This month we are offering a classical still life challenge. Fruit and vegetables have been depicted since Roman times, and found their heyday in the opulent Dutch still lifes of the 17th century. Cézanne and Van Gogh, among others continued but also renewed the still life. Every member may enter two paintings. The deadline is September 25th at midnight CET. Please remember to rename your files. Attention: for this challenge only your own reference photos are allowed.

Our judge Kerstin Birk PGE has chosen her winner, it is Hilarie Couture with "Flowers in her hair". Congratulations! Hilarie receives a certificate and an material prize! Flowers and netting with pastel In second place is Silja Salmistu with "Tangled Temple", in third place is Janet Buellwith"Wild Irish Summer". "Tangled Temple" is created with Gouache and soft pastels on multimedia artboard. Painted from life. "Wild Irish Summer" is created with Multi-media paper splashed w

Our guest judge Hilarie Couture has chosen her winner; it is MaoMei with her 'Whisper of Wind'. Congratulations! MaoMei receives a certificate and an Artisan Pastellier pastel box! In second place is Elena Degenhardt with "Meditation IX", in third place is Theresa Seals with"Lambretta Love". Honorable mentions go to Silja Salmistu with "After the heyday #5", Karin Kiessling with "Girl on the stairs" and Emmanuelle Fonsy with "Dappled Light". You can see all 61 entries in the

Hilarie Couture’s primary mediums are pastels and oils. She is passionate about painting a portrait or figure but sometimes just the color of a landscape or the light appeals to her impressionistic style. Her goal is to suggest a feeling; either through a person’s expression, or a sense of place. All of her life experiences have translated to her substrates as she is self- taught but has attended workshops from many artists she admires. She feels that the fundamentals are the

From 1974 to 1989, Kerstin Birk was a member of the painting circle at the 'Joliot Curie' clubhouse in Riesa, where she studied painting and drawing under the guidance of well-known artists from Riesa and Leipzig. From 1978 to 1980, she followed an apprenticeship as a technical draftsman. Since 1995, she has been a member of the art association 'Riesa Kreatives Centrum e.V.' where she has the head of the painting and graphics group. From 2001 to 2003, Kerstin followed a dista

Our fifth international online pastel competition is coming this October! We are hosting the show with OnlineJuriedShows OJS. Do you want to know more? Here is the link to the prospectus. Competition opens: October 1, 2026 Competition closes: October 31, 2026 The results will be published at the beginning of December. Have a look at our former DUST OFF competitions here: Open competitions | The PastelGuild of Europe

Summer is here, so its time for the summer edition of the Scribbler. Our Scribbler editor Jutta has assembled an interesting and colourful issue. Read all about the Get Dusty competitions of the last two months. Meet our judges and read their comments about the winning paintings. Read about our new summer challenge MIXED MEDIA.

Pastel is an excellent and versatile medium all on its own. But it also shines in combination with other media. That’s why we are offering an additional competition this summer. The rules are the same as for the Summer GET DUSTY, with one exception; you may combine pastel with watercolour, acrylics, black or coloured ink, charcoal, coloured pencils, a print technique (monoprint, cyanotype etc) or even a collage. We would like works to clearly feature pastel. As it is difficul

The Summer GET DUSTY runs over two months. Deadline is August, 25th at midnight CET. Every member may post up to three entries of their choice. We are looking forward to seeing your work. Have a great summer! @dorotheaschulz

Our guest judge Jeri Greenberg PSA has chosen her winner; it is Beatrice Mitry with her 'Sailing I '. Congratulations! Beatrice receives a certificate and an Artisan Pastellier pastel box! In second place is Dorothea Schulz PGE with "Sisters", in third place is Hilarie Couture with"Sunny Stroll". Honorable mentions go to Torkild Laursen with "Joyride", Maciej Bobowicz with "Little Surfers" and Lynn Howarth PGE with "My Girls". You can see all 19 entries in the Competition Ga

