PASTEL SOCIETY OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS
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dakota pastels
Interview march 2021


We keep looking for ways to strengthen the bond with the pastel world and our pastel customers! First and foremost as an innovator and a source for your pastel products, but also as a supporter of the medium thru Societies, shows and events.
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March 4:  Tour the Dakota Pastels warehouse with PSST via Zoom.
This is an exclusive presentation on pastel products by an advocate of this beautiful medium. Enjoy all that PSST offers -- 
 join as a member. ​
​PSST: The Dakota website is a beautiful array of pastels and supplies. Please tell us how Dakota Pastels got started.
 
DAKOTA:  The year was 1998 and I was looking for something to do beyond the brick and mortar art material stores I had started in 1990. Having been involved in mail order previously, I wanted to get back in the shipping game. Looking at what existed and what (at least in my mind) needed to be done, I decided a ‘specialty’ catalog for Pastels had possibilities. In the spring of 1998 we launched Dakota Art Pastels and mailed our first catalog that fall.
 
Our first cover was ‘Breakfast’ by friend and local pastel artist Susan Bennerstrom. That same image was our back cover ad in the inaugural Volume 1 Number 1 issue of The Pastel Journal in March/April of 1999! The first catalog had 14 pages and the illustrations were hand drawn black and white (ironic) charcoal images (I drew them) with color only on the cover and back page ‘color chart’ for papers. We carried 13 lines of pastels, 5 of pastel pencils and 6 pastel papers. Many of the pastel brands were very small companies also, and were eager to see us start a 'pastel only' company.
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Pastel Premier Sampler
How far the pastel world has come! We now list 20 lines of pastels – 4 of the original lines gone or re-named and 10 added. Almost all of the pastel lines have vastly expanded color ranges - some to over 700. Specialty coated pastel papers have grown from the original 6 to now 12, with expanded color ranges and available in sheets, boards and pads. Many of the pastel papers we mount on 4 or 8 ply boards - we do custom mounts too. We now have 8 lines of pastel pencils.
 
I am proud to have been a participant in this renaissance of the pastel medium. It is a cool biz AND is populated by wonderful people – from entrepreneurs hand making color and coating papers, to the artists - aspiring to accomplished. Specializing in one medium has allowed us to really tune ourselves in to the needs of this community and pastel products. From the design of our best selling Travel Boxes made in Italy, to working with companies to bring new products to the market such as Blue Earth Pastels, assisting in development of papers like Pastel Premier and offering exceptional workshops, it’s been exciting, fun and rewarding. The recent addition of our annual Dakota Pastel Competition further engages our pastel world.
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Dakota Pastels Travel Box
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Blue Earth Pastels
PSST: Dakota is promoting pastel in so many ways, exhibition awards, support to pastel societies, and your big hit, the Dakota quarterly competitions. How has this influenced the growth in gallery and collector acceptance of pastel as a fine art medium?
 
DAKOTA:   I think the 'education' of the art consuming public continues positively due to more people working in pastel, exhibiting pastel in medium exclusive as well as invitational multi-media shows, and influencing others to be aware of the work done in this brilliant medium.  The more that pastel paintings are seen by gallery owners and patrons the better noted and accepted.  The inherent bias (in some corners) against works on paper and/or under glass is still there, but is slowly evolving - it's hard to ignore vibrant art!
Visit Dakota Pastels Website
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Dakota Competitions

" it's hard to ignore vibrant art!"  ​-  Craig Lemley, Dakota Pastels

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Pastel Society of Southeast Texas, bringing the beauty of pastel to international artists and collectors. A 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, based in the Greater Houston area.
​All images on this website copyright 2022 by listed artist and PSST.
​

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Officers/Committees
    • Communicate!
  • Meetings/Workshops 2023
    • Challenges
  • Membership
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Join/Renew Membership
    • Honors
  • Member Gallery
  • Blog & Interviews
    • Interviews >
      • Pamela Hamilton 2021
      • Jeri Greenberg 2021
      • Dawn Emerson 2021
      • Dakota Pastels 2021
      • Jen Evenhus 2021
      • Karen Margulis 2020
      • Cindy Crimmin 2020
      • Bethany Fields 2020
      • Rita Kirkman 2020
      • Interviews 2014-2019
  • Classes
  • Exhibitions
    • Member Show 2022
    • Member Show 2021
    • AOTP 2020
    • Pastel Challenge
    • Policy for Entering
    • Standards/Etiquette
    • AOTP Past Shows
  • Members Only
    • Lists, Info & Ops
    • Zoom 2023 Demo/Meetings
    • Zoom 2022 Demo/Meetings
    • Zoom 2021 Demos/Meetings
    • Zoom 2020 Demos/Meetings
    • Live Model Groups
    • Your Membership Card
    • Sponsors
    • Photograph & Edit
    • Critique Groups
    • Pastel Atelier >
      • Seeing Values
      • Unified Color
      • Playing with your Pastel Palette
    • Resources
    • ByLaws
    • Policies & Procedures
    • Exhibition Chair Guidelines
  • Contact Us
  • Albert Handell Workshop