Pastel Society of Victoria, Australia

02/06/2026

For our June Meeting and Art Demonstration we were fortunate to have Pamela Pretty demonstrating “ Depicting Light in the Landscape” .

Pam has a passion for colour, movement and Plein-Air Painting. She has an impressionistic style and exploring different environments is central to her artistic practice.

Pamela combined elements from x3 photographic references to develop a composition that worked well.
Pastels were blended on the paper to create a balance with warm and cool elements.

Was a fabulous and inspiring demonstration.

Find out more about upcoming demonstrations at https://vicpastel.com.au/events-program/

02/06/2026

Announcing an exciting opportunity for emerging artists!

Applications are now open for the 2026 John Withers Scholarship Program.
Are you an emerging artist ready to dive into the world of soft pastels? Here’s your chance to shine! ✨

Unleash your passion for soft pastels with the John Withers Scholarship Program (JWSP), proudly supported by John Withers and the Pastel Society of Victoria, Australia (PSVA).
What’s in store for you?
• 16 hours of expert tuition to refine your skills
• 1-year PSVA membership for ongoing support
• Free materials & mentoring to fuel your artistic journey
• Exhibition opportunities & prizes to showcase your talent
• Framing support + more!

⏰ Don’t Miss Out: Applications close on June 30, 2026
🔞 Eligibility: Open to artists aged 18+, with little pastel experience and no major art prizes.
Ready to take the leap?

For full details including the application process, visit the PSVA website- John Withers Emerging Artist Program.

https://vicpastel.com.au/john-withers-scholarship-program/

Let your artistic journey begin! 🌈

(Painting below: A bright winters morning, Walter Withers, 1894)

29/05/2026

Don’t forget to get your entries into the ‘Camberwell Art Show’ by Monday 1st June. The PSVA is proudly sponsoring “The Best Pastel Under $1500’.

19/05/2026

The Pastel Society of Victoria is sponsoring the ‘Best Pastel Award under $1500’ at the 2026 Camberwell Art Show.
Call for submissions close on 1st June 2026, so get your paintings ready and you could win $1,000.

08/05/2026

We had a great turn out at Captain Cook's Cottage, Fitzroy Gardens on 8th May. Despite the risk of rain we did achieve a great draw out.
So nice to meet some senior past committee members and a few new faces too.Great to see a few committee members there as well.
The morning was a great success and the tourists loved us.
See our paint out webpage for more en -plein air opportunities this year at https://vicpastel.com.au/paint-outs/

06/05/2026

J. Luda Handmade Soft Pastels are a geneous sponsor of our annual show. The pastels are beautiful soft rectangular pastels fast becoming a favourite with Kayleen West who won some of these beauties in 2024. This painting was exclusively painted with JLuda from one of the sets. Approximately 8 pastels used plein air painting at Hat Head NSW.

Thanks again for giving our members opportunity to work with such a beautiful product!

05/05/2026

For our May meeting and Art Demonstration (in the Lounge and on Zoom) we had our vibrant PSVA President Kayleen West demonstrating “ The Mystery of Shadows”.
Kayleen was an animated and lively tutor. She shared some of her painting process. Inspired by photos of Monsalvat, she had done a preparatory quick pencil sketch and colour exercise thinking about how to evolve the painting.

Kayleen works from dark to light and considers direction of stroke, focal points and what areas need highlighting. She used alcohol wash to quickly establish dark and light areas of the painting. She is constantly evaluating and considering painting colours and elements and aims for these all to work harmoniously.

Kayleen encourages artists “to explore something new that you are curious about” and to try exercises or studies in areas that stretch you.
Kayleen is offering a 2 day workshop on June 20 and 21st –which is filling fast. Discover how to use value and colour to create luminous, mood-filled paintings.

Details on our webpage at https://vicpastel.com.au/workshops/

02/05/2026

The PSVA is Sponsoring the "Best Pastel under $1500 Prize" so make sure you get your entries in.

👉DEAR ARTIST.
Emerging, hobby or established!
Just a gentle reminder that online entry to the
2026 Camberwell Art Show opens
📆MONDAY 4TH MAY, 2026.
Entry closing date is Mon 1 June.

😁You'll love our new Art Show venue at Carey Baptist Grammar School 349 Barkers Rd Kew. And there's $10k award to the Best in Show winning artist with a total awards/prize pool around $35k.

Scan our QR code for artist and patron information.
📌GOOD LUCK!
https://camberwellartshow.org.au/

02/12/2025

Congratulations to everyone who won & presented with awards at last night’s Xmas meeting