Jeri Greenberg PSA After many years as a fashion illustrator and sportswear designer, Jeri turned her love of graphic design towards advertising for a while. Having time to devote herself to painting again - and falling in love with the pastel medium - has led to a new and interesting “next act” as full time painter and teacher. ​ Feeling that "pastels are an immediate tool to express feelings" and the the perfect way to both "make the ordinary extraordinary" and tell stori

This month's category is 'Figure'. We are getting close to summer, so the challenge is 'Leisure activities'. Show us your paintings of people enjoying their free time. As usual, every member may enter two paintings. Deadline is June 25th at midnight CET. Happy summer time painting! @dorotheaschulz

Our guest judge Vera Kavura has chosen her winner; it is Alena Rachinger with her 'Where Summer Blooms'. Congratulations! Alena receives a certificate and an Artisan Pastellier pastel box! In second place is Silja Salmistu with "Midsummer Meadow", in third place is Beatrice Mitry with"Backlit Meadow Flowers". Honorable mentions go to Catherine Nowak with "Wild Mallow-Malva sylvestris", Tetiana Mershavka with "A Piece of Wild Forest" and Mary Greenacre with "Boutons d´Or". Yo

Spring is here, so its time for the new PastelJournal. Our Scribbler editor Jutta has assembled an interesting and colourful issue. Read all about the Get Dusty competitions of the last months. Meet our judges and read their comments about the winning paintings. Read articles and much more! The Pastel Scribbler

Vera Kavura is a Ukrainian artist currently based in Italy. She is known for her expressive pastel paintings of flowers created exclusively from life, using natural light and carefully arranged live bouquets. Her work has been exhibited internationally in pastel exhibitions and salons across Europe and has received recognition in international pastel competitions. Vera’s paintings combine vibrant colour, movement, and atmosphere, balancing strong composition with a sense of

Our guest judge Mark Ivan Cole has chosen his winner; it is MaoMei with her 'Whisper of Wind 2'. Congratulations! MaoMei receives a certificate and an Artisan Pastellier pastel box! In second place is Olga Turkina with "Ramskardet", in third place is Beatrice Mitry with "Fire on Ice". Honorable mentions go to Teitana Mershavka with "Autumn on Lake Lac Carouge", Alena Rachinger with "Vik" and Kerstin Birk PGE with "Summer Meadow Montafon". You can see all 27 entries in the Co

May seems to be a fitting month for hosting a flower competition. Wildflowers are growing everywhere in a profusion of colours and shapes. We can't wait to see your paintings! Every member may enter two works, deadline is May 25 at midnight CET. Do not forget to add your reference. Addendum: It seems that painting flowers in nature is too narrow a challenge for some, so we will also allow wildflowers in a vase, but only wildflowers! @dorotheaschulz

Mark Ivan Cole grew up in the Ecuadorian Andes and has lived in three of the four quadrants of the planet, including Taiwan and the U.S. He and his wife, Ping, have hiked on trails around the world, from South Africa to Spain and from Bali to Xinjiang, China, not to mention miles and miles logged on foot in North America. Mark started drawing as soon as he could hold a crayon, and has worked in graphite, pen & ink and colored pencil for most of his adult life, but he didn't d

Our April GET DUSTY is a landscape challenge. We want to see your best mountain scenes. Every member may enter two paintings, deadline is April 25 at midnight CET. Do not forget to rename your files according to the GET DUSTY rules and include your reference in the description. Post your entries in this month's forum thread.

Our guest judge Pamela Hamilton has chosen her winner; it is Anja Poker with her ' Running Hare '. Congratulations! Anja receives a certificate and a mystery pastel box! In second place is Line Sorensen with " Wild Hairday", in third place is Karin Kiessling with "Minnie". Honorable mentions go to Alena Rachinger with "Gentle Gaze", Sabina Haas with " Big Red" and Sophie Parkhill with "The Guardian". You can see all 59 entries in the Competition Gallery. Read Pamela Ha