dakota pastels
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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. |
Pastel Premier Sampler
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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. |
Dakota Pastels Travel Box
Blue Earth Pastels
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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! |
Dakota Competitions
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