 5th grade art teacher. Her talent still impresses me; she created many oil paintings. My mother was also an excellent artist. I have turned to artwork often as a form of meditation. I enjoy creating work that reflects God’s beauty in the world. It is my hope that I can inspire others to pursue their form of artistic expression as meditation and a positive way to express their inner beauty.
secretary
Sandra Slaughter
I was always very conscious of the beauty in nature. In El Paso, where I spent my first 70+ years, the mountains and sky were a daily wonder. In middle school, I took some private art lessons and worked in charcoal and oils. Then I got busy with life and left art behind. About 4 years ago I connected with a pastel teacher and began taking weekly classes. I immediately fell in love with the medium and was thrilled to find CTPS when I moved to Georgetown.
Annual Show chair
Alora Johns
My love of art started early. I cannot remember a time when art was not important in my life. Pastels were introduced to me in middle school and it has been a love story ever since then. I paint the people, places and things I love and those scenes that catch my imagination.
Program chair & IAPs representative
Jan Frazier
Art has been the driving force of my life since I was a child. I began my formal training at the University of Kentucky where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education. A short while later I moved to Austin, Texas, where I began pursuing art as a full-time profession. Read more: http://www.janfrazierart.com
Treasurer
Jane Copeland
I have been involved in creative endeavors all my life including various crafts, glass blowing and ceramics, and as a child, a most memorable Christmas present was a Jon Gnagy Learn To Draw set. But I didn't start painting until 2012, when a friend introduced me to pastels. I have delighted in demonstrations and workshops by favorite pastel artists, most notably Margaret Dyer, who awakened in me a fascination with the human figure. I love capturing gesture, and telling a story.
Hospitality Chair
Sue Kernan
I have had a colorful life brought into full expression with pastel art.
fundraising committee chair
Debbie Been
My interest in art began, as with many, in childhood and was reinforced through exhibits in elementary and high school. I was nine or ten when I traveled with my mother to New Orleans for studio sessions with a pastel artist. I watched and drew while he worked on his portrait of her. After the sessions he looked at my drawings and encouraged her to buy me a set of pastels, which she did. That was my introduction to and the beginning of my love for pastels. I attended LSU and USL (now UL-Lafayette) and graduated with a BFA-Studio with a double major in painting and photography. While I have primarily painted in oils, I have returned to pastels periodically over the years. I love their brilliance and immediacy. I joined CTPS to learn more about this beautiful medium .
Webmaster
Karen Pickels
I have been drawing since I was a child growing up in Houston. As a teen growing up in North Austin, I expanded to oils, acrylic, ceramics, and screen-printing. My Grandmother used oils and I believe had high hopes that I would as well but alas, I loved drawing. Always have. Pencil, ink, charcoal, and now pastels. The immediate gratification of laying down pastels and seeing my subject emerge so quickly has me hooked.
Vendor Contact for the Annual Show
Joyce West
I have been creating art most of my life. I have had some formal training in college but mostly self taught. I consider myself a mixed media artist because I am always eager to try new things and work out of the box. My love for pastels came later with its versatility and brilliance of color I can use the medium in many ways and I find a lot of satisfaction trying new methods with it.
Librarian
Julie Choate
I love color and the beauty of nature. Pastel, sewing and gardening bring my soul peace. If I am not creating I and am thinking about what to create next.