Jeri Salter, collectible Texas Pastel landscape artist, has agreed to do a demo and miniworkshop for us November 3, 2018.  Signups will go fast, get on the list right away. There are only 16 spots. Click here to register. 

The cost of the workshop will be only $40.00, and held from 12:45pm to 3:30pm or so, with cleanup by 4:00pm,  at Texas Art Supply 2001 Montrose Ave, Houston, Tx.  Please be there for the demo, because directly after the demo and just before lunch, we will make our substrates and let them dry while we have lunch. Her demo is an important part of the workshop.  

"Capturing the natural world in a painting has always inspired me.  It is and always has been my first love.  Expressing emotion in a landscape is what I strive to communicate." Jeri Salter.  Please check out her paintings and bio.

About Jeri Salter:
I am a landscape painter.  I suspect I will always find that to be my center, despite whatever stray tangents present themselves. I am especially drawn to the vast beauty of open spaces, big skies and rolling plains across western landscapes, particularly Texas.   It's exciting to find remnants of humanity captured in those scenes of derelict buildings and worn dirt roads.  They evoke an emotional sense of "searching" that always pulls at me.   
 A turning point for me was a solo show I did for William Reaves Sarah Foltz Art Gallery in 2015.  Bill Reaves suggested I take on the project of returning to many of the places in Texas that Frank Reaugh painted during his lifetime.  Mr. Reaugh is considered one of the premier painters of the Texas longhorns and landscapes during the early years of Texas art. Trying to capture the scenes as they are today while doing it in my own way was daunting and fulfilling.  My respect for Mr. Reaugh was greatly deepened as well as a love for the places he painted.  It was an amazing journey for me which continues to inspire my work going forward.  

No matter the subject, examining what draws us to do a painting, or to have a painting, gives us clues to our own thoughts and desires. Whether that be through symbols, or finding the beauty in grand landscapes  or even the everyday scenes that surround us.   I am continually amazed when the viewing of my work triggers an emotional response in other people.   It reminds me that I am not just painting for myself but making a connection with others through a visual language.

Biography
A native of Richmond, Virginia,  Jeri Salter has spent all of her adult life in Texas.   She has lived in Houston, McAllen and Dallas but has been settled in the Austin area since 1994, where she and he husband raised two sons.

Primarily a self-taught artist, she has taken classes that have improved and inspired her work from the Collin Community College in Plano and the Alfred Glassell Art School in Houston.   After working in oils for many years, she discovered pastels.  They have become her favorite medium for their immedacy and vibrancy.   Workshops with accomplished artists such as Bob Rohm, Kraig Kiedrowski, Susan Ogilvie, Colleen Howe, Anne Templeton, Liz Haywood-Sullivan, Dinah Worman, Desmond O'Hagan and Michael Workman have heightened her skills and influenced her approach to painting.

Jeri has had gallery representation since 2004 and has been honored with numerous awards.  Her paintings, often multiple pieces, are held in private, corporate and museum collections.    

Karen Vernon Muenzenmayer's demo and mini workshop for May's PSST meeting was outstanding!

As a professional artist myself, I am always wowed when I learn new ideas and techniques in my chosen field. Karen talked about leading the viewer through the painting with your directional hints mostly through the use of value. Decide on your compositional plan - is it a triangle, an x, a tunnel, a steelyard, etc? You must do a value plan where those lights and darks go. It turns out flowers are not that simple - shapes and color are one thing - creating depth, shadow and light are another!

Karen gave each participant in the workshop an 11 x 14 pastelboard in white which we then washed in a tone of our choice with watercolor. We did our thumbnail pencil sketch in grey values then sketched our drawings on our dried boards. Karen helped us all with composition and design. Placing pastel on the panel is a series of marks, a little bit of rubbing, some fresh pastel strokes, and then carving out the shapes of the flowers with contrast values. It was a new experience for me to paint flowers, but getting out of my comfort zone to learn something new was exciting and fun!

I also brought samples of my homemade pastels to show the group what they look and feel like. I brought my supplies to show those who are interested in my November workshop "Make your Own Pastels."  The purpose was to announce that those who wish to participate must start "saving their pastel bits." We can use jar pigment as well, which I also brought to show, but since it is several months away, it would be cheaper and as good to start "SAVING YOUR BITS" !!

Many thanks to Linda Dellandre for the photos and writeup.

PSST is gearing up for awesome 2017 workshops.
Workshop Chair Betty James persuaded new (to us) and returning artists to share their skills and knowledge. You are guaranteed to learn a lot from the meeting demos, but the afternoon mini-workshops are more one-on-one, and usually include another demo. Workshop fees range from $40 - $50 for the 3 hour session.

Need more motivation? Here's an excellent take on workshops through the FineArtViews Newsletter, Steve Atkinson's Workshopping Around.

Ready? Details and Register for workshops through this link

• First up for February 4, but sold out: Rita Kirkman, Pastels in Miniature
  
• March 4: Linda Dellandre, Concept, Mood and Harmony
  
• April 1:  Cheng Lian, Study of the Portrait
  
• May 6: Karen Vernon
  
• Sept 9: Brenda Hash, Portraiture
  
• Oct 7:  Carolyn Hancock, Design and Building a Website in 3 Hours
  

Lisa Ober's 3 day Still Life Workshop during Art of the Pastel: Sold Out