Central Massachusetts Pastel Society upcoming events

Journaling with Self Portraits- Workshop with Janet Schwartz (Sat, June 06, 2026)

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Please join us for a self portrait workshop with Janet Schwartz.

This one-day workshop will cover the basics of portrait painting using pastels. We will examine the proportions of the face, use values to create facial contours and discover how to create your unique characteristics. Although self-examination may not always be comfortable, you will have a fun day and come away with a better understanding of pastels and possibly yourself! This is an opportunity to capture a moment in time for you: What do you want to say about yourself? What is the emotion you want to convey?

In preparation for class, students will need to bring a selfie photo to class.

GUIDELINES FOR PHOTO:

Position should be straight ahead, facing the camera.
The photo should show strong contrast. Look for strong light and shadow on the face. If needed, take some night photos with a light source you can control.
Feel free to bring several versions of your reference photo "selfie" to class

List of materials

Small Sketchbook, compressed charcoal, all -purpose eraser (pencil erasers are great) for preliminary sketches
Pastels – Good to include Soft and hard pastels. DO NOT PURCHASE OIL PASTELS. Should contain variety of darks, lights
Sanded paper (Recommend UArt, 400 grit, 9x12”).
Drawing board, foam core board, or any rigid surface for the paper - larger than 9 x 12
1” tape (blue painters tape best) to attach paper to board
1” brush for underpainting
Kneaded eraser
Rubbing alcohol, if available (water if not)
Small container (yogurt containers work great)
Paper towels
Your reference photo(s)!

CMPS Workshop and Demo Cancellation Policy 2024.pdf

A Skywatchers Thoughts on Painting a Sunset with Katherine Irish (Wed, October 21, 2026)

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Please join us for a skyscape demo with Katherine Irish.

Katherine will share processes and techniques that she uses to paint a New Mexico sunset. The demonstration will be a mixture of a powerpoint and a video that illustrates how she approaches her work. The powerpoint will explore tips on photographing a sunset, composition, mapping values, and a discussion of color theory particularly taken from Josef Albers Interaction of Color. Katherine will discuss how she develops a sunset painting. The video portion will illustrate how she finishes a painting with an emphasis on using color that creates a glow and a reflective sky that emanates from a mixture of light refraction, water and dust. Please bring questions, thoughts and ideas.

CMPS Workshop and Demo Cancellation Policy 2024.pdf

Incorporating Gold Leaf into Pastel with Eileen Casey (Wed, November 18, 2026)

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Please join use for a demo on how to incorporate gold leaf into pastel with Eileen Casey.

CMPS Workshop and Demo Cancellation Policy 2024.pdf