Pittsburgh pastel artists show ‘Pure Colors’ at North Hills Art Center

Aug 12, 2023

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“Pure Color,” an exhibit by the Pittsburgh Pastel Artists League, will run March 12 through April 8 at the North Hills Art Center.

A reception is planned for 5-7 p.m. March 19, with first- through third-place cash awards to be presented at 6 p.m.

The show will include 25 member artists showing more than 60 works, with subjects ranging from portraiture to animals to landscapes and more. Locations depicted include many Pittsburgh-area scenes, said PPAL member and exhibit chair Loretta Smith.

Works were created within the past three years and have not been shown in a previous PPAL show. Many will be for sale, with prices ranging from $50 to more than $2,000.

League members range from beginners to internationally known professional artists, with that range of artistic experience reflected in the exhibit.

“We have a lot of our seasoned artists in the show, and we always encourage new members to wet their feet, too,” Smith said. “It’s good for all of us to see what everyone is doing.”

Judge for the awards is fine artist and art educator James Sulkowski of Houston, Washington County, who paints in the tradition of Classical Realism.

His works in oil have been collected by George H.W. and Barbara Bush, The Metropolitan Opera of New York, The Abdul Azziz Museum in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, The Hotel Lafayette at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Carnegie Mellon University and other public and private collectors.

Sulkowski was educated at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Carnegie Mellon and the Art Students League of New York.

Visitors to the exhibit will be able to vote for a people’s choice award, with winner to be announced after the closing.

North Hills Art Center is located at 3432 Babcock Blvd., Ross Township. Hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

There is parking in the front and side of the building. Additional parking for the reception will be available across the street at Brace Engineering, 3440 Babcock Blvd.

Formed in 2002, the Pittsburgh Pastel Artists League is a solely member-supported organization dedicated to the promotion, use, understanding and enjoyment of the medium of soft pastels and to pastel artists. The group is a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies.

Anyone with an interest in the pastel medium is welcome to join. Information is available at ppal-artists.com.

For information on the art center, call 412-364-3622 or visit northhillsartcenter.org.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .

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