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

“For me, art is like breathing,” says artist Pamela Hamilton. “It has always been in me—it just had to get out.” From an early age, she was irresistibly drawn to creating images, a creative instinct that continues to shape her work today. Based in Geneva, Illinois, Hamilton finds ongoing inspiration in the natural beauty and quiet moments that surround her. Hamilton studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later built a successful career in print and publis

It's March already and time for our Annual General Meeting AGM . It will be held in a Zoom meeting room on Sunday 29 March at 6pm (GMT), 19:00 h (CET) . The assembly will be presented with the activity report and the financial report for 2025 and the activity plan for 2025. It will also elect the PGE board members and the chair of the board. The login details have been posted in the member forum. Please consider attending the AGM and meet the board and other PGE members.

The meeting room has been set up and the login details will soon be posted in the forum (PGE Events). Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Our guest judge Martin Künne has chosen his winner; it is Beatrice Mitry with her ' Le Regard '. Congratulations! Beatrice receives a certificate and a mystery pastel box! In second place is Omma Moon with " Albertina", in third place is Alena Rachinger with "Restless Stillness". Honorable mentions go to Hilaria Couture with "A Rose by any other name is not as sweet", Lynn Howarth PGE with " Tears of a Clown" and Mary Greenacre with "La Reveuse". You can see all 21 entries

Winter is coming to an end, so its time for the new Journal. 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

You may choose whatever animal you want. Your painting can be in portrait format or show the whole figure. Only post entries of a single subject and do not enter an 'animal in the landscape' painting. Every artist may enter two works, deadline is March 25 at midnight CET. @Sophie Parkhill

Martin Künne was born in 1965 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. After graduating from high school, he trained as a stonemason. Since 1995 he has participated in various group exhibitions in Germany and is known for his extraordinary portraits. Meet the artist: www.martin-kuenne.de Auf Go

Our guest judge Barbara Jaenicke has chosen her winner; it is Alena Rachinger with her ' Winter Forest '. Congratulations! Alena receives a certificate and a mystery pastel box! In second place is Silja Salmistu with " Elegy", in third place is Kerstin Birk PGE with "Birch Trees in Snow". Honorable mentions go to Mao Mei with "Light of Fall", Katha Bineider with " Clemence" and Sophie Parkhill with "Afternoon Snooze". You can see all 83 entries in the Competition Galler

Are the short, dark, cold days finally getting to you? Are you having the winter blues? Then this month's challenge is for you! We want to see your depiction of sadness or melancholy, either in a portrait or a whole figure. As usual, each member may enter two paintings into the competition. Deadline is February 25th at midnight CET. We are looking forward to your expressive work! @dorotheaschulz

Congratulations, we have a winner! It is Elisabeth Schaller with "Light from the depth"! This is a stunning pastel and the 1st place is well dserved. Our winner will get a certificate!

Barbara Jaenicke’s artistic journey was launched in her early teens more so by hard work and stubborn determination than by natural giftedness. Not realizing that a career in fine art could be a possibility, she steered her college studies toward Advertising, Graphic Design, and Marketing. She was an advertising art director in her first career, then a corporate marketing communications manager years later. In 2002, she was able to turn her focus to a fine art career, pursuin

Our treasurer Annika Östmann has sent out the invoices for the 2026 member fees . Please make sure to check your spam folder in case you haven't added PGE to your list of safe senders. Please only use the invoice for payment! It will make bookkeeping much easier.

The PGE board wishes their members a happy and harmonious end of 2025. Stefan Hintermeier - Winter Walk

Now that 2025 is nearly over, it's time for our members to choose their favourite among the 30 placed paintings of the Get Dusty 2025 competition. Go to Best of Get Dusty 2025 ( pastelguildofeurope.org ) to see the entries with name and title. Please post your favourite in the Forum | The PastelGuild of Europe. Deadline is January, 31 of 2026. Post your choice in the Forum Get Dusty Competition group! Only one entry per member is allowed, not an own entry! Collage 2026: